Ironbound
- January 4, 2018
- Secret Level SRL
- 21h median play time
Get on SteamIronbound is a turn-based multiplayer strategy game with fast-paced duels and deep meta-game. Upgrade your character and equipment and climb to the top of the multiplayer ladder!
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of RPG and card game mechanics, allowing for diverse character builds and strategies.
- The graphics and art style are well-designed, contributing to an enjoyable visual experience.
- The game is free to play with a fair monetization model, allowing players to earn in-game currency through gameplay without mandatory purchases.
- The player base is very small, leading to repetitive matches against the same opponents or AI.
- There are significant balance issues, particularly in end-game content where overpowered bots can make progression frustrating.
- The game lacks depth in deck customization, as each class has a fixed set of tokens, limiting strategic variety.
- gameplay55 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and innovative, particularly praising its unique mechanics and class diversity, while others feel it becomes repetitive and lacks depth compared to similar titles. Many appreciate the ease of learning the mechanics, but note that mastering them can be challenging, and some criticize the absence of deck customization and the overall polish of the gameplay. Overall, the game offers a fresh take on the genre, but opinions vary on its long-term appeal and depth.
“I was expecting a Hearthstone-like experience but was pleasantly surprised to find a new exciting game mechanic.”
“While I felt like a noob in the first minutes of playing Ironbound, I quickly began to understand the gameplay depth the items and trinkets add to this type of game, which is awesome.”
“The game is very easy to learn (the tutorial is simple and clean, one can grasp the entire mechanics from the first several rounds), but very challenging to master; the depth of the gameplay is almost infinite, bound only by your imagination and ability to envision devastating tactics based on skills synergy.”
“The gameplay has very little depth compared to mechanically similar card games, because there is no deck customization whatsoever.”
“There is no theme, so theme players will not have a world to explore, mechanics players will get bored by the boring mechanics, and combo players will find the combo setup very dry.”
“Horrible gameplay and horrible experience.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the detailed art style and modern visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some users appreciate the beautiful graphics and nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic RPGs, others criticize the interface and artwork quality. Overall, the graphics are generally seen as a strong point, contributing positively to gameplay despite some noted flaws.
“The graphics look fantastic and contribute significantly to the overall experience of the game.”
“The graphic is very beautiful, the art is very detailed, it immediately triggered a pleasant nostalgia reminding me of classic old RPGs, like Baldur's Gate and Arcanum.”
“The graphics and UI have their style, are perfectly set up, and never distract or hinder the gameplay.”
“Another high-graphics, no-skip time waster.”
“✖ - bad interface graphics & text placement.”
“✖ - poor artwork.”
- story10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is criticized for lacking depth and engagement, with players expressing frustration over the reliance on multiplayer for daily quests and the slow progression in earning in-game currency. Many feel that the game does not offer a satisfying solo experience, as it heavily favors those who invest more time or money. Overall, the narrative elements seem overshadowed by the game's mechanics and monetization strategies.
“This game is awful; I got into it a few months ago and thought it was okay, but the story is lacking depth and engagement.”
“Was hoping for a solo quest without registering, but the story feels forced into a multiplayer format.”
“Daily quests can only be done in multiplayer, and the story doesn't provide enough context or motivation for the grind.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a fitting Norse Viking theme and is described as appropriately epic; however, many users find it repetitive and generic, often leading them to turn it off or play their own music instead. The ambient tracks are noted to be low in volume and unsatisfactory, contributing to an overall mixed reception of the game's soundtrack.
“The game music is appropriately epic, but it must be the shortest clip ever, because it is constantly repeating.”
“I like the Norse Viking theme, and the background music is not bad.”
“Ambient music got me ;)”
“- The soundtrack gets surprisingly repetitive quite fast.”
“- Turn the music off: it's generic and on a very short loop, so it's going to be mostly a repetitive annoyance.”
“Music is too low and it sucks.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it is necessary to unlock content and discover effective builds, it can feel tedious and unbalanced, especially with the devaluation of previously earned currency. The grind is more focused on strategic item acquisition rather than random rewards, which some players appreciate, but the overall grindiness can detract from enjoyment, particularly for those who prefer varied gameplay.
“The old money I had spent months grinding for is now worthless, and there's no way other than opening cases to attain the currency to get what you want.”
“The biggest downside is that the game is very grindy to unlock content, but there is no buyer-exclusive weapon. You can get quite a big gold bounty vs AI, and you can play arena where everyone has the same options.”
“It's not obvious how to play the game from the beginning, so a little grinding needs to be done in order to see interesting builds the opponents have.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is generally praised for its fairness, offering a one-time payment to unlock all content, which allows players to focus on strategy rather than loot boxes. However, some users have reported issues with ad payments not functioning properly, and PC players lack access to certain monetization options. Most in-game purchases are cosmetic, aligning with the game's overall fair approach.
“Unlike other trading card games, this game has a really fair monetization method: you gain access to all content for a relatively small and, more importantly, fixed price.”
“At this time, the ad payments are broken; I watched 3 ads and 0 gold was added. PC players do not get that option.”
“Most in-game purchases are for cosmetics.”
“The 'pay once to unlock everything' monetization scheme is refreshing for this type of game, since you can focus on strategy and not loot box mechanics.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's graphics and performance are considered decent, but it still requires further optimization, particularly in user interface responsiveness and compatibility with popular devices. Players have noted specific areas for improvement, such as enhancing the end turn button visibility and streamlining action execution during turns.
“Decent graphics and performance.”
“There is also an arena where you can wager gold on your performance with pre-set equipment sets.”
“The game still requires some optimization, such as highlighting the end button when there's nothing else to do in your current turn, and fixing the issue where you have to wait for all the effects to finish before you can click on your next actions.”
“Still requires some optimization (for example, to highlight the end button when there's nothing else to do in your current turn, or fix the problem that you have to wait for all the effects first, and cannot just click all you want to do in this turn in a fast way) and adaptation to popular devices.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its innovative blend of Diablo-style itemization with mechanics typical of standard card games, creating a unique and engaging progression system.
“It's a brilliant combination of Diablo-style item-based character development with gameplay inspired by standard card games.”
“The character development is incredibly deep, allowing for unique builds and strategies that keep the gameplay fresh.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each decision feel impactful and meaningful.”
