Customer Reviews (500)

alljems • 2025-03-27T15:45:16-07:00

From the graphics to the constantly engaging and challenging games, Best Fiends is amazing!! I can honestly get lost for hours playing and I never feel pressured to buy things or that I have to watch a million commercials. I often have written to the creators how impressed I am with the game (oh and their customer service is incredible to boot;).

PicnicTheCorgi • 2025-03-27T06:48:55-07:00

MY SHAYLAAAAAAA

Tk030201 • 2025-03-27T06:17:11-07:00

I love this game and would absolutely rated it five stars except for the fact that sometime recently they’ve started using these ads for Royal Kingdom and also the PayPal get free cash game ads. Sure a free extra move is nice but it’s also nice to not have to sit through a 2 1/2 minute ad that’s kind of outrageous. Oh and also whenever I get the bonus boosters and what not from opening things whenever there’s pop-ups that take longer to get through that I have time to use it it’s kind of like what’s the point of grinding for these prizes. Yes the ad time can be remedied. I will happily give five stars, but until then it stays right here.

Summary of Key Insights

Best Fiends - Match 3 Puzzles enjoys generally positive sentiment, with many users praising its engaging gameplay, cute characters, and lack of forced ads. However, a significant number of users express frustration with aggressive monetization tactics, excessive pop-ups, and recent changes to the game's design and difficulty. These issues detract from the overall user experience and may lead to player churn. There's a clear divide between long-time players who feel the game has become more predatory and newer players who are still enjoying the initial experience.

Key Strengths:

  • Engaging and Addictive Gameplay: The core match-3 mechanic is well-received and keeps players entertained for extended periods.
  • Charming Characters and Storyline: The cute Fiends and their unique abilities, combined with the storyline, add depth and personality to the game.
  • Lack of Forced Ads: Many users appreciate the absence of intrusive, mandatory advertisements.

Key Weaknesses:

  • Aggressive Monetization: Users feel pressured to spend money to progress, especially at higher levels. Increased costs for extra moves and the difficulty of earning gold are major pain points.
  • Excessive Pop-ups: Numerous pop-ups for events, offers, and in-app purchases disrupt the gameplay experience and waste time.
  • Recent Design Changes: Changes to the art style and character designs have been negatively received by some long-time players.
  • Difficulty Spikes: Some levels are perceived as being designed to be nearly impossible without spending money, leading to frustration.
  • Glitches and Bugs: Several reviews mention technical issues such as game crashes, progress loss, and unresponsive controls.

Overall Sentiment: Mixed, trending towards negative due to recent changes.

Quantitative Metrics:

  • Overall Rating: Based on the review analysis, the rating is trending towards 4 stars but with increasing negative sentiment.
  • Score Distribution: 5-star (49.8%), 4-star (10.8%), 3-star (10%), 2-star (10.8%), 1-star (18.6%). This distribution shows a polarization of opinions, with a significant number of users giving the lowest rating.

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews.
  • Time Frame: The reviews appear to span a significant period, with some mentioning playing since the game's initial release and others referencing recent updates. Therefore, it's a mixed timeframe but with a focus on recent opinions.
  • Analysis Methods: The analysis involved sentiment analysis (identifying positive, negative, and neutral opinions), keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned terms and topics), and thematic analysis (grouping related issues and requests). The breakdown percentages for each star rating are calculated based on provided data.

