Iron Marines

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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 Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 449 reviews

story14 positive mentions

grinding16 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and engaging graphics, reminiscent of the Kingdom Rush series.
The unit and hero system allows for interesting tactics and upgrades, providing a sense of progression.
The game offers a variety of missions and challenges, keeping gameplay fresh and entertaining.

The level generation can be frustrating, leading to unrealistic waiting times for health or currency regeneration.
The controls and unit AI can be clunky, making it difficult to manage troops effectively during battles.
The game lacks essential RTS mechanics like attack-move commands and control groups, which can hinder strategic gameplay.

story
157 mentions
9 % positive mentions
85 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered shallow, with many players finding it unengaging and filled with pop culture references that detract from its intended tone. While the missions are diverse and offer various gameplay styles, they often lack depth and can become tedious, particularly the final mission, which has been criticized for its difficulty and unskippable cutscenes. Overall, while some players appreciate the fun mechanics and challenge, many feel the narrative could have been more substantial and better integrated into the gameplay experience.
- “The story is deeper than it looks.”
- “The game is structured around a campaign that features core path missions, bonus 'spec ops' side missions, and tertiary challenge missions, all of which can be revisited arbitrarily in any order once unlocked.”
- “Across the 3 planets, around 8-9 biomes, & 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, & some of the most epic boss missions in the entire genre, bar none.”
- “I want nothing to do with the story and am not engaged at all.”
- “The last mission is utter garbage of pure suffering.”
- “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.”
gameplay
81 mentions
33 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its unique blend of RTS and tower defense mechanics, while others find it frustrating due to clunky controls, unresponsive units, and a lack of traditional RTS features. The art style and graphics are praised, but many reviews highlight issues with unit pathing, mechanics, and overall balance, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel both engaging and tedious. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments and a variety of mechanics, it struggles with execution, leaving some players feeling that it lacks depth and polish.
- “Adorable, with nice regenerative mechanics that give rise to some pretty interesting tactics.”
- “Gameplay is satisfying with clear checkpoints and targets, together with strong individual units to control.”
- “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.”
- “It's a very frustrating game to play, not because of its difficulty but the mechanics and limitations of the engine it's run on.”
- “The gameplay is very rigid.”
- “Gameplay is terrible, units unresponsive and sometimes even stop doing your command altogether.”
graphics
80 mentions
54 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and colorful art style, reminiscent of the Kingdom Rush series by Ironhide. Reviewers appreciate the detailed yet simple visuals, which enhance the overall experience, although some note that the gameplay does not always match the quality of the graphics. While the artwork is considered top-notch, there are mentions of a lack of graphical configurability and some subjective opinions on the overall aesthetic appeal.
- “The artwork is really nice, as usual for Ironhide, with great visual quality, even when dozens of units are chaotically killing each other on screen.”
- “Absolutely stunning art and visuals, and three beautiful planets!”
- “The art style is more detailed but still simple, and you can change out units for others of the same cost, so there's no need to waste slots on a unit you'd only bring to kill exactly one enemy that they're geared to kill.”
- “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).”
- “If you get past the bad response and mass clicking required, you will find uninspired missions with cute graphics.”
grinding
16 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with many describing it as tedious and sometimes frustrating, particularly in late-game content and certain missions. While some appreciate the expansive tech tree and the option to engage in side missions to alleviate the grind, others feel that the necessity to grind for levels and skills detracts from the overall enjoyment. The balance between meaningful progression and repetitive tasks remains a point of contention among reviewers.
- “It was tedious to deal with.”
- “Some levels are too linear and late game progression feels a bit tedious and grindy.”
- “In this game it is just a tedious slog.”
humor
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its engaging dialogue, funny voice acting, and a plethora of pop culture references and easter eggs, reminiscent of the Kingdom Rush series. Players appreciate the blend of familiar artwork and humor, noting that while the game may differ in setting, it retains the same lighthearted and entertaining spirit. Overall, the humor is well-received, contributing to the game's addictiveness and charm.
- “However, the art, the dialogues, and the humor are spot on, as Ironhide Games should be.”
- “It's a casual game, with funny voice acting and a lot of pop culture easter eggs (movies, other video games, comics, etc.).”
- “Fun, addicting gameplay and hilarious context and easter eggs.”
music
9 mentions
56 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as decent and atmospheric, with some reviewers highlighting its uniqueness and pleasantness. While some found it lacking or boring, others appreciated it as a strong complement to the game's visuals and gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the gaming experience, though opinions on its quality vary.
- “Lovely drawn, very unique soundtrack, and this game has a ton of action for everyone.”
- “Great gameplay, voice acting, and music.”
- “Overall - 73.8% (well-made, with good music, art, and gameplay, and an enjoyable story).”
- “The music is decent as well.”
- “Boring music.”
- “Sound & music: 6/10.”
monetization
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The monetization model for the game is straightforward, featuring a higher up-front price that grants access to all heroes without any microtransactions or in-game purchases. Players appreciate the absence of microtransactions, as all content is unlocked through gameplay progression, similar to the developer's previous titles.
- “There are no microtransactions.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
stability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been criticized for being cumbersome and buggy, particularly on PC, leading some users to refrain from recommending it.
- “But for me, it was just too cumbersome and buggy to be able to recommend it to someone else.”
- “For PC, this is very buggy.”
replayability
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
While the game is noted to be shorter than typical entries in the series, it compensates with strong replayability, offering significant replay value that encourages players to revisit the experience.
- “The replay value is fantastic, offering new experiences with each playthrough.”
- “Even though it's a bit shorter than usual, the replayability keeps me coming back for more.”
- “There are so many different choices and paths to explore, making every replay feel fresh and exciting.”
- “The game lacks significant replay value, as once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return.”
- “After finishing the game, I found that the choices I made had minimal impact on the outcome, making replaying it feel pointless.”
- “While the gameplay is enjoyable, the absence of varied endings or new content means I won't be coming back for a second playthrough.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game successfully crafts a unique and appealing sci-fi alien atmosphere, drawing inspiration from Starcraft while establishing its own identity. The music is noted to be pleasing and contributes positively to the overall ambiance, with a satisfaction rating of 68%.
- “Draws a lot of inspiration from Starcraft, but succeeds in creating a unique, attractive sci-fi alien atmosphere.”
- “Music - 68% (pleasing and atmospheric.)”