Ingress Prime

Ingress Prime is an action-packed game with an engaging storyline and enjoyable gameplay, but it is marred by excessive grinding, lack of optimization, annoying ads, and numerous bugs. Despite these flaws, the game is highly emotional and encourages players to choose a side to determine the future of our world. The game dares you to install Ingress and transform your world, as our future is at stake.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 9,996 reviews

graphics97 positive mentions

stability271 negative mentions

Ingress encourages exploration and physical activity, making it a great way to discover new places.
The game has a strong community aspect, allowing players to connect and collaborate with others.
The new inventory management features and one-finger controls have improved usability for many players.

The Prime update has introduced numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues, making the game frustrating to play.
The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, leading to confusion and difficulty in navigating the app.
Many players feel that the game has become pay-to-win, with microtransactions affecting gameplay balance.

graphics
440 mentions
22 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics in Ingress Prime have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the update for being overly flashy and resource-intensive, leading to performance issues such as lag, battery drain, and difficulty in navigation. While some appreciate the aesthetic improvements, the consensus is that the new graphics compromise usability and gameplay, making it challenging for players to engage effectively with the game. Overall, the shift towards more complex visuals has alienated some long-time users who preferred the simplicity and functionality of the previous version.
- “The graphics are amazing and the story is mind-blowing; I don't know why it's rated at 4.2 at the moment because it's just so unique.”
- “Graphics and visuals take a huge step up in prime.”
- “The graphics are super amazing and the concepts of the game are also nice; once you reach a higher level, the game gets more and more interesting.”
- “The new graphics are flashy but you need a spare battery to play.”
- “They sacrificed usability for fancy graphics.”
- “The graphics are terrible - I can barely see them while wearing prescription glasses.”
stability
273 mentions
1 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The stability of Ingress Prime has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and lag, particularly on various smartphone models. Many players express frustration over the app's performance issues, including slow loading times and unresponsive controls, which detract from the overall gameplay experience. Despite some improvements noted in recent updates, the app remains plagued by bugs and glitches, leading to a generally negative perception of its stability.
- “After all the updates that have been made with Prime, this game isn't buggy anymore and is very enjoyable to play :)”
- “The update to Prime went fine; there were no glitches.”
- “The app constantly freezes and it practically won't let you do anything without it doing so.”
- “It's flashy and looks fairly good, but the interface is cluttered, the battery life sucks compared to the old scanner, is more buggy, isn't getting my compass direction properly, logs me out a fair bit, some portals are harder to see in large clusters, and some actions are missing (new portal for example).”
- “This new version is a cluttered, buggy mess.”
gameplay
231 mentions
24 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
Gameplay in Ingress Prime has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over performance issues, slow mechanics, and a confusing user interface that detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the addictive nature of the core mechanics and the community-driven aspects, others criticize the game's reliance on flashy graphics at the expense of functionality, leading to a less enjoyable and often frustrating gameplay experience. Despite ongoing updates, many feel that the game has not significantly improved and remains plagued by bugs and a lack of meaningful new features.
- “The core game mechanic and gameplay is fun.”
- “Great concept and engaging gameplay leads to unexpected real life friendships and a remarkable new awareness about the culture and hidden history of your city and the places you visit most.”
- “Wonderful addictive game, requires strategy and team gameplay, a great game to make new friends!”
- “Ongoing issues that affect or stop gameplay are still prevalent after a year or two.”
- “Gameplay is sluggish, glitchy and just not as fun as the original Ingress.”
- “The mechanics are broken and the gameplay is so slow and awkward it's next to impossible to play well in proper defense.”
story
168 mentions
24 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging and complex, with a rich backstory that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly for those who enjoy exploring and completing missions. However, many players feel that the storyline is not prominently featured, making it less appealing for solo players, and they express a desire for more structured missions that contribute to the narrative. While the community aspect and real-world exploration are praised, technical issues and mission navigation challenges detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
- “A wonderful chance to get out and explore/discover your local area's notable features, make teams (or conquer alone) and get absorbed in the story.”
- “The storyline is interesting, constantly evolving, with web series and interactive content on the forums.”
- “Great graphics, GIS-centered, and a cross between Risk, Stratego, and Capture the Flag in real space and time but with an intriguing backend mythos and storyline.”
- “The storyline is not really put forward in the game, which makes it boring for lone wolf players.”
- “Overall, the game seems incomplete, and missions are kind of a joke (only consists of 'visit waypoint' and 'hack portal') even after being a feature for so many years.”
- “There is literally no story to this game; the graphics are very 90s wireframe.”
