AERTHLINGS vs TRIPWIRE Recon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AERTHLINGS
Embark on an adventure to rebuild a shattered planet by collecting, trading, and evolving unique creatures. Explore diverse biomes, craft gear, and defend against mischievous invaders to rescue stranded heroes and restore their home.
- Collect and trade NFC-enabled figurines
- Evolve creatures with unique abilities
- Explore and survive diverse biomes
- Craft gear and build tools
- Defend against mischievous invaders
- Engaging storyline of planet restoration
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Planet ÆRTH is toast. Literally shattered into space CHONKS. Thanks to the MOONLINGS… tiny chaos gremlins who thought crashing their MOON into the ÆRTHLINGS’ home planet was a “good idea.” The ÆRTHLINGS had to go into deep cubernation just to ensure their survival, but the destruction was so violent they were ejected from their world and into ours. In the aftermath of the MOONCRASH, the ÆRTHLINGS, stranded on EARTH, are scattered across our world, waiting to be returned to ÆRTH and awakened from cubernation. Now it’s up to you to put ÆRTH back together and bring all the ÆRTHLINGS back home while defending against those pesky MOONLINGS. • Each of the ÆRTHLINGS has their own unique attack and MUTÆTION tree. • Collect and scan all 24 ÆRTHLINGS Genesis Collection NFC-enabled figurines (available at Amazon, Big W, EB Games, Target and more!) • Can you find the four limited edition Seed Series I figurines? Available at special launch events from 28 September. • Trade ÆRTHLINGS figurines with your friends to expand your collection and earn MUTÆTION points to evolve your ÆRTHLINGS. Starting off on a CHONK of ÆRTH, you’ll explore, expand, chop, smash, and craft your way through survival challenges, and rescue stranded ÆRTHLINGS who may or may not remember what happened to their beloved home planet. Meanwhile, the MOONLINGS keep showing up to steal the ÆRTHLINGS’ gear, cause trouble, and generally be the annoying little trolls they are. Game Features: • Build your collection of ÆRTHLINGS by trading the NFC-enabled figurines with friends. • Explore, Expand & Survive while putting the pieces of ÆRTH back together. Discover a world of diverse biomes full of surprises. • Craft Gear & Build Tools to fix CHONKS of ÆRTH (and defend your gear). • Outsmart the MOONLINGS. They’re sneaky, loud, and not half as clever as they think they are. • The epic story of saving a planet has never been this ridiculous. ÆRTH is broken. The heroes are… underdogs. The enemies are ridiculous little menaces. And somehow, YOU are in charge of fixing it all. Download ÆRTHLINGS and prove you’ve got what it takes to rebuild ÆRTH (and maybe troll some MOONLINGS along the way). A network connection is required. Privacy Policy: https://aerthlings.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://aerthlings.com/terms
TRIPWIRE Recon
Explore your city to capture virtual flags and claim territory for your chosen faction. Form clans with friends to coordinate attacks and defend your turf. Discover hidden historical facts about landmarks through augmented reality.
- Real-world flag capture with GPS
- Four unique factions
- Clan system with chat
- Augmented reality overlays
- AI-generated historical research
- Global leaderboards
- Offline mode
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TRIPWIRE Recon transforms your city into a mixed-reality battlefield where strategy meets exploration. CAPTURE THE FLAG, EVOLVED Walk to real-world locations and capture virtual flags scattered throughout your city. Each flag you claim earns points for you and your faction. Defend your territory or launch raids on enemy strongholds. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Align with one of four powerful New Orleans factions, each with unique lore and strategic advantages: • Vieux Carré Spectres - Ghosts of old New Orleans. Defensive, territorial. French Quarter, Garden District, Uptown. • Crescent City Corsairs - Pirates and raiders in the Jean Lafitte tradition. Fast, aggressive. Bywater, Marigny, the Riverfront. • Bayou Shadows - Root workers and survivors from the parts tourists never see. Stealth and ambush. Gentilly, New Orleans East, the Lakefront. • Iron Balcony Order - Engineers and builders. Infrastructure-focused strategy. CBD, Warehouse District, Mid-City. BUILD YOUR CLAN Form or join a clan with friends. Coordinate attacks, defend territories, and climb the clan leaderboards together. Chat in real-time, share intelligence, and plan your next move. AUGMENTED REALITY EXPERIENCE Use AR to see flags, buildings, and territory boundaries overlaid on the real world. Night missions offer bonus points for the bold. DISCOVER HISTORY Every building has a story. TRIPWIRE's AI-powered research reveals the hidden history of landmarks around you. COMPETE GLOBALLY Climb individual, clan, and faction leaderboards. Weekly events and seasonal challenges keep the competition fresh. FEATURES: • Real-world flag capture with GPS verification • Four factions with unique identities • Clan system with chat and coordination • Augmented reality overlays • AI-generated historical research • Global and regional leaderboards • Battle Pass with exclusive rewards • Night mission bonus system • Offline mode with smart caching Your city. Your rules. Your territory.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AERTHLINGS at 4.8 against TRIPWIRE Recon's 3.5. AERTHLINGS also leads on ratings volume (935 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). TRIPWIRE Recon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. AERTHLINGS sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. TRIPWIRE Recon asks for nothing beyond the download.
AERTHLINGS holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AERTHLINGS has 935 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of AERTHLINGS's written reviews are positive against 100% of TRIPWIRE Recon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
AERTHLINGS ships an update every 10 days, TRIPWIRE Recon every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AERTHLINGS | TRIPWIRE Recon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (935 ratings) — better | 3.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 935 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 366 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Modern Games Inc | Christopher Wolff |
Customer experience
AERTHLINGS
TRIPWIRE Recon
In-app purchases
AERTHLINGS
- Stack of ÆMETHYSTS$1.99
- Pile of ÆMETHYSTS$4.99
- Pouch of ÆMETHYSTS$9.99
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- Sack of ÆMETHYSTS$19.99
- Chest of ÆMETHYSTS$49.99
- Hoard of ÆMETHYSTS$99.99
TRIPWIRE Recon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AERTHLINGS free?
Is TRIPWIRE Recon free?
Which has better reviews, AERTHLINGS or TRIPWIRE Recon?
Do AERTHLINGS or TRIPWIRE Recon have ads?
Which is updated more often, AERTHLINGS or TRIPWIRE Recon?
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