Plenty of wrestling fans miss the fun, arcade-style mayhem of old grappling sims likeWWF No Mercy, and a new game calledUltra Pro Wrestlinglooks to recreate that style in a modern package. The drama, athleticism, and hijinks of professional wrestling have been captured in several video games over the past few decades, from the grounded realism ofWWE 2K22to thecolorful RPG format of the upcomingWrestleQuest.
However, many consider 2000’sWWF No Mercyto be one of the best wrestling games of all time. Released at the height of WWE’s iconic “Attitude Era,”WWF No Mercybecome one of the defining exclusives of the Nintendo 64 thanks to its tight grappling gameplay that became the standard for all wrestling titles to follow. Even as the more sim-like approach oftheWWE 2Kseriesbecame the norm for wrestling games, fans still look back at the similar controls and larger-than-life art style ofWWF No Mercy, so much that signs referencing the game have been sighted at actual wrestling shows likeAEW Dynamite.
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Now, an indie-funded wrestling title is aiming to bring back the blistering arcade action ofclassic games likeWWF No Mercy. A trailer for Hyperfocus Games’Ultra Pro Wrestlingwas released online earlier today, showing off a colorful roster of fictional grapplers as they faced off in a variety of arenas inspired by real companies likeNew Japan Wrestling,Ring of Honor, and evenUFC. A Kickstarter campaign is currently being held to help Hyperfocus develop this lively wrestling simulator, though a release date still hasn’t been confirmed as of this writing.
Ultra Pro Wrestlingisn’t the only modern wrestling game looking to bring the genre back to its N64 and PS1 heyday.AEW: Fight Foreveris being developed by formerWWF No Mercydirector Hideyuki Iwashita, and several of the performers being featured in the upcoming title have citedWWF: No Mercyas an inspiration forFight Forever’s gameplay and art style. There is currently no official release date forAEW: Fight Forever, but a recent leak suggests it could launch by the end of March, not too long afterWWE 2K23is set to hit shelves.
In the meantime,Ultra Pro Wrestlinglooks like it could be a fun throwback to the simpler era of wrestling video games ruled by the likes ofWWF No MercyandWCW’s many N64 offerings.Ultra Pro Wrestlingis still in the early stages of development, and the footage shown in the recent trailer is just a taste of what Hyperfocus Games is hoping to achieve with its colorful, fast-paced contender.
Ultra Pro Wrestlingwill launch for PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.
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