SUPER FIRE PRO WRESTLING SPECIAL

■ PLATFORM: SNES ■ PUBLISHER: HUMAN ENTERTAINMENT ■ YEAR: 1994

The Fire Pro Wrestling series is a staple amongst serious fans of wrestling games as it boasts a number of great games across a variety of formats, from the brilliant SNES games through the Dreamcast’s Fire Pro Wrestling D, right up to the modern Fire Pro Wrestling World. This is all the more impressive as the series has remained steadfastly 2D in spite of changing trends. However, the enduring popularity of the games is easily explained – they frequently include the best character creation tools and the most varied match stipulations.

The game system takes a little getting used to, coming from other games. Moving your wrestler close to an opponent will initiate a grapple, and your goal is to time your move’s input closely to the moment when the wrestlers clasp hands. It’s crucial to follow the flow of an actual match, too – you’ll start off with simple techniques like snapmare takedowns and strikes, and progress to more powerful powerbombs, suplexes and the like. Attempt a powerful move too early and your opponent is likely to reverse it to his own advantage.

Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special is obviously dated compared to the games that followed it, but it remains infamous in Japan for its Champion Road story mode, which was penned by Killer7 and No More Heroes director Goichi Suda (AKA Suda51). Touching on the sacrifices wrestlers make, your protagonist loses his girlfriend and accidentally kills one of his friends in the ring. By the end of the story, having gained championship gold but lost every relationship he held dear, your character commits suicide in his own home just days after his victory. It’s dark, to say the least.

[SNES] The story of the game is told entirely in Japanese, but animated scenes help to convey the events.

[SNES] In the early stages of the story, your matches take place in this lowly training dojo.