Big Bang Pro Wrestling review

Twenty-two years after its original release, Big Bang Pro Wrestling gets a Switch port. The emulation is expectedly fantastic, and the game has a remarkable heritage. But after all these years, ring rust is an issue.

In 1993, SNK released Three Bout Count for the Neo Geo MVS. Although it offered a diverse range of ten wrestlers and showcased some attractive spritework, the controls felt stiff and AI opponents were too tough. As such, players who were more familiar with SNK’s renowned line of fighting games probably had a hard time adapting to ring-based action. Capcom’s Saturday Night Slam Masters offered a faster and more fluid interpretation of wrestling that also integrated fighting game moves. Unsurprisingly, it tends to be the early nineties title mentioned alongside persistent fan favorite, Fire Pro Wrestling.

But like an up-and-coming combatant with eyes on a championship belt, SNK didn’t give up. Sure, King of the Monsters was a kaiju battler, but its lineup of tokusatsu-types demonstrated more than a few classic wrestling moves. In 2000, they revisited the sport with Big Bang Pro Wrestling, a title that brought grappling and striking onto their ill-fated Neo Geo Pocket Color. Like much of the portable’s software library, it’s a fascinating curio that shows just how far the genre has advanced. But anyone expecting the sophistication of a modern wrestling game will be wondering what anyone liked about Big Bang. This is strictly for retro aficionados.

Can You Smell What the Alex Fall is Cooking?

Like Three Bout Count, Big Bang Pro Wrestling showcases a starting roster of ten wrestlers. Like many NGPC titles, there’s a few gratifying Easter Eggs that will emerge; in this case, there are at least two unlockable characters. What’s impressive is that each fighter flaunts their own unique sprite. There’s no pesky palette swaps or reused bodies here. And that’s important since each wrestler has their own distinct style. There’s Eagle, a high-flying luchador whose face is obscured by a bird mask as well as Mike, who with his shaved head and power-moves hake him an obvious ‘Stone Cold’ doppelganger. The only oversight with the roster is the existence of a lone female wrestler.

Like many of yesteryear’s wrestling games, Big Bang Pro’s matches rely on context to drive the action. So, the type of running attack your wrestler will execute depends on things like whether your opponent in standing or on the ground. Similarly, when you launch yourself at a rival from the top turnbuckle, the animation is decided by the status of your adversary, rather that entering a specific command. Early in the match you will be able to launch strikes and perform lock moves on opponents. But as they lose stamina, you’ll be to attempt a pinfall three-count. Once your wrestler’s name begins to flash, that means you are able to perform finishers, which showcase flashy, fighting game-style animations.

Grappling With Autonomy

That’s not to say everything is automated in Big Bang Pro. You still have control over strong or weak strikes (pressing the A button with a d-pad direction vs. not pressing the d-pad). Downed rivals can be pulled up, laid back down, locked, or pinned, providing opportunities for rousing the crowd. There are opportunities to step out of the ring, grab a chair, and of course, perform an Irish whip.

But first, you’ll have to master the grapple. When wrestlers face each other, they’ll kick off a clutching animation that is a few frames shy of usefulness. As such, you’ll have to practice pushing a button at just the right moment in hopes of gaining the upper hand. Once you do, Big Bang Pro summons the satisfaction of any respectable wrestling game; deciding how to humiliate a prone opponent is always rousing. And yes, being on the opposite site of the equation is frustrating, as you desperately try to get out of the clench so you body doesn’t become a plaything for your adversary. But that’s the thrill of the sport, right?

Conclusion

Given the modest power of the Neo Geo Color Pocket, you might expect Big Bang Pro Wrestling to hold back on the spectacle of the sport. But the game does a surprisingly effective job. Each wrestler has a slightly different ring entrance as crowds jostle about with handheld banners. Venture into the game’s “IEW Champion” champaign and you’ll encounter a bit of pre-match banter that helps cultivate the rivalries. But if you’re looking for Big Bang Pro’s best moment, it’s the split screen Vs. Mode where two humans get to square off. Lay the Switch down on a table, grab a Joy Con, and gather on both sides, as the game renders two parallel NGPC screens. With a real-life rival, Big Bang can pin a pair of opponents to their chairs for a long afternoon.

Big Bang Pro Wrestling was played on Switch
with review code provided by the publisher.