Review for WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 18/09/2020
WWE 2K returns to gaming scenarios with a new title that departs from the origins of the series. WWE 2K Battlegrounds marks a clear distinction from simulation video games developed by 2K Games under the WWE license. It is an arcade chapter, with simplistic gameplay, which makes fun and cartoon-style graphics its strong point. Find out in this review.
After the many criticisms received from the last chapter, due to the numerous bugs in the development, 2K Games has relied on Saber Interactive to realize this new iteration of WWE 2K. Battlegrounds, as mentioned, marks a clear distinction from the canons of the series: the classic simulation version is abandoned for a more arcade, limited in gameplay, but no less interesting. The title has really basic game mechanics, without the combos that distinguish the canonical series, simplified by the use of a few useful keys. You can pick up your opponent, throw them using an Irish Whip, or hit them with kicks and punches. The most dynamic effects are found using the relative analog, which allows you to make limited picks.
In its simplicity, however, WWE 2K Battlegrounds manages to entertain and create dynamic matches even using related skills. Each character has perks available, which can be activated when the relative action bar is filled: these allow you to increase the strength of the blows, how to maximize the defenses or make each attack effective without the possibility of defense. To this bar, are added those of the public and anger. The first allows you to increase the chances of making a pin or a winning submission and is filled by carrying out the actions requested by the fans, such as making a punch or kicking combo, but rather using objects collected from under the ring. The anger bar, on the other hand, increases for each hit or each counterattack that hits, allowing you to make the final move once a certain level is reached.
The gameplay of the video game is also enriched by the possibility of using the environments as a weapon: you can throw an opponent at a crocodile or have it attacked by a robotic ram. These elements complement an easy and fun gameplay, which adds a decidedly innovative touch to the artistic direction of the title.
In fact, the different usable rings stand out: from the Far West to the training camp, up to the most classic WWE arenas. All this is enhanced by a decidedly large roster, which has over 100 wrestlers including several retired legends, both from the male and female divisions. It should be specified, however, that the roster is not updated, for this reason there are still athletes who have signed with the TNA or with the AEW, while as absent there are federation wrestlers who have been promoted by NXT to the main roster of RAW or SmackDown.
Furthermore, some types of matches are diversified: the Steel Cage, for example, does not follow the classic rules. Before escaping from the cage, in fact, it is necessary to collect the bags of money hanging from it and fill the relative bar. Once you have collected enough money, you can try to escape. At the classic exhibition matches, WWE 2K Battlegrounds adds a decidedly fun campaign mode, the chapters of which are told as a form of comic. In the story they take the form of fictional athletes, who are chosen and trained by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to join the WWE Battlegrounds. Throughout several chapters both male and female wrestlers are used, united by the only goal of obtaining a contract with the WWE. The soundtrack of the menus, combined with the official theme songs of the athletes, complement the gameplay with truly captivating music.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a fun video game, which deviates from the original canons of the series. Enriched with basic gameplay and a very interesting soundtrack, it makes graphics its strong point. Added to this is a decidedly rich roster of fighters to impersonate. WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a video game that we recommend to all fans of the federation.
► WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a Sports-type game developed by Saber Interactive and published by 2K Games for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 18/09/2020
