Idle Arks: Build at Sea

About

"Idle Arks: Build at Sea" is a single-player simulation game with awesome gameplay and stunning music. As a survivor in the vast sea, you'll build rafts, boats, and even idle civilizations. Despite some grinding, bugs, and excessive advertisements, the game's humor and engaging story make it worth playing. The game's description reads: "Rafts, boats, survivors, and idle civilizations in the vast sea."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

44%

Audience ScoreBased on 980 reviews

gameplay35 positive mentions

monetization1k negative mentions

The game has a cute art style and engaging gameplay.
It offers a unique twist on the idle genre with a raft-building concept.
The game is relaxing and can be played casually.

The game is heavily reliant on ads, making progression frustrating.
Players are forced to watch ads to claim achievements and rewards.
There is a lack of customization in building the raft, as it follows a predetermined path.

monetization
1,052 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
1%
96%
The monetization strategy of this game has drawn significant criticism for its excessive reliance on ads, with many players reporting that they spend more time watching ads than actually playing. While some ads are optional and can provide in-game rewards, the frequency and necessity of watching ads to progress—especially for achievements and resource gathering—have led to frustration. Additionally, the cost to remove ads is considered exorbitant, with prices around $17.99 to $28.49, which many players find unreasonable for a mobile game.
- “No ads at all unless you want rewards for achievements, boosts, speedups, literally anything.”
- “I paid for no ads and even though it was a little expensive, it made my play more enjoyable.”
- “Almost no in-app purchases and the game is at a good pace.”
- “The game play itself is 4-5 stars, it's great, but the ads just completely ruin the experience.”
- “However, the number of ads is incredibly high (especially if you want to make any sort of progress) and the charge of £28.49 to go ad free is frankly ridiculous and slightly insulting.”
- “The only way to progress is by doing nothing but watching ads.”
gameplay
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and fun, with cute graphics and a decent core loop; however, it is heavily marred by an overwhelming presence of ads that significantly detract from the experience. Many players feel that the game is overly linear and repetitive, with limited player agency and a reliance on watching ads to progress, which leads to frustration and boredom. While some appreciate the potential and concept, the ad-driven mechanics overshadow the actual gameplay, making it feel more like an advertisement platform than a fully realized game.
- “The gameplay itself is pretty good and overall the game is fun to play.”
- “The graphics are super nice, the gameplay is simple yet fun, and the music is great as well.”
- “I like the gameplay, it's simple, effective and gets the job done.”
- “The issue is there isn't really any substance to the gameplay, and it ends up being a case of the more ads you watch, the further you progress.”
- “The gameplay is very short and lacking; the controls don't work properly half of the time, and I often find myself just waiting around with nothing to do even after only 5 minutes of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay has little going for it and is sometimes downright unplayable.”
graphics
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
44%
4%
The graphics of the game are generally described as cute and visually appealing, with many users appreciating the art style and overall aesthetic. However, there are notable criticisms regarding graphical issues such as flickering, blockiness, and glitches, which detract from the experience. While the visuals are often praised, they are frequently overshadowed by complaints about the game's heavy reliance on ads and lack of engaging content.
- “The graphics are super nice, the gameplay is simple yet fun, and the music is great as well.”
- “Cute characters, nice story, amazing graphics!”
- “The graphics style is really great and atmospheric.”
- “Although the game is pretty new, it is a bit too bland - the graphics are blocky, there is not much to the story, a single material needed to upgrade a ship (wood) and the game just pushes you into watching ad after ad.”
- “Graphics are basic, story doesn't exist you just repeat the same basic steps again and again and again with no goal or point in sight.”
- “It has a lot of graphical bugs, the characters get stuck in the water and the boats go through land etc... the game isn't polished at all.”
story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
74%
17%
The story aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many users describing it as simplistic, lacking depth, and primarily serving as a vehicle for ad monetization. Players express frustration over the repetitive nature of gameplay, minimal narrative engagement, and the reliance on watching ads to progress, leading to a feeling of being trapped in a cycle of grinding without meaningful story development. While some appreciate the cute characters and potential for a more engaging storyline, the overall consensus is that the game fails to deliver a compelling narrative experience.
