Iron Marines

About

Iron Marines is a single player casual real-time strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Ironhide Game Studio and was released on May 15, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Iron Marines is a real-time strategy game that puts you in command of a powerful army of space-age soldiers. Battle against alien threats and challenge challenging missions using cutting-edge technology and cunning strategies. With a variety of units, upgrades, and heroes to choose from, every playthrough offers a unique and engaging experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 554 reviews

story21 positive mentions

grinding22 negative mentions

The game features charming graphics and a vibrant art style that is consistent with Ironhide's previous titles.
It offers a variety of heroes and units, allowing for different strategies and playstyles.
The gameplay is engaging with a mix of tower defense and real-time strategy elements, providing a unique experience.

The controls are clunky and lack essential RTS features like attack-move and control groups, making unit management frustrating.
The game can feel unbalanced, with difficulty spikes that may frustrate players, especially in later missions.
There is a lack of information on unit stats and abilities, which can hinder strategic planning.

story
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The game's story is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, focusing on the Iron Marines battling an alien race across various missions on different planets. While the campaign features a variety of mission types and some light RPG elements, many players find the narrative lacking depth and engagement, often feeling repetitive and uninspired. Despite this, the mission structure and diverse objectives provide a sense of progression, though some players express frustration with difficulty spikes and unskippable cutscenes.
- “Set in a colorful intergalactic battlefield filled with hostile alien creatures and advanced robotic armies, Iron Marines puts players in charge of small squads of elite troops who must carry out daring missions across a series of hostile planets.”
- “Across the 3 planets, around 8-9 biomes, and 28 individual maps, there are a wide variety of mission types including (but not limited to) rescue missions, VIP escort missions, tower-defense style missions, building protection missions, exploration missions, mini puzzle-based missions, and some of the most epic boss missions in the entire genre, bar none.”
- “The campaign features over 20 well-crafted missions with diverse objectives and special challenges.”
- “There's basically no story and the game seems to me horribly unbalanced, to the point where there is the illusion of choice only, but actually you're soft-forced into specific combinations, heroes and upgrades.”
- “The story, such as it is, centers on... you've guessed it... -- iron marines, who complete missions on three different planets, where bad guys or creatures pursue their evil ends.”
- “I want nothing to do with the story and am not engaged at all.”
gameplay
111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
56%
12%
The gameplay of Iron Marines is characterized by a focus on micro-management and smaller-scale engagements rather than traditional macro strategies, appealing to casual players with its accessible mechanics and visually engaging levels. However, many reviewers criticize the game for its clunky controls, unresponsive units, and a grinding reward system that detracts from the overall experience. While it offers a unique blend of RTS and tower defense elements, the execution leaves some players feeling frustrated and longing for deeper mechanics.
- “What makes the game stand out is its focus on tight, handcrafted levels and moment-to-moment control rather than sprawling base-building or resource-heavy gameplay, delivering a strategy experience that is as engaging as it is digestible.”
- “The moment-to-moment gameplay puts much less emphasis on RTS 'macro' gameplay and much more emphasis on RTS 'micro' gameplay than a typical RTS game.”
- “The gameplay is fun and rewards good usage of units while being forgiving with most other strategies.”
- “The grind system is frustrating, compounded by an unnatural and unexplained difficulty system. The hero grinding level-up mechanics add another layer of grinding, and the worst part is that you only get rewards if you either win or lose without forfeiting a match, making the easiest way to 'farm' for upgrades to intentionally lose games for a miserable amount of 'tech points'.”
- “Gameplay is terrible; units are unresponsive and sometimes stop following commands altogether. It's a very frustrating game to play, not because of its difficulty but due to the mechanics and limitations of the engine it's run on.”
- “The gameplay is very rigid, and by the time I reached the third planet, I was highly discouraged by the mechanics put in place by the game developers. It wants to be an RTS, but the game mechanics are clunky and stiff.”
graphics
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
47%
3%
The graphics in this game are characterized by a vibrant, hand-drawn cartoonish art style reminiscent of Ironhide's Kingdom Rush series, effectively translating to a sci-fi setting. Players appreciate the colorful and detailed visuals, which maintain a charming aesthetic while delivering a visually engaging experience, despite some criticism regarding limited graphical options and gameplay balance. Overall, the art style is praised for its personality and polish, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Known for their acclaimed Kingdom Rush series, the studio brings the same hand-drawn aesthetic and attention to detail to a science-fiction setting.”
- “Explosions, energy blasts, and special abilities create a visual spectacle without cluttering the screen, and the cartoonish art style lends a surprising amount of charm to what could otherwise be a gritty military setting.”
- “The artwork (as is the case with nearly everything from Ironhide) is top notch, with great visual quality, even when dozens of units are chaotically killing each other on screen.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Did you ever want to play StarCraft 1 with worse graphics?”
