RetroMania Wrestling

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Retrosoft Studios

I’m a huge fan of WWF Wrestlefest. It’s one of the only arcade cabinets that I’d like to own at some point. So, when I heard that RetroMania Wrestling was not only attempting to recreate the fun of Wrestlefest, but it was given the nod to be considered the “official” sequel to it, it definitely had my interest. After putting a few hours into RetroMania Wrestling, I do enjoy it...but it’s not without its faults. First, the ragtag roster is odd...it technically has a wrestler or two for everyone...but the roster as a whole feels like it’s hit or miss. As someone that loves wrestling from the 70’s and 80’s, being able to play as Austin Idol and Nikita Koloff is awesome...but having them on the same roster as the Blue World Order feels out of place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bWo fan, but I feel like the game would be more enjoyable as a whole if they stuck with a specific theme for the roster (and maybe included various different rosters as DLC)...that way you’d have an entire roster of 80’s wrestlers, ECW wrestlers, current Indy stars, etc. It may just be me, but the selected roster just doesn’t seem to mesh. That gripe aside, the story mode isn’t playable with all wrestlers...just Johnny Retro (John Morrison). If you don’t wanna play as Mr. Retro, well, then tough luck. You’re stuck with him. The gameplay itself also feels like it’s lacking...yes, it’s very much like Wrestlefest, and there are some positive modifications made to it, but I feel like more could have been done to make it feel like its own game instead of it simply being a tribute to an arcade wrestling game that many of us love. That said, if you like wrestling and want to support developers giving us alternative wrestling games aside from the stuff with the WWE logo stamped on it, then RetroMania Wrestling will still provide you with a mostly enjoyable experience...it’s just probably not going to lure too many casual wrestling fans in.

Review added: 11/07/2021

Revenge of the Bird King

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Mighty Rabbit Studios

Revenge of the Bird King isn’t what I expected…it’s a platformer/shooter where you grow plants that sprout guns and switch between shooting and slashing stuff depending on the enemy or environment type. It’s an interesting game with an interesting concept…But it just lacks something to keep me playing. I can’t really put my finger on what that something is, either. I just know that the idea of planting seeds to sprout gun plants so you can shoot stuff up as a bird sounds like it could be pretty fun…and when you actually play, it’s not nearly as neat as you thought it would have been. Part of the reason may be the somewhat awkward controls, which you do get used to after a while, but still just don’t feel natural like other games where you can just pick it up and play. Anyway, Revenge of the Bird King is still a passable game, it just isn’t really a whole lot more beyond that.

Review added: 02/02/2020