AEW: Fight Forever recaptures the attitude of golden-age wrestling games

Ask most wrestling fans, and they’ll name the late 90’s and early 2000’s as the best era for both the in-ring product and the collection of video games released for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. Games like WWF no mercy, WCW/nWo Revenge, and the early SmackDown! series were easy to learn, but hard to master. Nearly 25 years later, All Elite Wrestling wants to capture that ease of use and nostalgia AEW: Fight forever – and it comes damn close.

mechanical, Fight forever is rooted in the golden age of wrestling video games, largely because AEW attracted developer Yuke’s, who made said games. Beginners can fight their way to victory with buttons, but also slowly learn an assortment of showy and acrobatic moves depending on when and how long you press those same buttons. AEW manager William Regal walks you through a series of tutorials to demonstrate how the game’s simple fundamentals can appeal to casual fans looking for a nostalgic kick, while the high skill ceiling offers unlocked potential for hardcore wrestling enthusiasts. Spamming taunts takes me back to those years when I held my N64 controller. Jumping out of the corner of the ring, I’m reminded of the days I’ve spent playing WWF no mercy.

stylistically, Fight forever also looks to the past, with an exaggerated and cartoonish aesthetic, in contrast to the hyper-realism of the WWE 2K games. Some wrestlers’ faces appear odd or inaccurate on the character selection screen, but look noticeably better in the ring. Each AEW wrestler has its own set of taunts and sound effects, along with unique sets of moves that encourage you to experiment – the better you discover every grapple and punch. Modern wrestling games can contain so many maneuvers that the characters’ identities become diluted. Because of this complexity, I didn’t feel as compelled to search through their individual cartography, so to speak. But Fight foreverThe combination of simplicity and depth has me hooked already.

In Road to Elite, arguably the most arcade-like mode on offer, you pick a wrestler and go through an entire year’s worth of storylines. Each week you travel to a different city as you try to increase your stats and keep your energy levels high. You do this by taking in the local cuisine, working out at the gym, holding press conferences at famous landmarks (US Capitol, Liberty Bell, Las Vegas Strip). These actions usually require you to talk to NPCs, but you can choose to play mini-games instead to boost your stats. Ignoring this regimen can lead to losses, burnout from not replenishing your energy by eating, or even injuries. Along the way, take selfies with wrestlers you encounter on your adventures. Even if you play as an emerging wrestler or a created wrestler, you can still go crazy.

Storylines are split into four pay-per-view events, often recreating famous AEW storylines. Highlights of real-world events often play out after completing a story to establish lore for anyone unaware.

And while this sounds like a seemingly straight forward journey for a professional wrestler on the road, the NPCs are in Fight forever have quirky personalities and their reactions often border on the absurd. With one wrestler you discuss the effects of art and gentrification. You can find Sting chilling on Venice Beach. A waitress in Los Angeles sternly tells you that avocado toast is a worthy meal. There’s a lot of self-mockery and breaking the fourth wall. Segments can get repetitive, but they help avoid the burnout of playing 20 matches without a break.

Image: Yuke’s/THQ Nordic

Throughout it all, Yuke’s consistently demonstrates a fervent appreciation for the medium. If you attempt a pinfall and don’t quite make it to the 3-count, a 2.99-count is revealed, which has become a colloquial expression in the wrestling world. After creating a custom wrestler, you’ll be greeted with an image that says “[Your player] is all elite,” in keeping with how new AEW wrestlers are introduced in real life. There is a gym in Austin, Texas called Fang McFitness, a reference to Fang McFrost, one of the rejected names before a particular wrestler chose Stone Cold Steve Austin. There are too many of these little bits scattered throughout the game to list here, but it’s worth playing dozens of matches to discover more.

Fight forever is not without its rough edges that can feel like glaring, inexplicable omissions. Maybe because it has been in development since 2020, the initial roster is relatively small considering how much the company has grown in just three years. AEW has signed dozens of new wrestlers, and owner Tony Khan even bought former rival promotion Ring of Honor, which has become a sister promotion to AEW. Even then, major players who made their debut in the middle of development, like CM Punk, appear in the game, while other wrestlers who have been with the company longer, like Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and Sonny Kiss, are missing. The omissions can be fixed with unlockables and future DLC – AEW has already announced a season pass with six more wrestlers. But their absence at the moment is a pity.

Image: Yuke’s/THQ Nordic

Generally different parts of Fight forever feel a bit rushed. Most notably, the game features the first version of the AEW Women’s Championship, which has seen two new iterations since 2021. Failure to update resources seems to be the result of tight deadlines, or, again, overlooking opportunities to capitalize on launch. Loading screens appear where wrestlers are tagged with a quote, but the quote is mostly a throwaway line from a years old match. You also won’t find most of AEW’s licensed theme songs in the game.

In the core, Fight forever is a love letter to the golden generation of professional wrestling games. It’s not perfect, and content-wise, it’s somewhat dated, but most of my complaints go away every time I pick up the controller and start a new match. The nostalgia and finesse of those old glory days comes from so many quarters it’s hard to nitpick the places that fall short. AEW: Fight forever is at once a faithful tribute and a promising signifier of the future.

AEW Fight forever was released on June 29 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on Xbox using a pre-release download code from THQ Nordic. Vox Media has partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy here.