- “There's also a big issue where there is little to no graphics configurability in the menu settings; I had to play this game without moving the mouse out of the window, scrolling only via arrow keys as it would not lock to the middle monitor I was playing on (I have 3 across).”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with many feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. The need to repeatedly level up heroes and farm for upgrades can lead to a sense of monotony, especially when combined with an unclear difficulty system and linear mission design. While some appreciate the expansive tech tree and the option to choose missions, the grind often feels excessive and can overshadow the more engaging elements of gameplay.
- “The grind system is frustrating, especially with the hero grinding level-up mechanics. You only get rewards if you win or lose without forfeiting a match, which makes the easiest way to farm for upgrades losing games to get a miserable amount of tech points.”
- “Some levels are too linear, and late-game progression feels a bit tedious and grindy.”
- “Unfortunately, most of my playtime was spent grinding to get all the heroes maxed out.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by light-hearted, engaging content filled with pop culture references and Easter eggs, reminiscent of Ironhide's previous titles. While it diverges from the Kingdom Rush series, it maintains a familiar art style and comedic tone, offering a casual yet entertaining experience. Players appreciate the funny voice acting and the clever integration of humor into the gameplay, making it both enjoyable and addictive.
- “Fast, casual and full of character, humor, and fun.”
- “However, the art, the dialogues, and the humor are spot on, as Ironhide Games should be.”
- “It has a more detailed Kingdom Rush art style and humor with lots of little winks, references, and easter eggs sprinkled throughout the levels.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the sound design, particularly during high-stakes moments. While some users find the soundtrack unique and enjoyable, others describe it as average or bland, indicating a mixed reception overall. The consensus suggests that while the music contributes positively to the experience, it may not stand out for everyone.
- “The sound design complements this perfectly: the pulse of laser fire, the hum of mechs, and the energetic background music all enhance the feeling of being in the midst of a high-stakes interstellar conflict.”
- “Lovely drawn, very unique soundtrack, and this game has a ton of action for everyone.”
- “Great gameplay, voice acting, and music.”
- “Game can be a bit bland with its musical arrangement.”
- “Boring music.”
- “The music is average.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The monetization model for Iron Marines on Steam is favorable, as it features a one-time purchase price without any microtransactions, allowing players to unlock all heroes through gameplay progression. This contrasts with its mobile version, which included in-app purchases, making the Steam release a more straightforward and less exploitative experience. Overall, players appreciate the absence of additional costs, although some criticize the game's depth and design.
- “I beat it on mobile (without spending money), so it's nice to see they took all of the microtransactions out of the Steam version.”
- “But the PC version, just like Kingdom Rush (another game by the same developer), has no microtransactions; all heroes are unlocked by progressing through the game, and the in-game currency cannot be bought with real currency.”
- “Iron Marines is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. The game is a shallow, dumbed-down, cartoony sci-fi RTS where you fight aliens... basically if Starcraft was badly written, comic book themed, and terrible to play because it was designed for iPhones.”
- “Price is a bit higher up-front here, but you get all of the heroes, which would normally be in-app purchases.”
- “While the comic-like scenes and the unique dialogue with the bosses with different heroes adds lore and context, the lack of elementary information about the enemy and your troops leaves a big hole.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as strong, with all missions being replayable and a focus on accessible strategy. However, some players feel it lacks depth compared to genre leaders and express a desire for additional modes, like PvP or skirmishes, to enhance replay value further. While the game is shorter than its predecessor, it still offers a satisfying replay experience.
- “It's perfect for players looking for accessible strategy with strong replay value.”
- “Problems: a bit shorter than usual (compared to KR), but replayability is great.”
- “While this allows Ironhide to polish every aspect of the experience, it also means the game lacks the depth and replayability that define genre titans.”
- “I only wish there was PvP, or at least a skirmish game mode, kind of like what Stronghold does, to increase the replayability of the game.”
- “All of the missions in the game are replayable, but they unlock in sequential order.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have several bugs and glitches, leading to a frustrating experience for some players. While some users are willing to overlook these issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game's stability is a significant concern, particularly on PC.
- “There are some bugs and small glitches from time to time, but I don't bother with it too much.”
- “Units act buggy.”
- “For PC, this game is very buggy.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its unique and attractive sci-fi alien setting, drawing inspiration from Starcraft while establishing its own identity. The music complements this ambiance effectively, contributing to a pleasing and immersive experience.
- “The music and atmosphere are great, and the tech tree is well thought out.”
- “Draws a lot of inspiration from Starcraft, but succeeds in creating a unique, attractive sci-fi alien atmosphere.”
- “The music is pleasing and atmospheric.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the emotional aspect of the game, citing issues with the repetitive and overly dramatic voice acting of the main characters, as well as a distracting shake cam that detracts from the overall experience.