When you think of Wrestling games what do you think of? Most Wrestling fans will name the WWE 2K series, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw, TNA Impact, Fire Pro Wrestling World, and AEW Fight Forever. This past weekend, we used WWE 2K23 to predict the outcomes of Night 1 and Night 2 of WrestleMania 39.
Although the game works well for simulations, it lacks the soul of its predecessors. At PAX East 2023, there were two wrestling games available for PAX East guests to play, Wrestle Story and WrestleQuest. Since 2022, we have followed Mega Cat Studios WrestleQuest in one way or another and shared its development with you.
At PAX East 2022, we met with Mega Cat Studios before they partnered with Skybound Games to see how far WrestleQuest was in development. At the booth, players could play through the first chapter and see the birth of a star.
For those unfamiliar with WrestleQuest, the game takes place in a world where legendary wrestlers are worshipped like gods. Shrines are built to commemorate their achievements and each area has its own special style of wrestling.
From the onset of the demo, you realize that WrestleQuest is not your generic wrestling game. Instead, the game takes a JRPG approach to gameplay with players using items, abilities, attacks, and special skills in turn-based succession. The first chapter focuses on teaching the player the base mechanics and establishing the premises of the world.
PAX West 2022
At PAX West 2022, we met with Mega Cat once again, this time they were assisted by Skybound Games. The demo on the show floor was the same as PAX East 2022.
However, we had the opportunity to preview something that many others didn’t get to see. At the time, we did not get to share that information with you, but after meeting with Mega Cat at PAX East 2023, we can now.
During our PAX West preview, we got to preview some of the mini-games within the game. Some of the key ones were Pachinko and Snake. Knowing how much effort and detail has been put into the game really has us excited for the game’s release. Players will be able to live out the careers of established and aspiring wrestlers while also getting to unwind with some fun mini-games.
PAX East 2023
At PAX East 2023, Mega Cat Studios and Skybound went all out to promote the game. For PAX East, Mega Cat had a ring set up for people to take a picture in. Additionally, the WrestleQuest team had local wrestlers come in to put on matches and even got in the ring themselves to throw down.
AEW talent Jeff Jarrett was supposed to be at PAX East, but sometimes things come up and thankfully, the card was subject to change; this did not stop the WrestleQuest team from putting on an excellent show. If you want to check out some of the matches, we will share footage that Dudey Myerz recorded.
While the development team was throwing down in the ring, we had the opportunity to preview the most recent demo. As we started the demo, we realized that a few things had changed.
The game’s dialog boxes have been updated, the lighting has been adjusted, and the game runs smoother. Since we had played the previous demos, we sped through the beginning tutorial levels and took out our opponents like Braun Strowman or Andre the Giant taking out a local indie talent.
As we fought through wrestling school, we noticed that the response time for the game’s input was more responsive. We could select moves to hit our enemies faster and they were able to move more responsively. The pinning system seemed to react more properly than last time with little to no delay.
For this preview, we had the opportunity to see two new territories and meet new stars. For the new region, we went up to Canada to meet an established wrestler helping his family promotion. Rather than putting himself over, he is trying to do what is best for the family business.
In the third section, we were introduced to a newer dark area. This newer area featured thieves and the only way to survive is to take your foes out. This introduces us to the game’s moral compass and a tag team partner. In this section, we are introduced to the six-man tag system.
We also learn that some enemies do not need to be pinned in order to win the match. The game features an entity going around and taking over territories to create a giant wrestling promotion.
In matches, there are goals that the player needs to meet in order to be successful. Based on the player’s decisions, their actions will determine if they are a face or a heel.
After playing through all three areas, we had to put the game down otherwise we knew we’d be there all day. WrestleQuest blends what we love about wrestling with what we love about JRPGs. The time that Mega Cat Studios has taken to refine and polish WrestleQuest shinned brilliantly like a diamond during the PAX East 2023 demo.
Fans of wrestling will have more fun with this game than they would with WWE 2K23; old and new wrestling fans alike will love the different characters where known legends and characters similar to other wrestlers can be found throughout. Let us know which characters you think represent real-life wrestlers!
WrestleQuest will be releasing this May on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. Prepare to tag team with Destiny.
