AEW: Rise to the Top
Get on Play Store"AEW: Rise to the Top" is a simulation game that allows players to experience the life of a professional wrestler in a single-player mode. The game boasts a good story and the ability to collect, battle, and unlock championship titles and wrestlers. However, it suffers from frequent ads and bugs, which can detract from the overall gameplay experience.
Phone
Android
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- Fun idle game with engaging mechanics and enjoyable for AEW fans.
- Responsive customer support that quickly resolves issues.
- Great art style and animations that capture the essence of AEW.
- Frequent crashes and bugs make the game nearly unplayable.
- Heavy reliance on pay-to-win mechanics, making progression difficult without spending money.
- Graphics are often blurry and the overall gameplay can feel repetitive and shallow.
- monetization58 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a "cash grab" due to the overwhelming number of ads that often lead to game crashes and failed rewards. While some appreciate the option to purchase in-game items to avoid ads, the frequent glitches and the necessity to watch ads for progression detract from the overall experience, leaving players frustrated and disengaged. Additionally, the high prices of in-app purchases further exacerbate the sentiment that the game prioritizes profit over player enjoyment.
“While I wish that it was less story-driven, I like the gameplay mechanics and the in-app purchases are not pushy.”
“Only complaint I have is that microtransactions are overpriced.”
“Fun if you're an AEW fan; could have more of the roster, and the price of the in-game purchases is sky high; you'd need to be Tony Khan to buy them.”
“The terrible part is that I watch the ads and then can't close the ad without the stupid Etsy app or whatever else launching and suspending the game, thus not allowing me to collect my reward for watching the same ad for the 18th time.”
“Just another ad-watching idler game, not a lot of gameplay. Since the most recent update, the ads freeze up and glitch, forfeiting the 30 seconds you wasted to get rewarded.”
“The biggest drawback is the repetitive 'pay to win' ads and incentives.”
- graphics37 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the colorful art style and comic-like visuals, while others criticize the quality, describing them as blurry, pixelated, and below par for a 2024 release. Some users express frustration over the lack of adjustable graphic settings, which affects playability on certain devices. Overall, while the aesthetic has its fans, significant improvements are needed to meet player expectations.
“Graphics are colorful and smooth.”
“Awesome game...become addicted to it...overall graphics are too good.”
“Great graphics and the storylines are fun!”
“The graphics are not that good; you would think in 2024 they would be much better.”
“I was really excited for this game and it seems okay gameplay-wise, but some of the graphics are extremely pixelated and some of them are clear.”
“The graphics are so compressed, it is unplayable.”
- story29 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it intriguing and enjoyable, particularly appreciating the incorporation of AEW characters and graphics. However, many others criticize the storyline as boring, confusing, or overly simplistic, often feeling like a forced progression through preloaded narratives with little player choice. Overall, while some players enjoy the storytelling aspect, many feel it falls short of expectations for a game from a brand like AEW.
“The story is good, and it's really intriguing for a mobile game.”
“The storytelling and interaction to give you an authentic show running feel is great.”
“Great graphics and the storylines are fun!”
“Very subpar game storylines are long and confusing. The game structure is okay, but from a brand like AEW, I'd expect a top-flight game, not some tap-tap sim. It shows what level WWE is compared to AEW.”
“Boring - no choices, just click through a preloaded set of storylines that you don't really have control over. Honestly hoped it would be better, but no... very basic and boring.”
“Mindless clicking with a mindless story, zero stars.”
- stability23 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and connectivity issues that hinder gameplay. While some players have noted improvements, many still experience significant bugs that disrupt their experience, leading to frustration and disappointment. Overall, the game's stability remains a major concern, with calls for urgent updates to address these persistent problems.
“The game is very buggy and unstable.”
“Very disappointed, it takes forever for the game to connect to the server and then it just freezes at 80% every time.”
“Buggy, I want to love it but it crashes every 5 minutes and that is so frustrating.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users enjoying the mechanics and aesthetic inspired by other AEW mobile games, while others criticize it for being plagued by crashes, poor graphics, and a lack of depth. Many players find the idle cash generation and gacha elements to be simplistic and repetitive, leading to a frustrating experience, especially with frequent ad-related issues. Overall, while some appreciate the fun aspects and story, the technical problems and gameplay limitations detract from the overall enjoyment.
“I can definitely feel the inspirations from the other AEW mobile games, like the aesthetic of it, which I love, and the wrestling mechanic.”
“While I wish that it was less story-driven, I like the gameplay mechanics and the in-app purchases are not pushy.”
“Amazing gameplay, AEW: Rise to the Top is a good game.”
“Broken app; I can't even tell you how the gameplay is because it won't even load for me.”
“Great game, although it crashes a lot when trying to watch a video for extra rewards or general gameplay, so it can be quite annoying.”
“The idle cash generation mechanics feel really weird attached to a wrestling game, and the 3v3 combat events feel tacked on and bland.”
- music7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the storyline integration of the music, while others find it annoying and experience issues such as lag and the inability to play their own music from apps like Spotify. Additionally, some users report a lack of music altogether, despite options being available in the settings.
“I love the music and love that it has a storyline compared to some other idle games.”
“Second, it won't let me listen to my other music from Spotify.”
“Also doesn't allow music apps to play in the background; it force closes them.”
“I've installed the January 16 update; the music will play but lags.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration as progress stalls without spending real money. While the game has potential for fun, many feel that it becomes overly grindy, especially after reaching certain levels, turning it into a currency farming experience rather than an engaging gameplay experience.
“The game consists of repetitive and monotonous actions that quickly become tedious.”
“Things come to a grinding halt very quickly unless you throw in real money.”
“After you reach level 8, you get stuck there forever. It's a very addictive game, but you need to spend money to reach different levels. There's not much wrestling; it's more like a farming game where you farm currencies, diamonds, and chips to play levels.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character design, highlighting its cartoonish style and accessibility, which contributes to an engaging gameplay experience that encourages long-term play.
“I love the character design.”
“From the cartoonish character designs and easy-to-learn gameplay, it's fair to say I will be playing this for a long time to come.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant performance issues with the game, noting that it runs poorly even on relatively recent hardware like the Pixel 7. There is a general sentiment that the developers are neglecting optimization and stability, leading to crashes and a subpar experience.
“The game drags performance-wise, and I'm on a Pixel 7, so my hardware isn't even that old.”
“It seems like they don't care about performance or crashing at all.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a funny storyline filled with a variety of characters, showcasing cleverly written wrestling humor that adds to its charm. Players find it to be a fun and easy time killer, with a straightforward concept that enhances the overall enjoyment.
“Funny storyline with a variety of characters, making it easy to achieve a high ranking.”
“A fun time killer with cleverly written wrestling humor and a concept that is fun and easy to master.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the engaging characters and appealing animation significantly enhance the game's replayability, encouraging players to return for more experiences.
“The characters and the animation make this game more enjoyable to replay.”
“Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, keeping the game fresh.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes encourages multiple runs to explore every possibility.”
