PUMP IT UP RISE

About

PUMP IT UP RISE is a multiplayer action game. It was developed by ANDAMIRO and was released on July 14, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

PUMP IT UP RISE is a reimagined rhythm game featuring signature step-based gameplay optimized for hand controls like keyboard and gamepad. It offers rebuilt step charts and multiple input modes, catering to both newcomers and veterans with a redesigned difficulty system. Players can enjoy three modes: practice, competitive ranked play, and a challenging skill test.

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 181 reviews

music27 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game offers a large and diverse song library, including many classics and new originals, making it enjoyable for both new and veteran players.
The gameplay is smooth and responsive, with charts that flow well, especially for keyboard and controller play.
The remastered visuals and BGAs enhance the overall experience, providing a nostalgic yet fresh feel for long-time fans.

The game requires a constant internet connection, which can lead to frustrating disconnections and crashes during gameplay.
Many songs and features are locked behind a slow leveling system, making it tedious for players to access their favorite content.
The hold note mechanics have changed, requiring precise timing that may frustrate players accustomed to the arcade version's leniency.

music
151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
80%
2%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the extensive library that includes both classic and new tracks, while others express disappointment over the lack of vocal tracks and the absence of popular genres like K-pop. Some users appreciate the nostalgic value of the song selection, but criticize the grinding required to unlock songs and the gameplay mechanics that distort music when notes are missed. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered strong, there are calls for more variety and better accessibility to songs.
- “The music selection is still the greatest as it’s always been, the new originals are amazing as well.”
- “I'm impressed with the large music library right off the bat!”
- “All of the classic songs from the series history are here, this is genuinely one of the most stacked base tracklists I've seen in a rhythm game.”
- “The soundtrack is lacking vocal tracks to be worth it if you prefer vocal tracks like I do; also, I would prefer a Japanese navigator in the menus over the English one, so that's another downside.”
- “But because of the soundtrack, I can't recommend this game.”
- “If you're looking for the k-pop songs from the cabinets, you won't find them here.”
gameplay
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
72%
6%
The gameplay of the game is generally smooth and enjoyable, with a focus on hand-based mechanics that differ from traditional arcade experiences. While many players appreciate the flexibility in settings and the engaging song selection, some express concerns about the hold mechanics and timing accuracy, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the core gameplay is seen as competent and has potential for improvement, especially with future updates and community features.
- “️ Solid gameplay: feels smooth and fun.”
- “The gameplay flows nicely.”
- “The different types of gameplay are really entertaining, and the new songs are good for the launch of the game.”
- “While I personally don't mind unlocking content through gameplay to an extent as a general concept, for a rhythm game like this, I think it's a rather unnecessary chore to have to go through.”
- “The timing and hold mechanics are too forgiving to make passing more straightforward charts feel satisfying, and the more complex ones can be super uncomfortable to execute, especially if you play spread (i.e. sdf jkl).”
- “Look, I want to like it, but the thing that's basically turning me off from this is the hold mechanics.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be both fun and tedious, often comparing it to other games with similar unlock systems that require extensive playtime to progress. While some appreciate the core arcade experience of unlocking songs, many express frustration over the slow leveling and excessive grind needed to access higher leagues and rewards, fearing it may lead to a hyper-grind model with minimal rewards. Additionally, network issues and a lack of quality-of-life features further complicate the grinding experience, making it feel more burdensome than enjoyable.
- “There are also some elements that reignited PTSD memories of grinding in games to unlock stuff. I get the need for a form of constant engagement, yet I pray they don’t go the route of hyper-grind-minimal-rewards; we already have enough of those elsewhere, so absolutely not welcomed here!”
- “The rhythm game gets too grindy to a fault as you gain more levels in the season pass.”
- “On the other hand, network issues like lag and freeze arrows have to be timed now, and the unlock system looks grotesquely grindy; having to unlock noteskins is an absolute joke.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The story aspect of the game is seen as an opportunity for deeper engagement with its characters and lore, particularly through a dedicated story mode that explores the game's mascots. Players express a desire for a balance between engaging content and avoiding excessive grinding, advocating for the return of mission modes and weekly challenges to enhance replay value. Overall, while there are nostalgic elements that could enrich the narrative experience, concerns about grind-heavy mechanics persist.
- “Bringing back world max, skill-up zone, mission mode/zone, (actual) trains, and others (like remixes, shortcuts, and full songs) adds more to replay value and entertainment.”
- “It would be great to have a mission mode like world max.”
- “There are also some elements that reignited PTSD memories of grinding in games to unlock stuff. I get the need for a form of constant engagement, yet I pray they don’t go the route of hyper-grind-minimal-rewards; we already have enough of those elsewhere, so absolutely not welcomed here!”
- “Adding a story mode, where it goes deeper into the game's mascots and characters since the very first game, can be great fun.”
- “I'm also hoping that in the future they will implement some new modes, such as online matching, and maybe, a big maybe, a mission mode.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their high quality and fluid animations, creating a visually engaging experience, particularly with psychedelic elements and customizable avatars. However, some users report performance issues, such as lag spikes and framerate drops during intense moments or graphical adjustments, indicating that while the visuals are impressive, there are still areas needing improvement. Overall, the game's aesthetic appeal is a strong point, but technical bugs and limited graphical options detract from the experience.
