JP RETRO GAMES｜Japanese Famicom & Retro Games

When I found this Japanese Famicom cartridge, I had to play it.

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE is a wrestling game featuring some of the biggest WWF Superstars of the era.

Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Macho King Randy Savage, André the Giant and more.

But there is something especially interesting about this version.

This is the Japanese Famicom release .

The Japanese Famicom version

The Japanese version of WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE was released for the Nintendo Famicom on March 27, 1992 .

It was published in Japan by HOT-B and carries the product code:

GAM-W9

The original NES release came earlier, in 1990, with the game developed by Rare and published by LJN .

So this cartridge is a Japanese Famicom release of a game that many players outside Japan know from the NES.

And that is exactly the kind of game I like collecting.

Choose your wrestler

One of the best parts of this game is the roster.

You can choose from several WWF Superstars, including:

• Hulk Hogan
• The Ultimate Warrior
• “Macho King” Randy Savage
• André the Giant
• The Big Boss Man
• “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
• “Ravishing” Rick Rude
• Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake

There is also a character called “Yourself” , allowing the player to enter the tournament as a generic wrestler.

For this video, I wanted to show as many of the characters as possible.

Because let’s be honest…

Who would you choose?

Hulk Hogan

Of course, I had to include Hulk Hogan.

For many people around the world, Hogan is probably one of the first names that comes to mind when they think about WWF in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The Japanese Famicom version even has his name displayed in Japanese:

ハルク・ホーガン

Seeing these famous wrestlers represented in an 8-bit Japanese Famicom game is part of the charm.

Into the ring

Once the match begins, the game uses an unusual angled view of the wrestling ring.

Instead of the traditional side view used by many wrestling games, the ring is presented almost like a diamond.

This gives the game a distinctive look.

The player can move around the ring, attack the opponent and use different wrestling moves.

Each wrestler also has a signature move associated with them.

Wrestling outside the ring

And this is one of the scenes I definitely wanted to include in the video.

The fight doesn’t always stay inside the ring.

You can actually end up brawling outside the ring .

For an NES/Famicom wrestling game from this era, that is a pretty fun detail.

It makes the matches feel less restricted than simply exchanging moves inside the ropes.

The game specifically supports fighting both in and outside the ring .

More than one way to play

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE isn’t limited to one-on-one matches.

The game includes several modes, including:

Singles

Tag Team

3-on-3 Survivor Series

There are also one- and two-player options.

The Survivor Series mode is especially interesting because it allows three wrestlers to face three opponents.

That gives the game a little more variety than a simple one-on-one wrestling match.

Every wrestler has a different feel

One of the things I wanted to show in this video was the variety of characters.

The roster isn’t huge by modern standards, but the characters are immediately recognizable.

Hulk Hogan has his own signature move.

The Ultimate Warrior has his own attack.

Randy Savage has his own style.

And the same goes for the other WWF Superstars.

For an 8-bit game, it is impressive how much personality the developers managed to give the roster.

The classic WWF atmosphere

This game comes from a very specific period of WWF history.

The colorful characters, exaggerated moves and recognizable wrestlers give it a strong late-1980s / early-1990s wrestling atmosphere.

Even with the limitations of the Famicom hardware, the game clearly tries to make each wrestler recognizable.

The original NES version was developed by Rare , with music by David Wise , and was released in 1990.

Sometimes you lose…

And then…

Not every match ends with a victory.

For this video, I wanted to show the other side of wrestling games too.

The moment when your wrestler goes down.

The moment when the match is lost.

And finally…

Hulk Hogan loses.

Hulk Hogan’s defeat

Yes

Even Hulk Hogan can lose.

I decided to finish the video with this scene because it felt like a fun way to end the match.

After showing different wrestlers, attacks and even an outside-the-ring brawl…

Hulk Hogan goes down.

And that’s the end of this match.

Who would you choose?

Now I’m curious.

If you could choose one wrestler from this game…

Who would you pick?

Hulk Hogan?

The Ultimate Warrior?

Macho King Randy Savage?

André the Giant?

Or someone else?

I’d love to know which wrestler people remember playing as.

The original Japanese Famicom cartridge

This is the original Japanese Famicom cartridge I used for this video.

The label says:

WWF WRESTLEMANIA
CHALLENGE

and

WWFレッスルマニア
チャレンジ

The cartridge number is:

GAM-W9

The Japanese release was published by HOT-B on March 27, 1992.

For collectors, this is one of the interesting things about Japanese Famicom games.

The same game that many players remember as an NES title can look completely different when you see the original Japanese cartridge.

WWF WrestleMania Challenge: NES vs Famicom

Outside Japan, this game is generally associated with the Nintendo Entertainment System .

In Japan, it appeared on the Nintendo Famicom .

Original NES release

WWF WrestleMania Challenge

• 1990
• LJN
• Rare

Japanese Famicom release

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE

• 1992
• HOT-B
• GAM-W9

The gameplay is part of the same game, but the Japanese cartridge is a fascinating piece of Famicom history.

Why I wanted to show this game

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE is very different from the RPGs and action games I’ve featured in previous JP RETRO GAMES episodes.

But that’s exactly why I wanted to include it.

The Japanese Famicom library isn’t just about Mario, Zelda and Final Fantasy.

There are sports games.

Wrestling games.

Licensed games.

Games based on movies, television and real-world celebrities.

And sometimes you find a cartridge that connects Japanese Famicom history with something that was already famous overseas.

WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE is one of those games.

JP RETRO GAMES｜No.10

This is Series No.10 of JP RETRO GAMES .

I’m collecting and playing Japanese Famicom games in Japan and sharing them with retro-gaming fans around the world.

This time, we stepped into the ring with some of the biggest WWF Superstars of the era.

And yes…

Hulk Hogan lost. 😄

So, one last question:

Who would you choose?

JP RETRO GAMES 🇯🇵
Japanese Famicom games from Japan to the world.

Game Information

Title: WWF WRESTLEMANIA CHALLENGE
Japanese Title: WWFレッスルマニアチャレンジ
Platform: Nintendo Famicom
Japanese Release: March 27, 1992
Original NES Release: 1990
Developer: Rare
Japanese Publisher: HOT-B
Original NES Publisher: LJN
Genre: Professional Wrestling / Sports
Players: 1–2
Region: Japan (NTSC)
Format: Famicom Cartridge
Japanese Product Code: GAM-W9

The Japanese release date, HOT-B publisher information and GAM-W9 product code are listed by Famicom catalog sources; the original NES release and Rare/LJN credits are documented separately.

About JP RETRO GAMES

JP RETRO GAMES introduces Japanese Famicom games, original cartridges and retro-gaming culture to people around the world.

Every series focuses on a different game from my collection.

I play the games, record the footage and show the original Japanese cartridges.

From Japan to the world. 🇯🇵🌎