Menu
Although based on professional wrestling, WWF WrestleMania‘s digitized graphics and fast- aced gameplay make it more of a fighting game than a sports/wrestling game inspired by Midway’s popular Mortal Kombat series. What separates this game from previous and future WWF/WWE video games is its over-the-top and very cartoonish attacks. Examples include Doink the Clown pulling out a mallet out of thin air, Razor Ramon’s arm transforming into a blade, or Bam Bam Bigelow’s fists catching on fire.
While actual wrestling moves are present, matches consist primarily of strike attacks and special moves. There are other similarities to the Mortal Kombat games, such as uppercuts that cause the opponent to go sky high, flawless victories and very tongue-in-cheek character animations. WWF WrestleMania‘s one-player mode has the player choose one of eight wrestling superstars – Bret “The Hitman” Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, Doink the Clown, and Lex Luger.
A unique feature is that each character can “bleed” an object that represents them. Such “bleeding” objects include dumbbells flying out of Lex Luger and valentine hearts coming out of Bret Hart. WWF WrestleMania features two single-player modes: the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Championship. In the Intercontinental Championship mode, the player must win four one-on-one matches, two Handicap 2-on-1 matches, and one Handicap 3-on-1 match to win the title.
In the more difficult WWF Championship mode, the player must win four Handicap 2-on-1 matches, two Handicap 3-on-1 matches, and finally a “WrestleMania Challenge,” where the player must defeat every wrestler in the game in a gauntlet, starting with a three-on-one setup, with each eliminated opponent being replaced with another until all eight have been defeated.
