Hoard Master
"Hoard Master" is an arcade-style game that involves lots of grinding and idle hole digging. Despite its self-description as a "satisfying hole idle game," it is marred by annoying ads and numerous bugs that may hinder the overall gaming experience. Players seeking a casual and repetitive gameplay might find some enjoyment here, but they should be prepared for its shortcomings.
Reviews
- The game is fun and addictive, providing a satisfying experience.
- Great for passing time and can be played offline.
- The graphics and concept are appealing, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- The game is plagued by excessive ads, interrupting gameplay frequently.
- Levels quickly become repetitive, with only a limited number of unique layouts.
- The game often crashes or freezes, causing loss of progress and frustrating the player.
- monetization2,089 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players expressing frustration over the excessive number of ads that interrupt gameplay. Many users report that even after purchasing the "no ads" option, they still encounter numerous ads, including mandatory ones for upgrades and bonuses, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab. Overall, the intrusive ad experience significantly detracts from the enjoyment of the game, making it nearly unplayable for many users.
“In order to have a chance of enjoying this game, you have to pay for no ads.”
“When you buy the no ads option, it means no freaking ads, period.”
“Not entirely unreasonable 'no ads' in-app purchase amount of $3; however, if you derive enough fun from this game to want to experience it uninterrupted.”
“There are far too many ads in this game which for me nearly makes it unplayable.”
“The ridiculous amount of ads is too much, uninstalling!”
“I paid to get rid of ads, yet the game is still constantly getting interrupted by pop-up 'offers' to watch ads for power-ups or skins.”
- stability172 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is severely compromised, with frequent crashes and freezes occurring, particularly during ad interruptions. Players report losing progress due to these glitches, which often require restarting the app and levels. Overall, the combination of excessive ads and persistent bugs significantly detracts from the gameplay experience.
“When this happens, the game freezes up entirely and I have to kill the app and log back in, causing me to have to restart the level and I lose all of my upgrades.”
“Game freezes constantly, crashes constantly, so many ads, forced progression without being able to go back to previous levels, locks you out if you get max upgrades during a level and won't let you progress, blue screen where the game is 'active' but you can't see or do anything.”
“I love this game but there's a Visa ad that pops up frequently and freezes the game.”
- gameplay127 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is heavily marred by an overwhelming number of intrusive ads, which often interrupt play and can lead to crashes or loss of progress. While some players find the core mechanics satisfying and the game enjoyable as a time-waster, the constant ad interruptions and repetitive nature of the gameplay detract significantly from overall enjoyment. Many users express frustration over the lack of options to minimize ads, leading to a consensus that the game prioritizes ad revenue over a smooth and engaging gameplay experience.
“The central mechanic is incredibly satisfying to me.”
“Gameplay is fine.”
“Pros: gameplay is fun, easy to play and level up, nice concept.”
“There's still popups to watch ads that interrupt gameplay and are stuck on screen to make you click by accident. No way to stop an ad once it starts, some ads just break the game and force a restart.”
“Just over 15 minutes or so, I've watched more ads than actual gameplay.”
“This game looked interesting upon downloading, but 20 ads in 5 minutes of playing and several underpowered/broken mechanics told me all I needed to know about this disappointing cash grab.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players criticizing them as outdated, lazy, and lacking variety, while others appreciate the clean and pleasant visuals. Many users express a desire for improved graphics and more customization options, noting that the current quality does not meet modern HD standards. Overall, while some find the graphics enjoyable, a significant portion of the feedback highlights the need for enhancements.
“Graphics are clean and pleasant.”
“The graphics are great and I actually like the skin that I have right now.”
“Pretty nice game, physics and graphics are actually good, and it's quite smooth as well.”
“It has bad graphics, and in an age where devices are HD, I don't see how developers are still making content like this.”
“Animation/graphics: 1/5 - lazy, sterile, prefabricated, and dull.”
“Really could use more variety in graphics.”
- music16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users noting the absence of any music or sound effects, which detracts from the overall experience. Many players expressed frustration over intrusive ads that not only interrupt any potential music but also fail to restart afterward. Overall, the lack of audio elements, particularly music, has led to a disappointing experience for players who were expecting a more immersive and relaxing atmosphere.
“Put music.”
“I'd bump my rating to 5 stars if there were some kind of environmental sounds (not music).”
“No sound effects, no music, nothing.”
“No music, the sound effects aren't great, and the nonstop ads really take away from something that could really be a relaxing game.”
“The button to click on to purchase the no ads doesn't work and they advertise the game with music but there is no music.”
- story13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being lackluster and incomplete, with players noting that quests abruptly end after unlocking a certain feature, leaving little to engage with. Many users express frustration over technical issues, such as cursor glitches and excessive ads, which detract from any potential narrative experience. Overall, the game is described as having no meaningful plot, making it feel like a waste of time.
“Was ok for a bit, but after you unlock lotus, there are no more quests and you have to avoid picking up lotus to prevent getting rid of them as they cannot be used for anything and cannot be sold.”
“The game quests just end.”
“Much like all games by Rollic Games, this game is just a laggy ad-fest where there is no plot and even without the ads, it's not fun.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often detracting from the fun experience. While some enjoy the core mechanics, many express frustration with long ads, uninteresting levels, and bugs that contribute to a sense of monotony. As a result, the game is seen as a time-waster that may not hold players' attention for long.
“Makes what could be a decent time waster into a tedious mess that isn't worth downloading.”
“Ends up more tedious than fun.”
“Slow, tedious, long ads, uninteresting levels and graphics 0/10”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is heavily criticized, with users reporting intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay and block inputs, particularly on non-standard screen sizes. Despite the gameplay being enjoyable, many players experience performance issues, including overheating devices, leading to frustration and a desire to uninstall the game. Overall, while the core game runs smoothly, the ad management and optimization leave much to be desired.
“Performance improvements?”
“The game itself is great and runs smoothly, however, it's the ads... I'm not sure if that $6 is a one-time thing for no ads.”
“The fact that the game is so horrific with its optimization is insane; how can my phone get hot from this? Even Diablo doesn't get my phone this hot.”
“Advertised as not having ads, when it really means 'if you pay to shut them off, otherwise we bombard you with as many as possible.' Also, the program isn't optimized for anything with a non-standard screen size, so the on-screen ads disrupt play by blocking input.”
“Bad game, really poorly optimized. I have a really good phone for gaming, and after 2 minutes of gameplay, it was already burning like lava.”
“The performance of the app needs like a negative one.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the game's technical issues, such as freezing and unresponsive controls, which detract from the overall enjoyment and emotional engagement. The glitches not only disrupt gameplay but also lead to a loss of progress, contributing to a negative emotional experience. Despite some fun moments, the persistent problems overshadow any positive feelings associated with the game.
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as situational and often arises from unexpected glitches, such as becoming too large for the stage, leading to amusing softlocks. While some players find it to be a funny time killer, others feel the humor may not be intentional or consistent throughout the experience.
“I've entirely ruined it by getting far too big for the stage I'm on, and the game is completely and hilariously softlocked.”
“Funny little time killer.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers initial enjoyment, but players note a significant drop in replayability after level 15, as it begins to repeat the same levels without introducing new content or challenges.
“The game is enjoyable, but after level 15 it just repeats the exact same levels, so not much replayability.”