AEW Fight Forever offers fans a solid alternative to the WWE 2K series, but some issues must be addressed. Perhaps the biggest concern is the button-mashing mechanic for escaping pins and submissions. The lack of accessibility options in this game is a letdown for many, and players are stuck with a system that doesn't allow them to kick out. Moreover, it almost negates the point of a momentum system.
Wrestling matches are over when the opponent hits their finisher, but there are ways to improve a player's chance of escaping pins and submissions in AEW Fight Forever.
How to Escape Pins and Submissions in AEW Fight Forever
The first time players will encounter the pinning system tutorial on escaping via a kick-out, it will inform them that they must mash the four face buttons on the controller to escape. However, after various testing and methods, from circular motions, tapping two buttons, and turbo pads. Players only need to use - and mash - one. It is unnecessary to hit all four buttons at once, as it seems to make little difference to kicking out or escaping a submission.
Players must watch the damage they are taking in a match. The indicator at the bottom left side of the screen displays how much damage a body part has taken. Unfortunately, if any body part is in the red, it is unlikely they will escape a pin or a submission. The same goes for a momentum bar in the danger zone. This makes it more akin to a fighting game, not quite the WWF No Mercy successor fans had hoped for. However, certain wrestlers have predetermined skills that may improve their chances of kicking out and breaking out of submission holds. Alternatively, players can set these skills while playing the Road to Elite mode with a created wrestler in AEW Fight Forever.
Skills Needed to Escape Pins and Submissions in AEW Fight Forever
Unfortunately, for AEW FIght Forever players escaping is near impossible after a wrestler has taken too much damage. However, there are skills that AEW wrestlers can have to give players a fighting chance of escaping the pinfall and submission attempts at least once in a match.
- Grit - Grit is one of the most essential buffs for escaping pins. It gives the player's wrestler a slight chance of kicking out of a pin attempt after a signature or finisher in AEW Fight Forever.
- Kick Out Buff - allows players to regain a significant portion of their momentum after a pin attempt, but it only occurs once per match.
- Submission Toughness - The best skill for breaking submissions. It allows players to escape match-ending submissions.
- Down But Not Out - Gives players a chance to regain momentum when their health reaches zero.
- Groggy Buff - Momentum gets a boost when HP gets below 30%.
- Bail Out - Bail Out is an Action Skill that lets wrestlers roll out of the ring when grounded. Bailing out after the opponent hits a signature is a valuable method to escape a finisher and regain momentum by taunting the opponent at the ringside.
Practicing reversals and counters will allow the match to go back and forth before a submission pin attempt. Surprisingly, playing AEW Fight Forever on the Elite difficulty level gives players a better chance of having matches that go back and forth for longer. Moreover, the COM will attempt pins and submissions after signatures and finishers, making contests more similar to the product on television.
AEW Fight Forever is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.