Original Release: Asmik, 1990, Sega Genesis
An early Japan-only wrestling title for the Mega Drive that featured joshi pro star Cutie Suzuki and a roster of otherwise made-up characters
Cutie Suzuki’s Ringside Angel (Genesis, Asmik, 1990)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: coming soon!
Review by: C. M0use
While the US was mired in “Divas” and “bra and panties” type stuff into the 2010s, Japan’s “joshi” tradition started presenting women’s wrestling as more of a sport and a serious alternative to the men’s promotions as far back as the 1970s. Not to say there wasn’t still something of a T&A factor here and there, as you can see from some of the designs in this game. But the game’s inclusion of things like chain wrestling, counters and moves that were still considered very advanced for men in 1990s WWF gives you an idea.
Though this was a Japan-only release and reflects a league that wasn’t really meant to be hyper-sexual, Cutie’s strongest point is its big sprites and an overall very appealing look (with an odd sort of vintage casino presentation to everything outside the ring). I’d guess the game took cues from Sega’s Wrestle War in this department, putting big detailed characters and eye-catching animation ahead of gameplay precision.
There are a lot of weird hinks to the gameplay, though. It really has no sense of momentum or recovery, the flow of matches can feel very random at times. You might get away with an endless series of slams and submissions the opponent can’t get out of, or the CPU might pop right up after a series of moves and just start tossing you around. They also might land a big slam then be laid out longer than you, allowing you to pop up and start slapping repeated submissions on them.
All sorts of goofy little oversights are present too. Like, in my first real match in 1P mode, I accidentally won with a very cheap “ring out” after I climbed back in at 18, just as the other girl decided to climb back out for some reason, and somehow she inherited my count timer and couldn’t get back in the ring in time. But I also paid the price one time when a girl chucked me outside and then initiated like a 15-second long string of bodyslams I couldn’t get out of.
The goal of all this is to ultimately just wail on the other girl until the music changes to a “danger theme,” at which point you’ve got at least some chance of pinning or submitting them (seemingly pins are much higher probability than a tap-out). If they hang around too long without taking damage while in the Danger Zone they recover some health, however. Speaking of submissions, there is a strategic element in choosing them as once you slap one on you can’t manually release it. So some you have to get tossed out of, which knocks you over, but others they just kinda gently escape from. Cutie’s surfboard stretch is one of the best for this reason, as she just releases them eventually and you can usually slap it right back on.
Aside from one-on-one practice matches and a two-player mode, there’s a basic single player mode that takes you through several different tournaments. It’s a little interesting as you’re competing for trophies rather than a belt, and the tournament types vary – for example it’s a eight-person straight elimination for the first round, but then you move to a round robin in the second round.
While visually appealing and unlike any other wrestling games of the time, Cutie is ultimately a little too clunky and poorly plotted out to be really enjoyable. Once you learn its little quirks and oversights, which doesn’t take long, it’s trivial to beat all the other girls but still a grind as they tend to take a major beating before they go down. The look by itself almost makes it worth checking out, though.
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