Games

A Long Lost Wrestling Game for the NES Has Just Been Discovered

by M.
Mar 8 2019 • 9:35 AM
As if to tide us over until Pokémon Sword and Shield hit the Switch later this year, the gaming gods have expanded Nintendo’s library with the surprise reveal of another game… a wrestling game that was created 30 years ago but never saw the light of day.

On Tuesday, YouTuber Stephen Reese a.k.a. Archon 1981 graced the internet with news on a wrestling game called UWC, which was developed by SETA for the Nintendo Entertainment System at some point in 1989. According to Reese, the Japanese-based SETA shipped a cartridge to NES’ American headquarters for review, but that was where the game’s story ostensibly ended. Reese entertains a few theories as to why the game never carried forth into production and distribution, but as yet it’s anyone’s guess.

Thanks to a personal rapport with a former Nintendo employee, Reese himself got ahold of the game—to be clear, he wound up with the very cartridge that was sent to Nintendo America three decades ago, as this is perhaps the only known copy of the game in existence. After apprehending and playing the game, Reese broadcast news of its existence, plus a healthy sum of footage, on his YouTube channel. Take a look:

Youtube Video play button
As Reese explains, the game featured some of the era’s most popular wrestlers, namely the Legion of Doom and Sting. Other notable wrestlers we see taking form as playable characters in the above footage of the gameplay include Road Warrior Hawk, Bobby Eaton, Ric Flair, and, at the tail end of the video, Barry Windham. There seem to be eight playable characters in total, all represented by varyingly flattering likenesses.

As of now, the only means we have of experiencing the NES’ lost UWC game is the above video, but Reese suggests he wants to distribute a playable version of the game in some form. Keep a look out for further news on this newly dug-up gem!

Images: Archon 1981