NJPW and Fire Pro Wrestling team up for a wrestling game adventure like none other in Fire Pro Wrestling World. Featuring 2D graphics, a story mode, and real wrestlers from New Japan, Fire Pro Wrestling continues it’s run as one of the best pro wrestling video game franchises with it’s latest entry.

Fire Pro Wrestling World is a 2018 wrestling game, it is developed & published by Spike Chunsoft, and is available on PC & exclusively for Playstation 4 on console.

Editor’s Note: A Playstation 4 review code for Fire Pro Wrestling World was provided by Spike Chunsoft in support of this review.

Spike Chunsoft is bringing the pain with the latest Fire Pro.

One of the longest running pro wrestling video game franchises is back with the latest entry Fire Pro Wrestling World. Continuing the successes of the last few entries ‘World’ provides wrestling fans with gorgeous 2D animated sprites and hardcore gameplay that refuses to hand hold new players. You actually have to practice to get the moves and controls of the wrestlers in order to put up a decent fight against both the AI & seasoned players as you find your fighting spirit in the Fire Pro ring.

Fire Pro’s newest title will likely be one of the best wrestling games you’ve played in a good while.

THE GOOD: Fire Pro Wrestling World is unlike most modern wrestling games which relies heavily on players pressing away at buttons to get things games. The major difference in gameplay between ‘World’ and others is the fact that it takes itself very seriously. At least from a gameplay perspective anyways, you have to learn the ropes to get the best out of your character and even look at the controls don’t really help too much, in fact it may even cause further confusion with the directions given. Time is everything in Fire Pro Wrestling World and like a real wrestling match if you miss your cue, odds are you’re pretty screwed like a rookie botching on a legendary wrestler. A simple mistake, but it only takes one to make everything go completely wrong.

Fire Pro Wrestling World Boasts more than a handful of real world wrestlers from the roster of New Japan Pro Wrestling, most of which contain their real life entrance themes and voice overs.

Create-a-Wrestler made most famous from the WWE video game series is here in ‘World’ and it’s just as impressive if not more so than those titles’ version. You can create near exact replicas of wrestlers from around the world. I’ve seen Shawn Michaels, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and plenty of other real wrestler CAW models that honestly looked like realistic 2D versions of themselves. You can even create customized arenas if that’s something you’re into doing. A Fire Promoter mode is on the way which will essentially act as a GM mode for the game and there’s a ton of story based content within the coming months heading to the game as well. Speaking of story mode, it’s similarly to the WWE 2K’s Showcase mode whereas it retells certain key events in certain wrestlers’ careers from NJPW.

Fire Pro Wrestling World will impress wrestling game fans both old and new.

THE BAD: The heavy learning curve may be too much for new players to get a hang of. Story mode is mostly told through still images and text.

Fire Pro Wrestling World is an independent wrestling game that more than stacks up against mainstream competition.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Fire Pro Wrestling World is one of the best pro wrestling games I’ve ever played and my first go at the Fire Pro franchise. I think it’ll appeal the most to those who’ve grown a bit tired of the WWE game franchise and will be a breath of fresh air for those who opt in. Though there is a bit of learning that may derail the joy of some, everything else going for Fire Pro Wrestling World is at least worth the attempt of getting into it.