Professional Wrestling has been a part of video game history from the very start. From the early arcade days in the 80’s to the triple-a spectacle of WWE 2K22, taking control of these larger than life characters has been a staple of every wrestling fan’s gaming library. At PAX East 2022, Mega Cat Studios has proven that even though Pro Wrestling games have been around forever, there is still plenty to show the world. Mega Cat Studio’s WrestleQuest takes everything you love about wrestling and smashes it with the classic JRPG to create a one-of-a-kind extravaganza.
Our friends at Mega Cat Studios invited Duel Screens to sit down with principle voice actor, Patrick Hickey Jr. to play the PAX demo, and we couldn’t be more blown away. WrestleQuest is like the fever dream of the 8-year old version of your inner most wrestling fanatic. Do you remember the days of sitting in your living room playing with your wrestling toys and here comes Batman and Rocksteady ready to tag-team their way to the championship on top of your mom’s pillow mountain? WrestleQuest captures that feeling in a matter of seconds with its breathtaking pixel art, bombastic voice-work (with over 30…or 90 voices provided by Patrick Hickey Jr.), and mishmash of pop culture references.
You will be blown away at how this game takes the JRPG and keeps it familiar, but somehow completely fresh. You have to balance your turn-based standard attacks with gimmicks and taunts to raise the HYPE METER. The bigger the hype, the more the rewards after your battle in the ring. You can knock back your opponent and hit them again as they bounce back off the ropes, but beware, the same can happen to you if your opponent lands a critical hit themselves. Gimmicks are special attacks like top rope elbow drops and powerbombs, while taunts are a bit of trash talk. You have to keep it fresh and mix it up to keep raising the hype meter. You’ll also cut promos to get an advantage on more important battles. The hilarious dialog will have you rolling as you choose how you are going to insult the opponent. I’m telling you, this has the combat DNA of a JRPG yet all the dressing of pro wrasslin’. But what is an RPG if it doesn’t have a deep story? Don’t worry, WrestleQuest has the complexity of a JRPG and the zaniness of WWF Superstars.
WrestleQuest will have all that you expect from a JRPG starring Pro Wrestlers – Betrayal, Huge Finishing Moves and Summons (Jake “The Snake” Roberts being one), Giants, Monsters, Spandex, and just about anything else inside your 8 year old self’s toybox.
We cannot wait to see the full product. While there is no release date right now, we didn’t need to see much more to crown this our PAX East 2022 World Champion!
WrestleQuest will be published by Skybound Games and released on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Switch and PC via Steam.
