Agar.io
- July 8, 2015
- Matheus Valadares
- 5h median play time
"Agar.io is a massively multiplayer top-down strategy browser game, where players control a circular cell and grow by consuming smaller cells. Its popularity led to Steam release with planned additional features, and even political use in Turkey. Despite having good game mechanics, it features grinding, ads, bugs, and emotional gameplay."
iPad
iPhone
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Web Browser
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- monetization1,058 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, with many expressing frustration over the overwhelming number of ads that interrupt gameplay, often appearing after every death or match. Players report that these ads are frequently unskippable and excessively long, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the enjoyment of the game. Additionally, the presence of numerous microtransactions and a subscription model to remove ads has been labeled as a blatant cash grab, further alienating players who feel that the game prioritizes profit over user experience.
“I love no ads!”
“No ads makes it an amazing game.”
“Very high quality, no ads at all!”
“Used to be a good nostalgic game but now all they care about is money and the game is straight pop ups and ads.”
“This used to be my favorite game until they ruined it with the same long, intrusive, unskippable video ads for data harvesting 'offer' apps with tiny dismiss buttons that even a small inaccuracy takes me to the play store to install.”
“The gameplay is fun and addicting, but the number of ads and pay options is disgusting.”
- stability165 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent lag, freezing, and various glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience issues such as unresponsive controls, unexpected crashes, and problems with spawning, making the game frustrating and often unplayable. Despite some enjoyment of the game itself, the overwhelming presence of technical issues has led to a negative overall experience for many users.
“It's a great game, no lag, no glitches, just fun.”
“This app is awesome; the only thing that bugs me is there is massive lag and glitches. Apart from that, it is an amazing app.”
“Constant lag and game freezes rendering it unplayable 80% of the time.”
“The game freezes when I play a lot, and it is very glitchy.”
“This game is not great and has a lot of bugs and glitches.”
- gameplay127 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is described as fun and addictive, but it suffers from significant issues such as lag, unresponsive controls, and an overwhelming presence of ads. Many players express frustration with the current mechanics, which they feel have declined from previous versions, and the prevalence of teaming and bots disrupts the experience. While some enjoy the core gameplay and graphics, the overall sentiment indicates a need for improvements to enhance playability and balance.
“The gameplay is fun and addicting, but the number of ads and pay options is disgusting.”
“I love this game because it's awesome and the graphics are so great with such amazing high quality and the gameplay is super lit too.”
“Awesome gameplay and the graphics are way better than I expected.”
“Nowadays every server you go into has teamers, bots, and laggy gameplay that makes playing it very frustrating.”
“The game mechanics are horrible; I say bring them back to the original and then I might like it more. Not worth it.”
“The gameplay is horrible, and the ads are the worst. Every 3 games there is an ad, and there are hackers and teaming. This game sucks.”
- graphics112 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their quality and vibrant colors, while others criticize them for being laggy, simplistic, or even terrible. Many users report issues with lag affecting their gameplay experience, and some express a desire for more customization options or improved graphics settings. Overall, while there are positive remarks about the graphics, significant concerns about performance and visual clarity persist.
“The graphics on this game are amazing; it was the best experience I've ever had on a mobile game!”
“I love this game because of the graphics and the intense focus this game makes you have.”
“Great graphics and if you have good Wi-Fi you'll love it.”
“The graphics don't let you see when the screen ends.”
“If you ask me to rate the graphics: really bad, simple, disgusting. The game is about circles, simply no graphics. I do not think that the developers took 5 minutes developing this game.”
“This is the worst game ever; it should go die in a dumpster fire. It has the worst graphics ever.”
- humor29 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- -7 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both entertaining and engaging, particularly in the context of gameplay mechanics like ads and character interactions. Many users highlight the comedic elements of dying in-game and the absurdity of certain features, such as the option to pay to avoid ads. Overall, the game is described as funny and enjoyable, though some players express a desire for more humorous game modes and improvements.
“They even have an option to pay your way out of ads, hilarious.”
“Funny enough, the other AIs purposely feed themselves to others so they could kill you.”