optimization
80 mentions
13 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
28 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, lag, and crashes, particularly after the transition to the new graphics and UI in Ingress Prime. While some updates have improved performance slightly, issues such as high battery consumption, stuttering, and unresponsive controls persist, leading many to prefer the older version for its reliability. Players express frustration over the prioritization of visual enhancements over gameplay functionality, resulting in a less enjoyable experience across various devices.
- “Dev team really did a great job optimizing the performance.”
- “While the launch of Prime in 2018 failed to meet expectations, the team at Niantic has been steadily rolling out updates to improve scanner performance and resolve bugs.”
- “Many performance issues have seemingly been addressed, so the game is playable once more.”
- “Competitive gameplay is almost impossible due to the poor performance.”
- “The new scanner and graphics are indeed not bad; however, they substantially undermined the performance, playability, and smoothness of the game.”
- “The new 'premium' version looks great but isn't optimized for gameplay.”
monetization
38 mentions
16 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
47 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, with many expressing frustration over the increasing prevalence of microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the absence of ads, the introduction of in-game purchases has led to perceptions of the game becoming a cash grab, undermining its original community-focused appeal. Overall, the sentiment reflects a growing discontent with how monetization strategies are impacting gameplay and player engagement.
- “Awesome game, easily played without in-game purchases.”
- “Sure, some people complain about the in-app purchases, but they do not give players a significant in-game advantage, so I wouldn't worry about that.”
- “No ads makes me happy.”
- “I've been noticing a lot of monetization is starting to get out of hand.”
- “Implementing pay-to-win microtransactions after explicitly saying you were never going to is unacceptable.”
- “Ingress is turning into a microtransaction cash grab, and not just a community game.”
grinding
24 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many noting that the recent updates have made basic functions slower and more cumbersome. While some appreciate the visual changes, the overall experience is marred by repetitive tasks and low rewards, leading to a sense of boredom and dissatisfaction. Despite these issues, some players still enjoy the exploration and social aspects of the game, viewing it as a distraction from daily life.
- “Basic functions that were effortless with the classic version are grindingly slow now.”
- “I love MMOs, but Ingress is just grinding and PvP nonstop with no rewards or goals.”
- “It is so much more than a player grinding away increasing their level.”
emotional
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to evoke strong feelings, both positive and negative, among players. While some find it heartwarming and community-driven, others warn of potential distress from competitive elements and graphic intensity. Overall, the game fosters deep connections among players, but it can also lead to heightened emotions, particularly in faction-related interactions.
- “Do not install if you get emotional over losing.”
- “Your team of devs is heartwarmingly adventurous!”
- “Been playing since almost the very beginning... it's an emotional game, so be prepared, but most agents are awesome; some will be your friends forever.”
music
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some users noting that it plays at maximum volume regardless of settings, while others appreciate the trance music style. However, technical issues such as the game consuming excessive memory and interfering with background music playback have detracted from the overall experience. Additionally, players have reported frustrating glitches that disrupt gameplay, further complicating their enjoyment of the music.
- “This game is trance music.”
- “Just a black screen with suspenseful music.”
- “Now the sound effects, voice, and music all turn on at max volume despite what your settings are. Enabling sync/adventure mode doesn't function at all. Defending portals from attack is impossible because you can spam attack gear but can't easily get to your recharge cubes through the interface to keep your energy meter full.”
- “Glyph hacking occasionally doesn't register a finished glyph, leaving me with a mess of 2 glyphs together, and it also messes up my playing music.”
- “This version sucks memory like no tomorrow, making it hard to play this and have Amazon Music play at once when this game is a bloated memory hog that makes anything in the background die.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it amusing and entertaining, though frustrations arise from bugs and poor service. While the comedic elements contribute positively to the experience, technical issues can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “The game is funny, but Niantic sucks given a bad gaming experience.”
- “Hahaha, I didn't go out and walk all day; this game is sure funny...”
- “Very funny”
replayability
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the game offers enhanced replayability, making it more engaging and enjoyable for players.
- “This game offers endless replayability with its diverse character choices and branching storylines.”
- “Every playthrough feels fresh thanks to the dynamic events and random encounters that keep you on your toes.”
- “The variety of game modes and challenges ensures that there's always something new to experience, making you want to come back for more.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for being enjoyable and well-integrated with the gameplay, contributing positively to the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
- “The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie visuals, creating a captivating atmosphere.”
- “Every detail contributes to a rich and engaging atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat.”