AEW: Fight Forever, being the debut game from the wrestling company, initially piqued my interest with its bold attempt to challenge the long-established WWE 2K series. As someone who has never been particularly interested in wrestling, I was intrigued to see what this game had to offer and hoped it would expand my understanding and appreciation of professional wrestling. However, despite starting the game with an open mind as a non-fan, it is regrettable that I emerged from the experience still unconverted.

As someone unfamiliar with wrestling (both WWE and AEW), I expected that the game would provide me some understanding of the rules of the competition. Although the gameplay tutorial pretty much covers the basics, it’s kind of a turn off that I have to resort to the internet to learn more about rules like DQs, Rope Breaks, and Count Outs. Moreover, the execution of flashy moves like the Irish Whip or Rising Attacks isn't explicitly taught during gameplay; instead, you need to navigate to the menus and look for the Controls section for more information. In my opinion, the lack of gameplay-integrated guide for newbies could potentially discourage players who are also clueless about wrestling from playing the game. Imagine asking your friends to play with you a game that requires a tutorial reading session for a comprehensive experience.

Despite that, AEW: Fight Forever delivers an enjoyable gameplay experience inside the ring, where every punch and kick carries exaggerated impact. The sound effects are nothing short of impressive, such as the execution of a Facebuster would result in a satisfyingly heavy smashing sound as your opponent's face meets the mat. As you build up your Momentum gauge, you’ll gain access to powerful Signature and Finisher moves that allow you to knock out your opponents in various creative ways. But beware, as you’ll lose Momentum while taking damage, and losing too much Momentum will put you in a vulnerable Danger state, making you more susceptible to pinfalls and submissions.

However, there is this confusing lack of transparency in terms of gameplay systems, where the game doesn’t provide clear indications of how much damage needs to be inflicted before you’re able to execute a guaranteed pinfall. Although it arguably makes each player’s actions less predictable, sometimes it quite frustrating when you find yourself losing a match even when you’re higher in Momentum than the opponent. Apparently there’s an underlying HP system which, I guess, would somehow affect your fighter’s willpower to fight on, but I am unsure why the developers decided to hide that information, leaving players uncertain about their current status throughout the fight.

Furthermore, generally speaking, most of the fights are shorter than expected. Both the Normal and Hard difficulty pose too less of a challenge, as you can easily rely on spamming your preferred attack (in my case, High strikes) and swiftly secure victory by executing a pinfall or Finisher. The lack of finesse in the AI opponents also means that you can swiftly incapacitate them as soon as they regain their footing. While it might not be the case for hardcore wrestling fans, but for a non-fan like me, the various types of attacks like High Rise or Springboard moves appears to serve more as a spectacle to boost your final score than a straightforward means to achieve victory. I just didn't feel the need to execute a complicated move when a few punches and kicks were all I need to win.

As the game’s single-player campaign mode, Road to Elite allows you to assume the role of a custom or existing fighter, experiencing a year of the life of a professional wrestler through time management gameplay, where’s you’ll make decisions such as training (to gain Skill Points), dining (to recover Stamina), going out (to gain Motivation, Skill Points, etc), and more. It’s worth noting that this mode is the only way to power up your custom character by utilizing the Skill Points acquired throughout the campaign. Apparently there are 12 different paths to explore throughout the campaign mode, depending on the decisions you make and your win-lose record. However, I have yet to come across any clear-cut instructions regarding the conditions required to unlock these paths, so I guess completionists may have to embark on multiple playthroughs or rely on online guides to fully uncover all the branching storylines.

Fortunately, it seems that the campaign mode is designed for swift playthrough, as it allows players to skip all stories and dialogues. It’s pretty easy to speed-run multiple playthroughs due to the repetitive management gameplay cycle of four free actions into a fight, making the pace of gameplay unusually fast for a campaign mode. Nonetheless, this fast-paced nature also means that there isn't enough substantial content for me to fully immerse myself in. The main story itself feels rather nonsensical and random, and it is short enough that a few presses of the A button are enough for me to quickly skip through it.

Apart from the rather lackluster campaign mode, AEW: Fight Forever offers a wide array of exciting match types to enjoy. These include the classic Ladder Match, where the objective is to be the first fighter to climb a ladder and retrieve the object hanging above the ring. Then there's the intense Lights Out Match, where no rules restrict the use of various weapons. Also, one just couldn’t not talk about the absurdly thrilling Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match, featuring ring ropes covered in barbed wire that trigger explosions upon contact, as well as a final explosion that would blow up the ring and the fighters inside after a certain time period, creating a dramatic climax. Other than all the wrestling actions, there are also plenty of mini-games for players to discover. When compared to these diverse game modes that offer unique forms of entertainment, the repetitive and shallow campaign mode seems skippable without missing out on much.

It is undeniably refreshing to see new players trying to venture into the wrestling game market, as a bit of competition never hurts. AEW: Fight Forever manages to stand out with its absurd and outrageous themes. Yet, there is still much work to be done in terms of refining the gameplay systems and the campaign mode. Even as a non-fan, I believe that long-time wrestling enthusiasts would agree that the game still has a long way to go before it can rival the established standing of the WWE 2K franchise, let alone revolutionize the landscape of wrestling games. There is potential, but it requires substantial improvements and advancements to reach that level.

That concludes Lluvia’s gameplay review of AEW: Fight Forever.