Geek Review – AEW: Fight Forever

It is not often that a singular franchise dominates a genre, but the WWE 2K series has held on to the championship title for nearly a decade, with no challenger in sight. And without any competition in video game wrestling, there has been steady growth instead of outright innovation. The arrival of newcomer AEW: Fight Forever in 2023 has tried to change things, but the upstart takes a more traditional arcade approach to spice things up and ultimately falls short of being a title contender. 

Developed by Yuke’s alongside THQ Nordic and All Elite Wrestling, AEW: Fight Forever’s in-ring frenetic f nature plays both ways. The movement of wrestlers and the generally smooth animations help push things nicely along, and as players punch, kick, and grapple with opponents, the variety of moves that can be executed brings many options to the table.

Yet, seldom does a match go off without a hitch, with AEW: Fight Forever struggling to maintain a level of polish throughout. Attacks can miss for no apparent reason, grappling becomes a clumsy dance between two wrestlers, and it doesn’t help that the AI is frequently found wanting in both aggressiveness and finesse. There is only so much players can take if the opponent chooses to stand still instead of keeping the action intense.

Going on the offence feels much better than defending, with the game offering two ways for players to block or reverse incoming attacks. One works for strikes, the other for grapples, which largely applies if you plan to minimise damage by holding them down to block. Reversals, on the hand, require pinpoint timing to execute by tapping. It doesn’t always work the way it should, which can lead to much frustration.

That is already the case when facing one opponent, but throw in multiple wrestlers, and it can become a hairy mess pretty quickly. The use of separate buttons on defence looks like an inspired decision on paper to elevate the defensive game, though at this stage, it seems to overcomplicate things just a tad too much to warrant its inclusion in AEW: Fight Forever.

Beyond all that, players will have to get used to the momentum system to succeed. With each successful manoeuvre on both offence and defence, their chosen character progresses towards the possibility of unleashing signature and finisher moves. These game-changers are exactly as advertised, bringing immense hurt to any foe and setting up for the end.

Should you find yourself on the other end, however, it can be a huge problem. The only solution is to reverse the situation and fight back, but the defensive side of the game is confusingly hamstrung by the game’s UI. While both health and limb damage will predictably go down the longer a match is in AEW: Fight Forever, there is no reliable way of discerning that information. 

The same opaqueness extends to other systems like submissions, with players required to mash buttons to break free and prevent their wrestler from tapping. How much mashing one has to do is never shown, and it is the same when trying to get back up on your feet after getting knocked down.

All of that action can take place in various modes found in AEW: Fight Forever, with Road to Elite being the big single-player offering in the same vein as the more involved story modes from yesteryear. With either an existing wrestler or a created one, players can experience a year in the squared circle, jumping into matches and pay-per-view events, and making key decisions along the way. 

The way this mode is structured is clearly for speed, allowing players to replay it repeatedly with various athletes, but the content itself is not exactly top quality. Storylines often veer into silly territory, even for a wrestling promotion, and they never truly build up into something more substantial to move the story along. There are branching paths based on wins and losses, yet, it is distinctly unclear just how players can target any of the 12 different stories that unfold over a playthrough in Road to Elite.

There’s certainly more engagement in the mode with created wrestlers, whose stats can be slowly grown by using earned skill points, as opposed to using pre-existing competitors who can’t be improved. Each week, Road to Elite will have players do some light management, such as working out or eating food to boost energy, which is not exactly compelling stuff, and it is what it is at this point.

If the career path is not for you, AEW: Fight Forever does have more than 10 different match types to try out, ranging from the standard Singles, Tag-Team matches to the more exciting Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match. There are even minigames which take wrestling out of the equation for pop quizzes and memory tests. It’s bizarre, but it is keeping with the arcade feel of the title. 

On the presentation front, AEW: Fight Forever is less about photorealism and more about amplifying the personalities and looks of its roster. Headliners like Kenny Omega, MJF, and many of the 52 professionals are brought to vibrant life in ways fans have grown to know and love. There are obvious omissions that will likely elicit negative reactions from the community, with licensing continuing to be an issue for the genre, and the hope is that the current roster will grow as support for the game continues.

Outside of the in-ring action, everything feels functional, if not unpolished. Players looking for creative freedom for both wrestlers and arenas will find little joy in the game. The lack of useful options when it comes to cosmetics and props means creating something distinct becomes a chore more than it needs to be, and the endless menus don’t help either when looking for specific moves to assign to your in-ring avatar.

Similarly, voiceovers just about cut it at an acceptable level on the rare occasions they appear, although the same can’t be said for the commentary provided by the legend that is Jim Ross. While one might expect more emotion and intensity in which the commentator usually delivers his insights, it is sorely lacking in the game to the point that it might be better off without his presence. 

While it is definitely great to see a new contender step into the ring, AEW: Fight Forever feels like it is just making up the numbers in its current state. There is much potential based on the few solid ideas the game pushes, with its fights being frenetic and characters being larger than life. Everything else, however, is well below the level of a main event and ultimately contributes to a missed opportunity for a shot at being top of the ladder.

AEW: Fight Forever is available on the PSN Store for $80.64.