AEW: Fight Forever Reviews
Over time, there’s certainly room to build from this foundation. But with the asking price and the initial lack of substance, it’s hard to see value in AEW’s first game upon release.
No Mercy this is not. It's got good intentions and the right idea, but the game is not there just yet. I understand this is their first game, but there is just not enough meat on the bone to justify paying full price for this. The story mode is short, repetitive, and nothing you do matters. Matches are way too short, the creation modes are ridiculously limited, and we don't even have basic match options like turning on and off DQs or elimination rules in multiman matches to keep exhibition mode interesting. Maybe after a year or so of updates, this will feel more like a complete package, but I would recommend waiting for a sale or some major updates before picking this one up.
Yuke’s has managed to deliver an accessible, breezy rendition of their trademark product, without sacrificing the things that make watching an AEW show unique, pulse-raising, and hard-hitting. And more than this, it feels like a foundation waiting to be built upon. This is a game designed to have a long tail, with a steady stream of DLC on the way and the in-game store already (as of pre-launch) offering a smattering of fun add-ons (ironically, Cody Rhodes, who left AEW in 2021, is a bonus character, meaning he’s in both of this year’s major AAA wrestling games). As such, Fight Forever could live up to the name, and while it may not be the place to go for strict realism, it’s still better than you, and it knows it.
Reviewing the analysis I see more positive points than negatives, and truth be told, I liked the game. I celebrate that there are more wrestling games, more arcades and more fighting titles and I think this installment of Yuke's is a good first step, it lacks several blows of oven, but I bet to see more deliveries of AEW in the future with more modes, improved graphics and this same imprint, that of fun above all, which is what the game achieves despite its technical aspect.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Uncomplicated, fast-paced and immensely entertaining old-school wrestling, but a little bit of outdated technology stands in the way.
Review in German | Read full review
AEW Fight Forever's excellent wrestling and robust customization options are unfortunately hampered by a distinct lack of meaningful modes or features to give the game a long lifespan.
AEW's first foray into videogames has much room for improvement across its odd-looking character models, slim game mode offerings, and poor AI balancing. That said, in the right crowd, you might enjoy it for its schlock and solid controls.
Fans of All Elite Wrestling should feel quite comfortable within the sometimes goofy but always engaging AEW: Fight Forever. Technically, there's room for improvement, but the game nails the AEW tone and arcade gameplay that are the reasons many wrestling game fans have been seeking for quite some time.
AEW: Fight Forever is a triumphant return to the wrestling ring for THQ Nordic and Yuke’s, recapturing the magic of their original, simple gameplay and amazing customization with yet a third wrestling organization.
AEW Fight Forever isn’t exactly a stupid idea from bad creative, it’s just a product scoped so small that asking a AAA new release price tag for it feels criminal. Matches are fun and entertaining, for a while at least, but absolutely every facet of the thing feels hugely undercooked. WWE 2K has been sorely in need of some real competition for years just as WWE itself has, but unfortunately AEW just haven’t pulled it off here as well as they did on television.
AEW: Fight Forever brings me back to the "glory days" of wrestling video games with its easy-to-learn but hard-to-master controls, fun and entertaining graphics, and a KISS match selection that gives you just enough of a taste of what All Elite Wrestling is about. AEW: Fight Forever might not have the complex simulation look and feel that we've come to accept because of WWE video games over the last 20 years, but it's FUN, something that the WWE games tend to forget about.
AEW had the right idea in wanting to focus on the nostalgia of the wrestling games we played when we were kids, but at the end of the day, the seemingly low budget and lack of polish is something that should be left in the past. AEW: Fight Forever has some fine ideas and its execution of moment-to-moment gameplay and animations isn't terrible, but matches can be won with minimal effort or drama, presentation is missing key things that make wrestling special, and the story mode is repetitive, boring and self-masturbatory. Fight forever? In this game? No, thank you.
AEW: Fight Forever offers the perfect combination of simple, fun gameplay that can be learned in a couple of minutes, but has incredible depth. Pair that with an excellent roster, a fun career mode, and an incredible amount of match types and unlockables, and the game ends up being a dream come true for fans of the fun, arcade-styled wrestling games of the past.
AEW: Fight Forever's focus is clear right out of the gate. It sacrifices things it can't deliver due to budget to serve up a wrestling video game that is so shamelessly rooted in Iwashita's genetic code with No Mercy. Despite its shortcomings, Fight Forever feels as time-honoured and classic as Hulk Hogan's trunks.
AEW: Fight Forever is a throwback to classic wrestling games and a proper alternative for wrestling fans. The in-ring action is great, but its more repetitive elements and some strange choices stops it from being true world champion material.
At the core of AEW Fight Forever is the No Mercy Successor wrestling fans have been waiting for. The question is whether you want that. I know I do.
AEW Fight Forever is a winner, and I'm excited to see what THQ and Yuke's have up their sleeves in the coming months.
AEW: Fight Forever is a good callback to some of the more arcade-styled wrestling games of the past, but it lacks much of the gameplay and content improvements added over the years by the same developers to their previous games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Hearkening back to the good old days of arcade wrestling games, Fight Forever is an accessibly fun and awesomely faithful title that's sure to entertain from bell to bell, despite its numerous shortcomings.