The Wrestling Code: Waiting on this highly anticipated game

I can count on one hand how many non-WWE games are worth my time and attention. I can count on one hand how many WWE games are worth playing too. Breaking into the wrestling game industry seems near impossible with some of the best ideas being colossal failures. And sometimes the lamest ideas are better than anyone expected.

Why should we bother with The Wrestling Code?

Virtual Basement decided it was time for the most ambitious indie wrestling game since Legends of Wrestling. They enlisted the help of Enzo Amore to get connected into the wrestling world.

The Wrestling Code has over 90 licensed wrestlers (so far). Sabu, Spike Dudley, Lance Storm, RVD, Raven, Tajiri, and Sandman will get a second chance to prove that ECW can make a decent game. Caprice Coleman, Beer City Bruiser, Dalton Castle, Velvet Sky, Jay Lethal, Cheeseburger, and Jonathan Gresham will give ROH stars their first foray into a wrestling game.

Even AEW’s Brian Cage and Thunder Rosa will be playable characters. If that doesn’t excite you then know that this game also has Eli Drake, Elijah Burke, Jeff Cobb, Trey Miguel, Su Yung, Killer Kelly, Solo Darling, The Headbangers, Crowbar, Erick Redbeard, and EC3.

Virtual Basement is not using any federation or promotion as their foundation, only keeping their roster to wrestlers with open contracts. This sounds like a love letter to any wrestling fan who dares to venture outside of WWE’s camp. I admit that I have no idea who half the roster is. The Sea Stars? Bear Country? Hotdog? But the love and attention to detail that is promised from Virtual Basement seem immense.

But right now the game is a bunch of promises and we know how those can be broken in the gaming industry. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the game. Virtual Basement has put no deadline or release date on the game citing that they are taking their time with animations, theme music, and gameplay. Every action they take seems careful and calculated, making sure they do not forget a detail. They are not slouching on the job as each month they release a new tidbit of information. The most notable release is a tech demo called “Mic Check” It’s Enzo Amore in a dark ring rapping into the mic.

This begs many questions about its future. What speed will the gameplay be? What will the reversal system be like? How easy is it to do a finisher? Will it suffer from clipping? How will the hitboxes work? Is the computer AI dumber than rocks? Virtual Basement seems diligent in making sure none of the flaws of wrestling games shows up on their title. Time will tell if they are going to hack it. If they do it will be a glorious age for non-WWE games.

Here’s what we know about the game according to the Smackdown Hotel’s wiki page. The Wrestling Code will have all our favorite match types including First Blood, I Quit, TLC, and Buried Alive matches. The wrestling style is being modeled after No Mercy and Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain. There will be the obligatory create mode, career mode, and GM mode.

Here’s the rub. As great as the huge roster and authentic use of theme songs and taunts will be, the wrestling roster will probably not make or break the game (unless the wrestler’s personalities have their own storyline). You could probably make these wrestlers in WWE’s create mode if you really wanted a Brian Cage versus Raven match. What this will come down to is the ease of play, the overall flavor, the in-ring physics, and the depth of skill. The single player is going to have to give the gamer an experience that no other game has. The ball is in your court Virtual Basement.

If you are looking to recreate Roman Reigns and Bryan Daniels at WrestleMania then this game is not for you. The Wrestling Code is a treasure chest of wrestling’s past, present, and future. You will never find this roster on a game and if Virtual Basement makes a stink bomb then a project like this may never be created again. I, personally, am crossing my fingers and toes that this will be a hit.