WWE 2K Battlegrounds Review: 4 Ups & 4 Downs

2. Extreme Repetition

2K Battlegrounds shoots for accessibility. It is supposed to be a simple, straightforward game that's easy to pick up and doesn't require hours of working towards mastery in a series of complex systems in order to achieve a level of competency. You should be able to fire it up and have a good handle on how it plays within a few matches.

It achieves this to a degree, though its combat is more repetitive than minimalist. Particularly during the campaign's early stages, players can literally win matches by doing nothing more than spamming the punch button, then pinning the opponent once their health bar has been worn down enough. There's no room for strategising here and while you can chain clunky striking combinations together and hit more spectacular springboard moves, there's little point when you can just button-bash your way to victory. Stipulations provide only a semblance of a difference.

Repetition is a problem elsewhere, too. Several modes revolve around competing in a match to receive some kind of unlockable rewarded, repeated ad nauseam. The campaign will have you fighting the same wrestlers over and over in order to make progress. The grind, unfortunately, is very real.