- “The characters are so cute, and the storyline is so great!”
- “Cute characters, nice story, amazing graphics!”
- “Develop the story and events a little more.”
- “The story is too simple that it doesn't really make sense.”
- “Graphics are basic, story doesn't exist; you just repeat the same basic steps again and again with no goal or point in sight.”
- “Tl;dr this is an excuse to watch hundreds of ads or pay way too much to skip them for no story and a pre-made path that you can't choose.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The game's stability is frequently criticized due to numerous glitches and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly during events. While some players note that it runs well most of the time, many report severe issues such as freezing, pathing problems, and game-breaking glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential, the prevalence of these technical issues has led to frustration among users.
- “Please fix these bugs and glitches; they make the game boring and stressful.”
- “The game breaking glitches are really bad.”
- “There are tons of glitches when I play in the events and I need to keep restarting it, annoying.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The music in the game is generally described as calming and pleasant, with good ambient tracks, though some players find certain songs repetitive or mismatched with the game's theme, particularly the sailing music. While some appreciate the soundtrack, others consider it mediocre and suggest a need for more variety, especially beach-themed sounds. Additionally, technical issues like buffering have been noted, affecting the overall experience of the music.
- “The graphics and music are calming and pleasing.”
- “The music is also nice.”
- “The graphics are super nice, the gameplay is simple yet fun, and the music is great as well.”
- “The music attempts to never get old, but you can only listen to one song for so long.”
- “I also encounter the game lagging, even the background music can be heard glitching.”
- “As for the soundtrack: mediocre at best.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the steady pace and meaningful rewards for challenges, many criticize the slow resource production and the excessive reliance on ads for progression, leading to a tedious gameplay experience. The consensus suggests that without the ad interruptions, the game would feel overly slow and unengaging.
- “While a cute game with an extremely simple concept on the surface, Idle Arks: Build at Sea is an experience made for the simple purpose of ad farming and charging outrageous prices for in-app purchases.”
- “It's honestly a pretty good idle game, but the further you progress, the more expensive it becomes to upgrade items, requiring a whole 3 hours of grinding (with watching ads) just to upgrade one thing.”
- “It's a nice enough game, but to progress at any kind of rate, you will either have to pay for the ad-free version or wind up watching a lot of ads, which gets kind of tedious.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by quirky character behaviors, such as one character sleeping underwater, and amusing reward systems, like receiving a single diamond for ad-skipping. Players find the characters cute and appreciate the funny moments throughout, contributing to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The arks are interesting, the characters are cute, it has funny moments.”
- “Hilariously, the reward they give is a single diamond of which you need 10 to skip an ad which you voluntarily click on for a reward.”
- “This is the best raft game I've ever played and it's quite funny.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its great graphics style, contributing to an immersive experience. However, the presence of excessive advertisements detracts from the peaceful ambiance, leading to a mixed reception regarding the overall atmosphere.
- “The graphics style is really great and atmospheric.”
- “There are just piles of them floating around, and it takes away from the peaceful atmosphere.”
- “I know that you guys have to eat and do human things, but give the ads a rest, man. It really ruins the atmosphere.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Players appreciate the game's replayability, noting that while additional levels would enhance the experience, the existing levels are enjoyable enough to revisit. The peaceful atmosphere and attention to detail contribute to its lasting appeal.
- “If you won't add more levels, at least make old ones replayable.”
- “If you won't add more levels, at least make the old ones replayable.”
- “It's peaceful, takes into detail (like the sparks around the flood) and has replay value.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
Users express frustration with the game's optimization, noting that despite taking measures like resetting their devices and closing other applications, performance issues persist.
- “I reset my phone, closed out all other apps, and optimized my phone before opening the game again.”
- “Make this game more optimized.”
- “I reset my phone, closed all other apps, and optimized my phone before opening the game again.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a strong emotional response to the app, highlighting feelings of heartbreak due to its frequent crashes, which disrupt their experience and connection to the content.