AEW: Fight Forever Critic Reviews

AEW: Fight Forever is the best wrestling game since WWF No Mercy. There’s a visceral nature to every punch and slam which makes every physical match-up an absolute thrill. While the mechanics are deep and allows fans to master techniques, there’s also a pick-up-and-play ethos that is amplified through silly mini-games and over-the-top gimmick matches. The odd hit detection issue, basic creation suite and lack of community uploads are disappointing, however, they don’t take away from what is the greatest wrestling game in the past 20 years.

Straightforward, snappy and immensely entertaining old-school wrestling, but a bit hampered by outdated technology.

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.

AEW: Fight Forever feels like a return to form for pro-wrestling games.

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.

AEW: Fight Forever has the core of a genuinely great wrestling game, as the gameplay is pure, unabashedly fun. And while going the route of No Man's Sky has been teased in interviews — in which waves of post-launch updates and DLC help improve the experience — it's also possible this goes the route of Street Fighter where a sequel could build off the original idea and strike gold. This game won't change the pro wrestling video game landscape, but fans of AEW and players looking for a different experience from WWE's annual offering will enjoy it.

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.

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.

Like the promotion it’s based on, AEW: Fight Forever can be a bit rough around the edges, but the game is also a welcome breath of fresh air. Fun, approachable in-ring action and an endearingly-quirky career mode largely make up for scruffy visuals and some missing content. AEW: Fight Forever won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for an alternative, feel free to push your chips All In.

It’s the best traits from those classic AKI games that remain at the core of AEW Fight Forever, though, along with some clever and sometimes whimsical additions made along the way. (The Mario Party-esque minigames are, hands down, some of the wackiest additions I’ve seen to any sports game.) Though All Elite Wrestling is still a relatively young wrestling company, it can point to Fight Forever as a great first foray into console gaming and one of the best wrestling games in years.

AEW Fight Forever tries to return the old game mechanics of more than 20 years ago to consoles that no longer need them. This video game is entertaining. It has enough combat modes to feel part of a night with all AEW's action. However, the reality is that it is a product with a lot to improve, especially if it is going to compete with the WWE 2k games.

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.

AEW Fight Forever title is a solid debut for the rapidly rising wrestling company, offering a healthy mix of gaming nostalgia and outright chaos. But whilst their debut title is a fun pickup for wrestling fans, unless Yuke’s keep on top of their updates, there are doubts as to whether this title will stand the test of time.

Matches in AEW: Fight Forever are a ton of fun to play, with a career mode that takes inspiration from Yakuza in the best kind of way.

Despite its lack of content and underwhelming career mode and creation suite, AEW: Fight Forever is a fun arcade wrestling title that harkens back to the golden age of the genre.

It would be a mistake to judge AEW Fight Forever purely on its looks. Sure, this game is basic in a lot of ways, but it’s all about taking it back to the basics and ultimately having fun, and isn't that what playing video games is all about? AEW Fight Forever probably won’t be winning any end-of-year awards, but whether you’re a pro wrestling fan or an arcade brawler, AEW Fight Forever will be one of the most fun video games that you’ll play this year.

An encouraging debut for the big new rival to WWE, with loads of welcome throwback nods to No Mercy and Fire Pro, and a career mode you won’t be able to resist playing through multiple times.

There’s room for improvement, and it’ll be interesting to see how that takes shape, given that they’ve said the plan is not for annual sports game style releases, but instead iterative development over many years. Maybe adding in a cage match, smoothing out some of the games’ slightly rougher animations, even if they are hand-drawn, and adding commentary would be good for a start. Yes, I know, I’m asking for them to add in even more DLC, but it seems like that’s what they actively want to do here, and it might just be the right approach for the challenger brand.

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.

It's clear that a lot of love has been put into making AEW: Fight Forever fun and feel good to play. It's just a shame it falls short in certain areas related to story, features and creation. Despite this, there's a lot for AEW fans to like here and we definitely recommend it, because much like All Elite Wrestling is an alternative to WWE, it's nice to have an alternative in the wrestling game space too.