“It is so funny when I die when I'm so small!”
“The game is not funny anymore.”
“The humor feels forced and falls flat.”
“I expected more laughs, but the jokes just don't land.”
- story19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is described as engaging and enjoyable, with players appreciating the quests and challenges that enhance the experience. However, many users express frustration with technical issues such as lag, repetitive ads, and difficulties in completing missions, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the narrative. Suggestions for improvement include better rewards for quests, an offline mode, and more diverse challenges to maintain player interest.
“Amazing story, complex and beautiful; a worthy rival to Talking Ben.”
“A nice game which is like Tasty Planet and Tasty Blue, with the potions and quests to make it a better experience.”
“It's so fun but so laggy; I like how it gives you free skins. I completed the jungle quest but not the golden road. I wish they would add new potions and skins.”
“If the play time was worth it, it would be a different story. There are three times as many ads for the very short play time you receive. The game will lag out when you have played too long and not watched an ad, or fly in a random direction killing you when you've reached a large mass. It plays the same ad you see every two minutes, and you lose all control. Please fix these problems.”
“This is really starting to annoy me, because how am I meant to pass missions if I can't play for more than 10 minutes, if that...”
“My quest reset because I transferred to another server, and the quest was very hard to do. I'm pretty mad about this. I hope you fix it. It's not that I hate the game; I just want you to fix these issues.”
- music16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's music aspect is widely criticized for its lack of background music, with many players expressing that the absence of sound detracts from the overall experience. Users suggest that adding music, particularly popular tracks from artists like AJR or Imagine Dragons, would enhance gameplay and make it more enjoyable. Overall, while the gameplay is praised, the silence is seen as a significant drawback.
“Game play is sooooo fun but there is no music which is a bummer so you have to play your own in the background.”
“It is a really good game but I think you should put some background music in so it is not just silence.”
“It's a good game, plenty of effort put into it. The one thing it's missing is maybe some background music that would make the game a bit better.”
“I love everything in it, except for the music. Please add some music like AJR songs or Imagine Dragons; that would be great.”
“It is a really good game, but I think you should put some background music in so it is not just silence.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, user reviews indicate significant issues with optimization, particularly during gameplay, where many experience severe lag and glitches despite having powerful devices. While some players report smooth performance, the consensus highlights that frequent ads and in-game events contribute to a decline in performance, making the game unplayable for many. There is a clear call for better optimization to enhance the gaming experience.
“Game runs smoothly.”
“Performance is great.”
“Everything moves smoothly for me and has nice performance.”
“It's so frickin laggy, and you guys didn't even fix the lags but instead added more lag because of the events. It needs more optimization; it's so laggy that even our strong Wi-Fi can't handle it. This game has gone from best to worst.”
“Wow, this game does not need to be such a cash grab. I feel like all the ads and in-game popups slow down the performance of the game.”
“Full of ads and no optimization.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, with some reporting it has caused them significant distress, including crying and frustration over gameplay mechanics and bugs. While the game is described as exciting and capable of evoking deep feelings, many users are frustrated by technical issues that detract from their experience. Overall, the emotional impact is notable, but it is often overshadowed by gameplay frustrations and ad-related interruptions.
“This game has made me cry myself to sleep dozens of times and break countless things.”
“It's exciting and emotional, but you'll need to optimize it.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious and unbalanced, as it requires long hours of repetitive blob collection to progress. Many express frustration over the need to grind for resources and levels, often leading to a cycle of dying and restarting, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the grind, the overwhelming sentiment is that it has become a chore rather than a fun challenge.
“Super laggy and delayed response, the game is very unbalanced because you start off way too small. You spend minutes mindlessly collecting blobs just to die and have to do it all over again. It gets tedious and boring; you'll have to play for hours until you have decent mass, and only then will you have a chance at getting big and becoming #1.”
“You used to be able to join a game and level up, but now you have to open packs and potions, and it's just so tedious.”
“Great game, but it requires too much grinding to get slightly bigger, and every time I die, I just have to start over.”
