Review: WWE Battlegrounds
It still feels very weird to not have a WWE 2K entry coming out this year. As the team at 2K took the year off to focus on WWE 2K22, WWE Battlegrounds has suddenly found itself entering a market that is starving for a new wrestling game. Is it the WWE All-Stars successor that fans have been begging for or is it as ill-conceived as Retribution?
For wrestling fans that don’t enjoy the simulation-style that the WWE 2K series is trying to capture, there has been a push for something a bit more user friendly. WWE Battlegrounds is that, but whether you’re going to enjoy it or not depends a lot on your expectations going into it. For those hoping that WWE Battlegrounds would be a surprise hit like All-Stars, I’m afraid it’s just not that. While there are elements in WWE Battlegrounds that appear to be inspired by THQ’s surprise hit, it never ascends to that height. Instead, I would compare this game to 1995’s WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game. For those unfamiliar with that one, (or its sequel WWF In Your House) this was a Mortal Kombat-inspired fighter. The roster wasn’t very deep, and everyone had a power that matched their gimmick. Doink The Clown had a sledgehammer heavy attack; Bam Bam Bigelow threw fireballs, and Undertaker would literally hit you with a tombstone. I don’t recall what the reception to WrestleMania: The Arcade Game was, but, as a kid, I loved it. I think that’s important to remember with WWE Battlegrounds. As someone that overthinks his WWE Universe in 2K19 and has Excel spreadsheets to keep track of his storylines, of course, WWE Battlegrounds isn’t for me. Would the same little kid that sat on the floor in front of his TV playing WrestleMania: The Arcade Game have loved WWE Battlegrounds? I think that he would have.
WWE Battlegrounds isn’t trying to masquerade as something that it’s not. With the design and control scheme, you can tell right off the bat that this for a younger audience. Would I have liked to have seen a deeper moveset for the wrestlers? Sure, but, again, this isn’t a game that is targeting my demographic. Battlegrounds looks and feels like a mobile game, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. The first generation of kids that were put into the shopping cart and playing Minecraft while their parents did the grocery shopping have gotten older, and they identify with this style. While I might think that it’s ridiculous that I have to earn credits to buy an attire or unlock a character, it’s natural for that generation. It also helps that Battlegrounds is quite generous in the number of credits that you receive, so unlocking what you’re after doesn’t require a credit card.
Matches aren’t but a handful of minutes, and while the moveset for each Superstar is limited, there are variations and mods available to tailor to your preferred playstyle. And while it would seem like that type of game that is nothing more than another button masher, once you get the hang of the controls, the environment, and the strengths and weaknesses of the characters, you can plan out your moves and strategize your way to victory.
The High Spots
- Oddly enough, my favorite part of WWE Battlegrounds is the commentary and presentation. As an NXT fanboy, hearing Mauro in this was great. While he never reaches Tim Kitzrow’s “BOOMSHAKALKA”-like catchphrases, he has a similar enthusiasm. Ring introductions are also done by NXT’s Alicia Warrington, who hits those same levels here as she does at an NXT Takeover event.
- WWE King of the Battleground is perhaps the one feature from Battlegrounds that I hope finds a way into the WWE 2K games. In this mode, you select your Superstar and hop into an online game. At first, you are outside the ring and waiting for your turn to enter. You’re free to walk around as you see fit, you’re free to attack other players that are waiting, you can kill time however you like. Once a player has been eliminated, you are permitted to enter the ring and try to outlast everyone else. It’s the wrestling equivalent of a PUBG or Fortnite and I had a lot of fun with it.
- It’s been years since I enjoyed playing a cage match. I would have to go back to the old Yukes games like Here Comes The Pain or something along those lines. Modern cage matches are so slow and painful. In WWE Battlegrounds, that’s not the case. Here, players aren’t able to climb out of the cage until they have acquired enough money. Throughout the match, bags of money will appear on the cage walls, and the player will have to race their opponent to reach it. It’s not a slow minigame. It’s fast-paced and fun…you know, like a cage match should be.
The Low Blows
- I’ve mentioned it a few times now but the small movesets limit the whether I’ll play WWE Battlegrounds much more. Characters will tend feel very similar, which takes away from their uniqueness.
- The style of the game isn’t for everyone, but it works for some characters more than others. My personal favorites, Cesaro and Becky Lynch, look like something that you would find on a creepy fanart Tumblr account.
- How are you going to have a Hollywood Hogan attire and not give him a black beard, brother?
- A drop in framerate was the single largest issue that I kept encountering. In tag matches, whenever an elaborate superstar animation was engaged, things would begin to chug–and this is on a PlayStation 4 Pro unit.
- As a life-long wrestling fan, there are levels of campy that I have to accept. The story mode in WWE Battlegrounds really pushes that to its limit.
And here is your winner
It’s been nearly a year since WWE 2K20 was released, and I know that there are a lot of us wrestling game fans that are dying for something that is relatively updated. For those people, dive back into that 2K19 Creative Suite. WWE Battlegrounds is not going to scratch that itch for you. But if you’re looking for something that is a little light-hearted and that you could play with your son or daughter, WWE Battlegrounds deserves strong consideration.
