SUPERSTAR SHOWDOWN Review - The Champ Is Here

While there have been card-based games for the WWE before, Gale Force 9 is bringing their own unique vision to Superstar Showdown. Aiming to bridge the gap between card game mechanics and miniature grid-based gameplay, the game includes an actual ring in the middle of the board. This allows the developers to implement wrestling tactics such as bouncing off the ropes, utilizing the turnbuckles, or even throwing someone outside of the ring.

It seems a bit daunting when someone describes all of this, and even when you glance at the rulebook, you might be a bit overwhelmed. You will be happy to know, however, that the game does a great job of teaching you how the mechanics work, and after about two rounds, most will feel completely comfortable with it. Once you feel at ease with the basic mechanics, there are advanced options available to spice things up, and ardent fans can even set up their own makeshift Pay Per View by stringing together multiple match types in one play through.

I feel like I could teach just about anyone to play this in a timely fashion, which is huge in my household. We have limited game time throughout the week, so wasting a significant portion of that treasured time on a game where we have to constantly refer to the rulebook for clarification isn’t appealing to me most of the time.

WWE’s production team sets a high bar when it comes to visuals, and Gale Force 9 has followed suit. Graphically, the game is top notch, including all of the various superstar decks and the board itself. The colors are bright and vivid, while every area designed for your cards is highlighted effectively with glows and effects. The ring itself looked a tad small in the pictures I saw prior to release, but the final product is just about perfect size. There is a part of me that would have loved 3D representations of the ropes and turnbuckle, but as I’m sure that brings along with it substantial costs, I can see why they wouldn’t do it. I might invest in adding those myself somewhere down the line.

Groot approves.

Before we get to the gameplay, let's go over the wrestlers themselves. Included in the game are John Cena, Big Show, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Big E. While the initial roster isn’t huge, Gale Force 9 did an excellent job at making each wrestler resemble their real life counterpart with regards to their moves and abilities. Big Show is appropriately a powerhouse, with tons of slams and grapples in his arsenal, but he is also a walking tank, so his movement is limited. Likewise, someone like Daniel Bryan has a deck full of reversals and setup bonuses to movement, and can sprint across the ring with ease. If you can always be aware of where you are in relation to the ropes, he can effectively become a wrestling version of Wally West.  

Here is how gameplay works in a standard two player match. Each player takes their superstars deck, shuffles it, and draws six cards. You pick the three of your choice and put them down over the 1, 2, and 3 spots on the board, and once that's complete, it's time to start flipping. It's all based on a simple rock paper scissors mechanic. Grapples beat Strikes, Strikes beat Maneuvers, and Maneuvers beat Grapples. Slams beat anything, and Blocks always lose. You both flip over your first card, and who ever wins that matchup gets to resolve their card's actions. One of the most helpful bits to the game is how each of these actions are represented on the corners of the board itself. It saves you from having to constantly reference the rulebook. If you tie, you both pull the top card from your deck until one of you beats the other. The actions on your card allow you to move in the ring, perform moves, and at the end of the round, possibly pin your opponent.

All the hallmarks are represented here, and I especially love how integral they made running the ropes. It’s a big part of a match, and is equally important here. The flow of the game is fluid fast, and that is partly due to how pins are handled. Whoever wins the round can attempt a pin when adjacent to their opponent. To kick out of a pin, you either need to have a card with a kick out symbol in your hand, or you get three chances to draw one from the top of your deck. If you don’t pull one, the match is over. It can happen even early on, especially if you get block happy in the beginning of the match, so it adds that nice level of uncertainty, and makes you have to think strategically when taking or blocking damage or stuns.

The wrestlers themselves look pretty good sculpt-wise, though I do have to say that Big E got the short end of the stick here. You can glance at Roman Reigns or Daniel Bryan and at least recognize them. Looking at Big E, his sculpt just looks utterly generic. Granted, Big E doesn’t really have that trademark pose or anything in real life either, but still. Don’t let the substandard mini deter you from giving his deck a shot. I was pleasantly surprised at just how fun he was to play. It is also a tad disappointing to not see the Big Show and Daniel Bryan slots filled with someone more integral to the current running programs, ala a Brock Lesnar, Dean Ambrose, or Seth Rollins. Same with not including any Divas, such as Paige or Nikki Bella. Part of it I’m sure is just how far in advance these things get put into production, so there was no way to know that Daniel Bryan would be hurt. I do hope we get to see some of these wrestlers included at some point down the line.

Gale Force 9 has a real hit on their hands here, and I’m hopeful about the game's future. A companion app is supposedly in the works that will actually play the introductions and theme music to accompany your match, and I do hope that comes to fruition. Even if you don’t keep up with WWE on a regular basis, this game is still a blast to play. If you are a fan of the WWE, then you owe it to yourself to play this game. 

You can pre-order the game here, and it will retail for $50.00.