AEW: Fight Forever Reviews
AEW Fight Forever, with some bugs, a very weak career mode, a limited number of fight modes and a very small number of fighters, is far from being a "rival" wrestling company game . It's sad to note that the entrance music and the entrances of certain fighters are present, however the fighters themselves are not present in the game and, in some cases, they appear as DLC on the launch day of the game itself! Even though I think it's a pretty fun game, there wasn't a single moment where I felt really hooked on the game, much less excited about playing it. It's not that it's bad, it's just not "there yet". Perhaps this is the beginning of a great game franchise, but this initial entry does not go down in history without a doubt.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
After the bad decisions Visual Concepts and 2K took with games like WWE 2K20, AEW: Fight Forever needed to be a solid game so it could replace the wrestling IP. Unfortunately Yuke's work in this game is ok-ish. The game have a lot of ideas but the execution is quite lacking in some aspects, and feels more like a test of what the studio wants to do with the IP instead of a Guns blazing entry to try and take the reigns of the wrestling genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
To sum it up, AEW Fight Forever is a good game that has tons of potential. If I were to recommend it to those who are new to wrestling games, I could but for those who are veterans of these types of games, I wouldn’t recommend it. It lacks the appeal it needs to stay active for at least half a year and it would have appealed to a much larger audience if it took some cues from contemporaries like WWE 2K23. At the very least, it should try to find ways to stay up-to-date with current happenings within AEW. That can go along with fans of both the brand and wrestling games in general.
AEW Fight Forever marks the premiere of this wrestling promotion on console games and if that means Fight Forever needs to cause a great impression, the reality is this game falls below expectations in most ways. Its career mode is competent and enjoyable, but there is an unexplainable lack of high profile wrestlers on this rather expensive release, and many of its DLC inclusions should have been a part of the initial game. There's also a lack of variety and match types that won't help AEF Fight Forever make a name for itself, and the game's unimpressive visual work leaves a lot to be desired.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The game has potential, but there are quite a few things that need to be fixed before we can recommend it. If AEW plans to release a game each year or every few years, they might want to consider a new developer or a co-developer because the overall graphics are a bit lacking. At the price point, we can’t recommend you rush out to buy it; picking it up when it is on sale might be the best route to go.
AEW: Fight Forever nails the gameplay mechanics, but struggles in several other areas, with a lackluster presentation and gaps in the roster. It doesn't hit the lows some of the recent WWE 2K games, but it also can't match that series' current high.
AEW Fight Forever draws inspiration from WWF No Mercy for Nintendo 64, so here we have a double dose of wrestling and retro gaming fanaticism all rolled up into one.
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.
Even with its problems, however, AEW: Fight Forever is still worth playing. Like AEW itself, it offers a welcome change from the slickness of its main rival, and while there are definitely areas for the game to improve, it fully captures the spirit of the games it’s trying to emulate. If you’re looking to play a wrestling game on the Switch, your search pretty much begins and ends with AEW: Fight Forever.
AEW: Fight Forever feels like an old game, attempting to appeal to nostalgia but falling short in every respect by today's standards. It may be fun in casual matches with friends, but its merits end there.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This is not the WWE 2K rival many assumed it would be. Instead, like its real-life counterpart, AEW: Fight Forever aims for something different. At times, it feels wild and cheesy, and strange art choices make it an uncanny experience. But equally, it embraces this cheese, elevating its action and storytelling with a welcome silliness.
AEW Fight Forever shouldn’t have bothered having commentary if players are getting a few lifeless sentences spoken during entrances and after matches. This is especially for iconic colour commentator good ol’ Jim Ross (J.R.) deserves much more respect with play-by-play commentary. Despite some of the glaring issues, AEW Fight Forever is a well-grounded entry into the franchise and has done its job to deliver a retro-like wrestling game to adhere to wrestling fans of previous generations and even new-age wrestling fans can fully appreciate.
As a huge fan of the AEW product, it’s hard for me not to be disappointed in Fight Forever. The gameplay on offer here is certainly a solid, if flawed, base to build off for future updates. There just isn’t very much to do at present. The game does succeed in capturing the overall fun-loving spirit of the promotion, and If the developers stick to their plans to add modes, wrestlers, and additional creation suite options (as well as putting time and effort in to squash the clipping and AI issues) they could have something good here in 6-8 months. As it stands now, there is no doubt that Fight Forever is fun to play but if you’re someone who favors the creative side of wrestling gaming or if you intend to spend nearly all your time playing the game on your own, you’re going to run out of things to do pretty quickly. It may be helpful in that case to wait for some future updates before jumping in.
It's hard to be anything but disappointed by AEW: Fight Forever. The AI is game-breaking, the roster is lacking, and online play is in the doldrums. If you are purchasing AEW: Fight Forever to play local with mates then it might be worth a look, as there is a lot of arcade fun and silliness to be had here, but for everyone else, this one is best avoided.
There is a lot of potential for AEW Fight Forever, as it provides variety and an alternative to WWE 2K's quasi-monopoly for wrestling games. It hearkens back to classic arcade-style wrestling titles, which brings back some nostalgia; however, it will take a little more than nostalgia to provide a fun and lasting experience. Due to many performance issues and awkward design choices, we cannot completely recommend AEW Fight Forever as a Day 1 purchase. However, there are quite a few fun ideas that they have so that it doesn't feel like a complete write-off; namely, the Road to Elite story mode has the potential to be a fun story mode moving forward should the developers continue to support 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
In a faithful leap forward that's meant to kickstart a fresh wrestling game franchise, AEW: Fight Forever stumbles quite a bit. This is true for its real-life counterpart as well - a relative newcomer to the scene which will take a while before standing toe-to-toe with WWE's decades-long legacy. Much of the gameplay feels like a good start though, thanks to a fast-paced experience that isn't harsh on novices, mixed with an absurd amount of brutality and gore. Unfortunately, the game is tarnished by clunky mechanics, dimwit AI, lack of commentary, shortened entrances, and a poorly-written story mode that does not justify its high price tag. I'll admit there's a foundation for a better sequel, but for now, I find it hard to recommend this to wrestling fans.
I think AEW: Fight Forever is a good start for Yukes to build upon, whether that’s through iterative sequels or as a long-term platform. The core wrestling is a lot of fun, accessible and captures the bombastic nature of the sport in a way that the WWE games don’t. It’s a smart move because it means AEW: Fight Forever positions itself as an alternative rather than a direct competitor. If Yukes can start adding a lot more content to the wrestler creation systems and flesh out the Road to Elite mode, this could be a winner.
The graphics are also quite dated, even when playing on the latest and greatest hardware. This does not affect the score of this review in any way, as the gameplay is mostly solid. For a debut console title for AEW, there is plenty to be excited about. AEW: Fight Forever is a fun time, alone or with friends. It doesn’t take itself so seriously with its arcade-style gameplay. The price point of $59.99 is a big ask for a game with such a limited amount of content. I would consider picking this up in a sale if you want to shut your brain off and have a nostalgia-driven wrestling experience. If Yuke’s can keep up with updating AEW: Fight Forever with new content like more stages, wrestlers, and other features, they will have a real winner on their hands.
Despite its promise, AEW: Fight Forever comes out of the gate lacking direction. In a market that would gladly accept another classic, disappointment due to a lack of structure leads to this match ending quickly for the debuting franchise.