The Wrestling Code: Updates and gameplay for highly-anticipated video game

The Wrestling Code project by Virtual Basement is proof that someone loves wrestling and wants it to shine like a diamond.

Tech demo #5 came out on October 6th for the mega wrestling project known as The Wrestling Code. Virtual Basement promised a wrestling game, two years ago, that would involve over one hundred unsigned wrestlers over several promotions and a plethora of game modes. Each month they have come out with some content: A wrestler reveal, footage of wrestlers in mocap, and the occasional tech demo.

Twitter has been begging for gameplay footage and our ship has finally come in. The Wrestling Code now has a 5th tech demo involving a new arena, a new wrestler, and some teaser gameplay. Here is the video.

In this footage, we are introduced to Tony Chini who was trained by ECW’s 911 and is a mocap artist. He will be a playable wrestler in the game. He enters the GTS arena which resembles an abandoned beach with broken furniture strewn about. He addresses the cameraman with his cocky mic skills and tells the audience that he is in control of what happens.

The camera pans out and Tony starts walking around the ring showing off the gameplay. An Xbox controller shows what buttons make him walk and run. After a few runs into the ropes, he addresses us again to show what the arena will look like at night time.

Suddenly the lights go out and ECW’s Sandman appears smoking a cigarette and holding a kendo stick. Sandman whacks him in the gut with the stick and hits a Russian leg sweep with the stick.

The gameplay demo is not much to whet our appetites, but Virtual Basement is living up to its promise that the game is always moving forward. They have not failed to show some progress toward the game. Since it will be a mega project including story modes, GM modes, create modes, countless match types, and over one hundred wrestlers we will see this game come out in 2024. The Wrestling Code has no sense of urgency to be released and that gives Virtual Basement the breathing room to get things right.

The wrestling code has made other significant updates in the past few months. Footage of wrestlers in mocap like Facade, Luigi Primo, Kidd Bandit, RVD, Zach Gowen, Vampiro, DDP, and Crowbar have been posted. On April Fools Day they released that the red and blue training dummies from the Smackdown games will be playable characters (and they said it wasn’t a joke).   Also, Marko Stunt was added to the roster of playable characters.

As I have said in previous articles, if The Wrestling Code can pull off this dream game without a fatal flaw they will have made the most ambitious wrestling game in history. It looks like they are heading in the right direction and I am still chomping at the bit to see this game in action.