It’s time to step into the wrestling game ring in AEW Fight Forever. This is the first licensed video game for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) the fastest growing wrestling promotion since 2019 which is now taking on a new media in the gaming industry. Featuring many popular wrestlers from the AEW this game seeks to capitalize on the popularity of the gaming industry with their first licensed title. Is this game a worthy heir for the golden age of wrestling games? Let’s find out together.
There are 9 game modes in AEW Fight Forever including; 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-Way Match, 4-Way Match, Casino Battle Royale, Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match, Ladder Match, Minigames and Training there is also an online mode , a Custom mode where players can make their own wrestlers/teams, and finally Road to Elite which acts as the story mode. The goal of Road to Elite is to become the best wrestler in AEW whether that’s as a custom wrestler or one of the 50 AEW wrestlers in the roster. In order to be the best the player must fight and win different matches to gain skill points and career money to improve the wrestler’s stats which will carry over into other game modes. Every match takes place in a different state from California to Texas and before going to the matches the player has four turns to either choose to workout, go out or even dining which each give different benefits like higher motivation or skill points.
The basic gameplay of AEW Fight Forever is very simple with 1.) The Square button is the punch button, the triangle is the kick button, and X being the grapple button. 2.) After grabbing the opponent press a direction using the left stick and pressing either the square, triangle, or X button to use various moves. 3.) When defending against opponents press the L1 button to grapple guard or the R1 button to strike guard. Guarding against an opponent’s strike or grapple before either can make an impact can create an opportunity to fight back by countering them. Successfully performing a counter will leave the opponent completely vulnerable to attacks and grapples. If an opponent does successfully grapple your wrestler, turn the tables by pressing L1 or R1 to counter their move. 4.) The key to winning is to fill up the momentum meter which acts as both the wrestler’s health bar and super meter. The momentum meter fills up each time an attack is successfully struck or a move is successfully countered. As the meter fills up the player gains more control over the opponent in the match.When your wrestler’s momentum reaches signature you can perform their signature move which is one of the 400+ moves that can be customized for their wrestler. Which can fill up quicker by either successfully landing attacks or by taunting your opponent while they’re knocked down by pressing the Right stick. When their momentum meter reaches the special state the player can perform their wrestlers finisher, this state is only available for a limited amount of time so act quickly. However, When your momentum reaches the danger state after taking too much damage you have to perform successful attacks and counters to get your momentum meter back up as soon as you can otherwise if your wrestler gets pinned it will be difficult to break out before the ref counts to three. On top of the basic combat of the game there are also over 40 weapons that can be grabbed from under the ring or from the crowd by holding the R2 button. But remember some matches will disqualify you if you’re caught using a weapon for too long.
Customization in AEW Fight Forever doesn’t have as much appearance variety as most games like Elden Ring or any other games with create a character’s (CAC) but there are over 400+ moves from basic moves to signature moves and even finisher moves. It also features a few options for entrances, taunts and poses that can give your wrestlers more personality. There are other options for customization but they are locked behind an in-game store where they can be bought by using match money that can be earned from either winning matches or completing specific challenges in the challenge menu. Players can also create their own playlist to ensure they can only hear their favorite tracks during matches and menus.
While I did have a fun and energetic time playing this game there were a couple times where the CPU’s AI could have been better especially when playing Tag Team matches with a CPU which will happen every now and then as you play the Road to Elite mode. Despite this and there not being many options for customization I still ended up having a good time making a wrestler and competing in an All Elite Wrestling match.
Score: 8 out of 10
Reviewed on PlayStation 5