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For years now WWE have dominated the wrestling gaming market, with only the Fire Pro series putting out a mainstream offering to rival them in the last decade or more. In fact, not since TNA Impact in 2008 has a rival promotion launched a console game, and the less said about that the better given its pallid reception. But then in November of 2020 All Elite Wrestling announced they would be dipping their toes into the market, and just two and a half short years later we got AEW: Fight Forever.
With so long to get things right, have Yukes and AEW pulled off the perfect run in? Or will Fight Forever go down in the history books alongside the infamously bad Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match?
Let’s find out!
Going Old School
In an age where most games are striving for realism, AEW have been quite up front about their intentions to take things back to the style of wrestling games from the late 90's and early 2000's.
WWE's recent mainline offerings have become simulations, where players can put on well-paced bouts that wouldn't look out of place on TV. But wrestling games didn't used to be that way, in fact during their heyday they were far more ridiculous... but in a good way.
Although other titles may have taken this to the extreme, none encapsulated this fun arcade style more than WWF No Mercy for the N64, which many STILL claim to be the best wrestling game ever, over 20 years after it came out.
It's clear AEW: Fight Forever has been heavily influenced by No Mercy, and that's definitely one of its most positive aspects. Unfortunately, it gets harder to identify the positives the more you dig into what Fight Forever has to offer.
Looks Aren’t Everything...
Fight Forever isn't an ugly game, but it's hard to say it looks good either. Wrestler models range from very competent to flat out awful, and a lot of them just look wildly out of proportion, especially on the match setup screen.
Arenas look OK, and with 7 different locations to choose from almost all of AEW's sets are represented (Forbidden Door being the most glaring omission.)
The biggest disappointment in terms of appearance is the lack of 'proper' entrances. Instead, the majority of the time, we're treated to a couple of seconds of a wrestler’s theme as they walk out onto the ramp. Smackdown 2: Know Your Role did something similar... almost 23 years ago.
But to hark back to an earlier point... No Mercy didn't look great either, even for the time when 3D graphics were very rough around the edges (quite literally.)
What it DID have, was a great control scheme, fun gameplay, a stellar roster of wrestlers and an engaging career mode.
...But Does it Feel Right?
Dropping into Fight Forever and starting a quick match, you'll no doubt be surprised at how clunky it feels. However, the more matches you compete in, and the more you get the timings down, the more fun you'll begin to have.
It's simple for new players to pick up, but there's also enough nuance in there that it doesn't become a button masher that comes down to luck.
There are also some pretty bold choices when it comes to controls, too. Certain wrestlers have skills that change up the way they fight, allowing them to do things others aren't able to.
This ranges from the mundane (in terms of wrestling) like springboard attacks and the ability to reverse high flying moves, to the outright bizarre.
A Prime example is Orange Cassidy's 'Sloth Style', that sees him compete with his hands in his pockets.
Yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds, but the skills are a lot of fun, and make each match feel a bit different depending on who you choose to play as.
If there's one gripe to be had about how the game controls it's how it handles running.
Rather than hold the run button down (which is inexplicably mapped to a face button by default) and let go to stop, clicking it starts your wrestler running and pressing it again stops them.
It sounds like a minor point, but for anyone who is coming from the WWE games, it'll be a huge challenge to break the muscle memory and do it properly.
Ways To Play
AEW Fight Forever has a few different game modes, and even a handful of mini games.
Mis(sing) Match
Players start on an exhibition mode, which has all the usual faire like singles matches, tag matches, multi-man matches and specialist bouts. The much-maligned Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match even makes an appearance, with a nice self-depreciating joke thrown in for good measure.
If players go into the settings and change the effects to 'Historic', the explosions become far more underwhelming, just as they were in the 2021 match between Kenny Omega and John Moxley.
There is something missing though...
AEW introduced the Trios Championship in July of 2022, which was something that really set them apart from their competition.... but there's no Trios match option in the game.
This is a bizarre omission, especially when there doesn't seem to be any reason for it. There are arguably more difficult to program match types in the game, and systems are more than capable of having 6 wrestlers on screen at once.
Mini Game Mayhem
Fight Forever has a slew of mini-games to play too. They range from quizzes, to 'collect the most' challenges, to a game where you hit wrestlers as if they are a baseball.
They are all crazy, some of them are fun but a lot of them control like your character is stuck in treacle.
A nice addition but not one that is likely to take up much of your time.
Putting It All On (The) Line
Online gameplay is exactly as you'd expect it to be.
Players can choose from a Ranked Match, a Casual Match or a Private match, the latter allowing them to play with people in their party.
Finding someone to actually play online might be a bit tricker though, as the game has reportedly suffered a 80% drop-off in player numbers since launch.
It's nice to be able to play online, but there isn't much by way of rewards for doing so... other than a plaque on your name card that changes as you move through the ranks.
Creatively Lacking
AEW is a bit thin on the ground when it comes to creation options. Players can create wrestlers, teams and arenas.
What is here is OK, but it does feel a little bit... sparse, and the absence of a belt creator in 2023 is unforgivable.
There currently isn't a way to share your creations with others online, so if you want to make CAWs of all the guys missing from the roster... you're going to have to go old-school and find some guides on the net.
Road To Elite
This is your meat and potatoes when it comes to any wrestling game; the Career Mode. Or at least the closest approximation Fight Forever offers.
In the Road to Elite mode, you choose either a created character or an existing member of the roster and head out into the world of AEW.
The mode then consists of 4 'chunks' of time, and in each 'chunk' there are 3 possible storylines to embark on. Which path you go down depends on how you handled something in the previous section, and also the gender you're playing as.
Between matches you can carry out various activities to replenish stats like energy and mood, or accrue money and skill points. Skill points are only useful if you're using a created wrestler, though.
Along the way you can trigger various cutscenes too, where you interact with other members of the roster.
There's some good stuff here, and although things can get a bit repetitive it's a solid foundation should AEW follow up with another game.
It does have a touch of the 'your decisions don't ultimately matter' about it, but it's fun and branching paths add replayability.
The Other Stuff
That's about all there is.
There are a selection of challenges to achieve too, each which grants you money to spend in the shop.
Chances are you'll just tick these off at random for the most part though, and other than a handful of unlockable wrestlers and modes there isn't a lot of worth in the shop either.
Stampede Incoming
A new mode is set to be added to the game soon, namely Stadium Stampede; a 30 person Battle Royale mode.
Picture Fortnite, but with the roster of AEW, fighting it out in various parts of a football stadium.
It's an interesting concept for certain, but there is a strong belief this will be locked behind a season pass, with loot boxes etc.
Factor in the stat of an 80% player fall-off since launch, and it's hard to call which way this will go if and when it releases.
Ring The Bell
There's a lot of fun to be had with AEW: Fight Forever, especially if you've got a few mates and a few spare pads.
But some mis-steps in development have really held it back.
Lack of full entrances, missing match types, big names missing from the roster, no custom belts, no community creations...
Sadly, it is looking unlikely AEW will put out a second game to right these wrongs, which is a shame as there were some diamonds in the rough that could have been polished up into something special.
Ultimately there just isn't enough to make players 'Fight Forever'.