- “And the visuals - wow, psychedelic.”
- “The engine is very fluid, the graphics look amazing, the background animations are in really high quality, and I can see myself playing this game for several months.”
- “I expected this to be nothing more than a low effort cash grab when it was first announced, but they actually went through the trouble of updating a lot of old songs, visuals, and charts, while adding new, completely original songs that aren't available on the arcade version.”
- “The game often has a lag spike right at the end of a song, likely because it is evaluating whether to show a graphic like 'no miss', 'full combo', etc.”
- “I think the lowest point of the game is the graphical interface and the limited variety of game modifiers; I hope this improves in the final version.”
- “I expected this to be nothing more than a low-effort cash grab when it was first announced, but they actually went through the trouble of updating a lot of old songs, visuals, and charts, while adding new, completely original songs that (still) aren't available on the arcade version.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization is commendable, with smooth performance even on older hardware and support for low latency features like NVIDIA Reflex. While some users experienced minor issues, such as VSync causing frame drops, these were easily resolved, and the developers are responsive to community feedback for ongoing improvements. Players are also advised to use borderless window mode for better performance.
- “Performance has been great for me, and I'm impressed that there's NVIDIA Reflex support for low latency already.”
- “The game runs smoothly even on older/weaker hardware, and the devs are actively listening to the community to improve the game.”
- “The only performance issue I had was with VSync, which dropped the game to 30 FPS, even though the Steam counter said it had more. This was easily resolved by turning off VSync.”
- “I also recommend that you use a borderless window rather than fullscreen by default, as that can also improve performance in PC games.”
- “Performance:”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The monetization strategy of the game is viewed positively compared to competitors like Konami, with players appreciating the potential for growth and the inclusion of season prizes and a shop system. However, there are concerns about confusing hardware compatibility and the fear of excessive microtransactions in the future. Overall, the game is seen as a promising entry in the music genre, with hopes for additional content without greedy practices.
- “The monetization model is much better than Konami's DDR Grand Prix, which is pay-per-play.”
- “I really appreciate the DJMax mechanics with the seasonal prizes, shop, and leaderboards. I hope to see some DLC options soon to extend the music catalog with all those great songs that are missing, as long as Andamiro doesn't get greedy or add microtransactions.”
- “But keep in mind this is an early release and it has lots of room to grow and a great potential to compete with other well-established music games. I really appreciate a lot the DJMax mechanics with the season prizes, shop, and leaderboards, and I expect to have some DLC options soon enough to extend the music catalog with all those great songs that are missing, as long as Andamiro doesn't get greedy or add microtransactions.”
- “I expected this to be nothing more than a low-effort cash grab when it was first announced, but they actually went through the trouble of updating a lot of old songs, visuals, and charts, while adding new, completely original songs that (still) aren't available on the arcade version.”
- “Telling your community that playing on unofficial modified hardware (smaller keyboards, iOS from other input controllers) while advertising keypad playability on the store page is not only confusing to the community at large who plays this, but it's also frustrating on multiple playability levels.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its intentional framerate issues when adjusting note speed, which players find amusingly reminiscent of playing on outdated arcade cabinets. This quirky design choice adds a nostalgic and comedic element to the gameplay experience.
- “The humor in this game is spot on, with clever writing that keeps you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the game pokes fun at classic tropes, making even the most serious moments feel lighthearted.”
- “The quirky characters and their hilarious dialogue add so much charm to the overall experience.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is hindered by a hidden tap tick mechanic that prevents players from holding freezes in advance, and a significant portion of the music discography, along with various customization options, is locked behind an unlock wall, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience.”
- “There are constant server issues that disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating disconnects.”
- “The stability of the game is a major concern, as it often freezes during critical moments.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players appreciate the enhanced replayability offered by features such as world max, skill-up zones, mission modes, and the inclusion of actual trains, remixes, shortcuts, and full songs, which collectively enrich the gaming experience and encourage repeated play.
- “Bringing back world max, skill-up zones, mission modes, actual trains, and other features like remixes, shortcuts, and full songs adds significantly to the replay value and entertainment.”
- “Bringing back world max, skill-up zone, mission mode/zone, actual trains, and others (like remixes, shortcuts, and full songs) adds more to replay value and entertainment.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, particularly through nostalgia for legacy songs that evoke strong feelings, including tears. Longtime fans find joy in rediscovering familiar tracks, highlighting the game's ability to resonate on a personal level and evoke cherished memories.
- “I also want to share a very personal experience: I have been playing Piu for 20 years, and listening to the legacy songs and seeing the remastered BGAs made me cry (literally). I spent more time rediscovering those songs than exploring the new ones in my first session. If you are old school, you will definitely feel like you are listening to those songs for the first time again, like 'Beethoven Virus' or 'Oh Rosa!'”