WWE 2K22: Analyzing the new gameplay video before release

The details about WWE 2K22 have been sparse, but now that it is less than a month away we can finally see the revamped gameplay.

WWE 2K22 had no problem proving that the visuals and the career modes were impressive. Last month’s info dump from 2K revealed a lot of exciting things. The best graphics and modes do not compare to a hill of beans if the gameplay stinks. Daily DDT takes a look at the latest gameplay information to date.

Rey Misterio Jr. and Damian Priest battle in the Raw arena in the gameplay demo. Lynell Jinks, the Creative Producer, and Christina Diam Pham, the Art Producer, interview Patrick Donahue, the Senior Designer, Jason Vandiver, the Principal Designer, and Jonathan Rivera, the Senior Producer.

The first thing you will notice is that Rey and Damian are exchanging blows back and forth. the speed of the game is much faster than 2K20 and looks closer to Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth. You can see in the back and forth between the wrestlers how easy it is to get into a button-bashing fest.

Every so often a yellow “Y” will appear over a character’s head to designate a reversal moment. There is the quick time reversal, but also a more in-depth reversal system where the player can reverse any move by hitting the same button as the player who is performing the move. This is called a breaker and requires a player to know which move their opponent will throw next. The three move types are light attack, heavy attack, and grapple.

Combo moves will play a big role in the game. A player can now mix up light and heavy attacks to perform different combos. This will be something for the veteran players to try to master. Players will get the option to edit and make their own combos for the roster. In the example they show, Rey kicks Damian in the stomach, grabs his wrist for wrenching submission, and springboards off the turnbuckle to land a Japanese arm drag.

There is a stun bar that fills up as you pummel into your opponent. When an opponent is stunned it gives the player a chance to hit a more complex move without the opponent hitting a reversal. This is big news in the WWE 2K22 series as any player knows that the computer is better at hitting reversals than a human player, but now you can hit moves that can’t be reversed.

You will also notice that there are three bars that fill up in the player’s hub for WWE 2K22.

There is the vitality bar, the special moves bar, and now a separate finisher bar. The special moves bar is for signature or revenge moves. You can also sacrifice part of your special move bar so that your wrestler gets off the mat quicker.

The developers explain the WWE 2K22 will be beginner-friendly. Players do not have to play mini-games in order to win submissions or pin their opponent. Every mechanic can be won through button bashing. The veteran players can opt for the old way of pin attempts and submissions if they want. It’s good to have both options in. When Damian pins Rey, the player is prompted to hit the “A” button to escape.

Graphically speaking, the game looks sharp and colorful. There’s no doubt that this game improves on its predecessor in every way. One of the complaints heard around the water cooler is that WWE ropes tend to bounce and wiggle more than they should. There were some signs of that as both wrestlers would get stuck in the ropes in the gameplay. It doesn’t look like it affects the gameplay at all, but it does look weird that Rey decides to hit a Spanish Fly on Damian and he gets tangled in the ropes.

The demo ends with Rey hitting a top rope sitting moonsault and getting the 3-count. Rey starts to celebrate with the crowd. The player is given the option to hit “A” and Break Out. Not sure what that means, but I am curious to try it.

Little by little, WWE 2K22 is revealing roster rankings, new modes, and teaser videos. We will see on March 9th if this game lives up to its hype.