Key User Pain Points

  • Aggressive Monetization/Pay-to-Win: Many users complain that the game becomes increasingly difficult and requires spending money to progress, especially at higher levels. The cost of extra moves is perceived as excessive.
  • Excessive Pop-ups: Users are annoyed by the constant stream of pop-ups for events, offers, and in-app purchases, which interrupt gameplay.
  • Glitches and Bugs: Several users report technical issues such as game crashes, lost progress, and unresponsive controls.
  • Unskippable Animations/Cutscenes: Long animations and cutscenes, especially when timed boosts are active, waste valuable time and frustrate players.
  • Changes to Art Style/Character Designs: Some long-time players dislike the recent changes to the art style and character designs, finding them less appealing.
  • Forced Usage of Keys: Users dislike being forced to immediately use keys earned from completing levels, preferring to save them and open multiple crates at once.
  • Ads: While many users appreciate the lack of forced ads, some complain about the length and irrelevance of ads shown for optional rewards and some users have seen inappropriate ads.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Option to Exchange Meteormites: Users want the ability to exchange blue meteormites for yellow ones, and vice versa, to better manage their resources.
  • Option to Start Over/Reset Progress: Some users want a way to completely reset their progress and start the game from scratch.
  • Option to Choose When to Use Boosts: Users want more control over when to activate boosts and power-ups, rather than having them start automatically.
  • More Ways to Earn Gold: Users want more opportunities to earn gold without spending real money.
  • Bring back Best Fiends Forever: Some users asked to have this game available again.
  • An option for a one-time payment to remove ads: Some users are willing to pay to remove ads altogether.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Engaging Gameplay: The core match-3 mechanic is well-received and keeps players entertained for extended periods.
  • Charming Characters and Storyline: The cute Fiends and their unique abilities, combined with the storyline, add depth and personality to the game.
  • Lack of Forced Ads: Many users appreciate the absence of intrusive, mandatory advertisements.
  • Challenging Levels: Many users like the game's challenge.
  • Relaxing: Many users find the game relaxing.
  • Offline Play: The ability to play offline is appreciated.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Reduce Aggressive Monetization: Re-evaluate the pricing of extra moves and in-app purchases. Provide more opportunities to earn gold and other resources without spending money.
  • Minimize Excessive Pop-ups: Reduce the frequency and intrusiveness of pop-ups. Allow users to dismiss them more quickly and easily.
  • Fix Glitches and Bugs: Address the reported technical issues, such as game crashes, lost progress, and unresponsive controls. Implement thorough testing before releasing updates.
  • Address Mega Boost Issues: Ensure that animations and cutscenes do not interrupt the use of Mega Boosts. Provide the full duration of the boost without interruptions.

Medium Priority:

  • Reconsider Art Style Changes: Gather user feedback on the recent art style changes and consider reverting to the previous style or offering a toggle option.
  • Provide More Control Over Boosts: Allow users to choose when to activate boosts and power-ups, rather than having them start automatically.
  • Implement a Fiend Exchange System: Allow users to exchange blue meteormites for yellow ones, and vice versa.
  • Review Ad Content: Ensure that ads shown in the game are appropriate for all ages and do not promote scams or inappropriate content.

Low Priority:

  • Add a Start Over Option: Provide a way for users to completely reset their progress and start the game from scratch.
  • Consider a One-Time Payment Option: Offer a one-time payment option to remove ads for users who prefer a premium experience.
  • Bring back Best Fiends Forever: Consider bringing this game back.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Match-3 Game with Fair Monetization: Develop a match-3 game that focuses on providing a balanced and enjoyable experience without aggressive monetization tactics. Offer cosmetic items or optional features for purchase, but avoid pay-to-win mechanics.
  • Customizable Art Style: Create a game that allows players to customize the art style and character designs to their preferences.
  • Community-Driven Content: Develop a game that allows players to create and share their own levels and challenges.
  • Match-3 Game with a Focus on Story: Create a match-3 game with a deep and engaging storyline.

Trends and Observations

  • Negative Sentiment Increase: Recent reviews show a growing trend of negative sentiment due to perceived changes in monetization and gameplay.
  • Long-Time Players Dissatisfaction: Long-time players are more likely to express frustration with the game's current state, feeling that it has become more predatory.
  • Technical Issues: There are reoccuring themes of app crashes, and loss of progress.
  • Language Preferences: While most reviews are in English, there are also reviews in Spanish, Russian and other languages, indicating a global player base.

Conclusion

Best Fiends - Match 3 Puzzles has a strong foundation with its engaging gameplay, charming characters, and lack of forced ads. However, recent changes to the game's monetization tactics, design, and difficulty have negatively impacted the user experience and led to growing dissatisfaction among players. To retain its player base and attract new users, the developers should prioritize addressing the key pain points identified in this analysis, focusing on reducing aggressive monetization, minimizing disruptive pop-ups, and fixing technical issues. By implementing these changes, Best Fiends can regain its status as a beloved and enjoyable match-3 puzzle game.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-fiends-match-3-puzzles/id868013618?uo=2