Customer Reviews (500)

Yawn123 • 2025-03-20T15:20:44-07:00

I’ve played this game for about a month. I’ve had several female alliance mates complain about harassment and stalking. They’ve reported the accounts involved and nothing is done to protect these players.

bill999999999999999999 • 2025-03-20T09:06:51-07:00

Hey everyone just letting you know if you are looking for game this is not it unless you are willing to spend thousands to compete. They have events that if you don’t spend you can’t even play. This is the most greedy game I have played and if I didn’t have so much invested I would quit. Run from this game before you get sooked in!

pheasy • 2025-03-19T22:43:58-07:00

Thumbs down

Summary of Key Insights

Puzzles & Survival is a mixed bag. While many users find the game enjoyable, engaging, and a good way to pass the time, a significant portion express frustration with its aggressive monetization, misleading advertising, and occasional technical issues. The "pay-to-win" aspect is a recurring complaint, with users feeling that progress is severely limited without spending money. A strong sense of community within alliances is a major positive, but this is often overshadowed by concerns about the game's fairness and transparency. The overall sentiment is moderately positive, but the negative reviews highlight serious issues that need addressing.

  • Overall Rating: Based on the provided score distribution, the overall rating is approximately 4.05 stars (weighted average).
  • Sentiment: Mixed. While many users rate the game highly (5 stars), there are substantial complaints regarding monetization and misleading ads.
  • Key Strengths: Engaging gameplay loop, strong alliance/community aspect, frequent events, and a mix of puzzle and strategy elements.
  • Key Weaknesses: Aggressive monetization ("pay-to-win"), misleading advertising (gameplay not matching ads), technical glitches, and poor customer service.
  • Score Distribution: 5-star: 61.2%, 4-star: 11%, 3-star: 4%, 2-star: 2.4%, 1-star: 21.4%

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not specified, but assumed to be a recent collection of reviews given the version number (4.0.172).
  • Analysis Methods: Manual review and thematic analysis. Keywords and recurring phrases were extracted to identify key user pain points, requested features, and positive aspects. Sentiment was inferred from star ratings and review text.

Key User Pain Points

  • Pay-to-Win (P2W): This is the most frequent and severe complaint. Users feel that significant progress is impossible without spending substantial amounts of money. Events, upgrades, and even basic gameplay are perceived as being heavily skewed towards paying players.
  • Misleading Advertising: Many users report that the game advertised is significantly different from the actual gameplay. The ads often showcase mini-games or puzzle mechanics that are not representative of the core game experience.
  • Poor Customer Service: Several users mention difficulty contacting customer service and unresolved issues, including billing errors and account problems.
  • Technical Glitches: Some users report encountering glitches that prevent them from progressing, such as being unable to complete tutorial steps or experiencing frequent disconnects.
  • Alliance Issues: While alliances are a strength, some users report negative experiences with alliance dynamics, including harassment, stalking, and the loss of alliance leadership due to inactivity.
  • Unfair PvP: The "Valiant Conquest" event is specifically mentioned as being unfair, allowing stronger players to easily raid weaker players' resources.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Opt-Out from PvP Events: Specifically, the ability to opt-out of the "Valiant Conquest" event.
  • Skip Tutorial Button: Some users request the ability to skip the tutorial, especially when encountering glitches that prevent them from progressing.
  • More Balanced Gameplay for Free-to-Play Players: Users want more opportunities to progress without spending money.
  • Improved Customer Service: Faster response times and more effective issue resolution.
  • More Brown Girl Heroes: Add more diverse heroes, addressing the lack of brown female characters.
  • Link Tutorials in Chat: The ability to link game-approved walkthroughs within alliance chat.
  • Larger States: Users request larger states within the game.
  • Account Deletion: Easy and reliable way to delete accounts.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Engaging Gameplay: Many users find the combination of match-3 puzzles and strategy elements to be engaging and addictive.
  • Strong Alliance/Community: The social aspect of the game, particularly the sense of community within alliances, is a major draw for many players.
  • Frequent Events: The constant stream of events keeps the game fresh and provides opportunities for rewards.
  • Variety of Activities: Users appreciate the variety of activities available, including building, training troops, and participating in events.
  • Relaxing: Some users find the game relaxing and a good way to unwind.
  • Good Time Killer: Many users find the game to be a good way to pass the time.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

  • High Priority:
    • Address Misleading Advertising: Ensure that advertising accurately reflects the core gameplay experience. This is crucial for building trust and reducing negative reviews.
    • Rebalance Monetization: Review the monetization model to make it less aggressive and more fair to free-to-play players. Consider offering more opportunities to earn rewards through gameplay.
    • Improve Customer Service: Invest in customer service resources to provide faster response times and more effective issue resolution.
    • Fix Technical Glitches: Prioritize fixing the reported technical glitches that prevent users from progressing.
  • Medium Priority:
    • Implement PvP Opt-Out: Consider adding an option to opt-out of certain PvP events, such as "Valiant Conquest."
    • Add Skip Tutorial Button: Provide a "skip tutorial" button for users who encounter glitches or are already familiar with the game mechanics.
    • Diversify Hero Roster: Add more diverse heroes, including brown female characters.
    • Improve Game Load Times and Reduce Lag: Optimize the game to reduce load times and improve performance.
  • Low Priority:
    • Link Tutorials in Chat: Add the ability to link game-approved walkthroughs within alliance chat.
    • Increase State Size: Consider increasing the size of states within the game.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • Fair Mobile Strategy Game: A mobile strategy game that prioritizes skill and strategy over monetization, offering a truly competitive experience for all players.
  • Transparent Mobile Game Advertising Platform: A platform that verifies the accuracy of mobile game advertising to prevent misleading marketing practices.
  • Enhanced Mobile Game Community Tools: Tools that provide more robust support for alliance management, including built-in communication, moderation, and conflict resolution features.

Trends and Observations

  • Language Preferences: The reviews are predominantly in English, but there are also a significant number of reviews in Russian, Spanish and other languages.
  • Negative Sentiment Trend: Several reviews from long-time players indicate that the game has become increasingly "pay-to-win" over time, suggesting a shift in the monetization strategy.
  • Community Importance: The positive reviews consistently highlight the importance of the community and alliance system, indicating that this is a key factor in user retention.

Conclusion

Puzzles & Survival has the potential to be a highly successful mobile game, but it is currently being held back by its aggressive monetization, misleading advertising, and technical issues. Addressing these issues will improve user satisfaction, increase retention, and ultimately drive revenue. The strong community aspect is a major asset that should be nurtured and supported. A shift towards a more balanced and transparent gameplay experience is essential for the long-term success of the game.

Overall Recommendation: Prioritize addressing the "pay-to-win" concerns and misleading advertising. Improve customer service and fix technical glitches. Leverage the strong community aspect to build a more loyal and engaged player base.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/puzzles-survival/id1517980891?uo=2