AEW: Fight Forever Reviews
AEW Fight Forever offers a fun wrestling experience that feels satisfyingly old-school in design, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement in this debut release for the company. The outdated roster, the limited creation options, the lacking presentation (both visually and with wrestlers’ entrances) – whilst these issues don’t stop the game from being entertaining to play, they will leave some AEW fans feeling a little underwhelmed. Still, there’s no denying that the game captures the absurd over-the-top nature of AEW perfectly, whilst modes like Road to the Elite and the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match show that there are some really cool ideas on show that you won’t find elsewhere. Let’s just hope that the inevitable sequel is a bit more fleshed out to keep players hooked in for the long-term.
I won’t Smackdown the other games in the genre and instead keep it raw by saying AEW is the real deal and that’s the bottom line.
AEW: Fight Forever has some small issues, but there is nothing here that affects the moment-to-moment gameplay. I would like to see more varied options in the creation suite, but I look forward to the continued support and DLC for this game. This is one I can see myself putting a significant amount of time into. Fight Forever, much like AEW itself, is a welcome alternative and a damn good time.
Those two stick around more than half a dozen hours will likely just be playing exhibition matches with friends or against the AI. If that doesn’t sound like enough, AEW Fight Forever may not be for you. However, if like me you are here for the gameplay then you will likely get many hours of grappling fun from a title that successfully pays tribute to the golden age of wrestling games.
Its a great campaign to bring in those that aren’t yet familiar with AEW’s product, but also those that are but aren’t avid gamers. This is prime pro-wrestling video gaming at its best, and one I will be delving into for years to come. Goodbye, and Goodnight. BANG!
Comfortingly, AEW: Fight Forever fits into a snug middle-ground, where it’s neither a huge triple-A feast, nor a dainty indie curiosity. It’s just a pretty damn cool wrestling game, delivering arcadey grappling, awesome minigames, and an enjoyably moreish Road To Elite career mode. The simplified fighting systems may feel lightweight next to the competition, but they allow Fight Forever to feel like a proper pick-up-and-play wrestling game. As long as you don’t go in demanding a gigantic roster, an exhaustive list of moves, and plenty of match types, this will be the wrestling videogame you’ve waited a very long time for. Like the tag team of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, AEW: Fight Forever is The Acclaimed.
Fun is at the forefront of AEW: Fight Forever and should be celebrated for achieving that. This is unfortunately a game that has its issues, and whether intentional or not, is a dated experience. The arcade wrestling is great, and such a different experience to what else is out there. It’s clear this was made with the purest of intentions, and is an honest to goodness game. I think as the name implies, AEW: Fight Forever will have a long life, but the next iteration will have to see some serious improvements to be competitive. AEW: Fight Forever is a newcomer game from a veteran developer, and while there’s room for improvement, this is a solid start for what is still a must-play wrestling game.
AEW: Fight Forever's good ideas can't save it from a paltry amount of content and somewhat inferior gameplay compared to its competition.
AEW: Fight Forever is a return to the glory days of arcade wrestling games, and is a lot of fun. With a surprisingly engaging story mode, deep customization, and plenty of game modes to try out, this is the AEW gaming package you've been waiting. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach its full potential because of sluggish controls, often unresponsive inputs, and mixed presentation.
AEW: Fight Forever rekindles the flame of the classic N64 wrestling titles. Featuring a fantastic mix of nostalgia and new it is only let down on occasion by budget and scope constraints. I hope this is the start of a new, long-running series that takes this excellent foundation and adds more variety on top of it for years to come.
At its heart, AEW: Fight Forever feels like a celebration of the AEW brand and a culmination of the promotion’s achievements. While it may be hindered by its graphics and sparse career mode, AEW: Fight Forever shines when it is paying homage to the history of the company. It may not be the game changer like the wrestling promotion it is based on, but it is certainly fun and feels like the classic wrestling games from a bygone era.