Developer Yuke's Co. and publisher THQ Nordic have partnered with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to bring wrestling fans a new gaming experience with AEW: Fight Forever. With a huge focus on classic arcade wrestling rather than simulation wrestling like you see in other wrestling games now. Let’s get to it and see how this translated!

Gameplay

AEW: Fight Forever is an attempt at a lighter and less serious wrestling game in comparison to other wrestling games available now. It does this by accounting for a couple of things, one being the fact that AEW on televison already comes with some crazy stunts and intense firey matches like the Expolding Barbed Wire match. Matches like that happening in real life allow for some pretty ridiculous things to be added into a video game.

There is a multitude of game modes to choose from singles matches to some pretty fun party style mini-games. In the Exhibition mode you can find an array of matches; singles, tag, 3-way, 4-way, ladder matches, Casino Battle Royale, Falls Count Anywhere, Unsanctioned Lights Out, and Exploding Barbed Wire matches. As you play these matches the game actually tracks each character’s win-loss stats which is pretty neat. Outside of the exhibition mode where you can quick play whatever match you want, there is also a “simulation” mode where you will create your own wrestler and take your “Road to Elite.” You will take your created wrestler and upgrade their stats as you play through your career as an AEW wrestler.

The controls for getting started are a bit confusing. They walk you through it when you play your first match by giving you a tutorial during the match but it takes a little bit of playing around. After figuring out the controls the matches do flow very arcade-like. You build momentum while beating up your opponent and if you gain enough crowd control you will gain your signature move ability and one step further you’ll get your finisher. When performing a signature or finisher it cuts into a mini-cutscene which adds to the arcade feel. The matches happen very quickly and they feel very much like a beat ‘em up.

There is also a mini-games mode where you can play party-style mini-games. At the start of the game I had three mini-games unlocked. Penta Says, which is a sort of copy-cat dance game where you will have to get your timing down and repeat the correct pose with precise timing. AEW Pop Quiz, which is essentially a trivia game. Then there was Chip Gather, which is a hectic brawl where everybody fights trying to gather the most poker chips. There are many more mini-games which will likely unlock along the way.

Audio and Visuals

The graphics in this game I will say are a little goofy, but it’s supposed to be that way. The game heavily markets the fact that it is an arcade-style wrestling game, so why would you have ultra-realistic graphics for an arcade game? They fit the play style to make it more whimsical and free-flowing.

The crowd work, the intro themes, and the announcement table all sound amazing as well. When you start up a match and the intro themes play the announcers talk over it as if you were watching TV and it doesn’t feel too artificial either.

Replayability

This is where it is left up to you. How often do you want to play it? There is no end to how much you can get out of this game. From exhibition matches where you want to create your own fantasy match ups to playing online with friends in a Casino Battle Royale. You have the option of putting yourself into the shoes of an AEW wrestler by taking the Road to Elite and you can play through an entire career. Then if you get bored of that there’s mini-games to play. There’s no shortage of content and there’s no ceiling on the amount of play time you can get from this game.

What It Could Have Done Better

Here’s where I need to fight my bias, there is something wrong with this game. During my play, there were quite a few bugs I found. Nothing serious that can’t be fixed by a patch but it still feels like it’s heavily in its beta form. In one singular match I had a moment where I couldn’t make contact with my opponent no matter how close to them I was, climbing a ladder I was essentially levitating in the air climbing a fake ladder while the actual ladder was on the other side of the ring, rubber banding while trying to get back into the ring, and a lot of choppiness. Again just small things that I think can be fixed with a patch but in the state that it currently is in it doesn’t feel like it is at 100 percent.

The controls could also use some work. I know that it can be re-mapped but a game like this I want to be able to turn it on, play one or two matches and get off. I don’t want to worry about figuring out the controls every time or adjusting them constantly to figure out what I like.

Another thing I noticed that I think is a huge miss on modern day gaming, no cross-play at launch. I think this is a big miss, especially for myself because I would like to play this game often with friends but since I have it on PC and my friends all play on Xbox I might miss out on my wave of wanting to play this game. In my opinion, cross-play is becoming more and more of a necessity with modern gaming and a game like this would benefit from having it at launch.

Verdict

AEW: Fight Forever is a very fun game with no shortage of mileage that you can get from it. While it does have its kinks they can be sorted out eventually. This game will be easy to play with friends and even more so when cross-play is available. While it is a full-priced game, wrestling fans, I would recommend this game to you because you will likely enjoy it.

AEW: Fight Forever will be available June 29th! It will be available for PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.