Island War

About

Island War is a strategy game with epic naval battles, featuring ingenious gameplay, good visuals, and plenty of humor. Recruit troops, join the fight, and rule the oceans, but be prepared for grinding and some bugs. The game promises intense action and strategic depth, making it a unique addition to the genre.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

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

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 9,964 reviews

gameplay82 positive mentions

monetization421 negative mentions

The game is fun and engaging, with a good mix of strategy and action.
There are minimal ads, and players can choose to watch them for extra rewards.
The game allows for progression without requiring real money, making it accessible for free-to-play players.

Recent updates have made the game more difficult to progress without spending money.
Matchmaking is often unbalanced, pitting players against opponents with significantly higher power levels.
The troop AI can be frustrating, as units often fail to attack the correct targets during battles.

monetization
597 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
3%
71%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the minimal presence of ads and the option to watch them for bonuses, rather than being forced to view them. While some users highlight that in-app purchases are not necessary for progression, others criticize the game for being a cash grab, especially as they reach higher levels where grinding becomes more challenging. Overall, the game is praised for its fair monetization approach compared to other mobile games, but concerns about misleading advertisements persist.
- “You do not need in-game purchases to succeed in the game, but they are there if you want.”
- “No ads and no intrusive microtransaction popups/reminders.”
- “It's amazing! I just have trouble with little buttons, but it's really good and there are no ads, so it's cool.”
- “The game is completely different from the video advertisement.”
- “Nothing like the gameplay shown on their advertisements.”
- “Fake advertising yet again... if you want happy customers advertise the actual game you're wanting people to download.”
gameplay
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its fun and addictive nature, while others criticize it for being repetitive and not matching the advertised experience. Many users noted issues with game mechanics, balance, and the impact of recent updates, which have led to frustration and a decline in enjoyment. Overall, while some find the gameplay engaging and easy to understand, others feel it lacks depth and originality, often comparing it unfavorably to other popular titles.
- “Finally a mobile game that doesn't cram ads down your throat, has fun gameplay, and lets you passively earn the premium currency the same way you get gold.”
- “The overall gameplay is so addictive you just want to keep playing.”
- “Amazing gameplay, I can't quit playing!”
- “Lastly, while we understand the need to re-balance the challenge, loot, and gameplay, the recent changes have created a game where an average new player will not have an enjoyable and smooth path to the higher ranks.”
- “The healing mechanic just slows down gameplay, making it almost impossible to do more than 2-3 battles in a row.”
- “The gameplay has many problems and shortcomings!”
graphics
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
37%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the unique art style and overall visual appeal, while others criticize the low detail and blocky designs. Many users appreciate the simplicity and effectiveness of the graphics, though there are frequent mentions of glitches and performance issues that detract from the experience. Overall, while some find the graphics charming and suitable for the gameplay, others feel significant improvements are needed to enhance visual quality and reduce technical problems.
- “Love the graphics and fight style, and the consistent updates.”
- “Great graphics fluid motion and understandable upgrading structure.”
- “Amazing graphics, keeps me entertained.”
- “Tried adjusting graphics settings, clearing the cache and data to no avail.”
- “The graphics are terrible and there are lots of glitches.”
- “Good game but very poor graphics.”
stability
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some players find the game enjoyable and entertaining, the overwhelming presence of bugs—especially during battles and upgrades—detracts from the overall experience. Users express a strong desire for developers to address these stability issues to enhance gameplay.
- “The system works well, with no glitches or errors.”
- “I love it! It's the best—no glitches, nothing; it works perfectly.”
- “Game will no longer start, and if I attempt to open it more than a couple of times, it crashes my whole phone (i.e. screen completely freezes and then phone actually restarts).”
- “Pretty enjoyable game, but glitches often. I just spent 25,000 wood to upgrade my city hall, and when I came back to the game, it hadn't been upgraded but the wood was still gone.”
- “Game freezes whenever I attack online or during missions.”
grinding
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
3%
93%
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding elements, which can be both a source of enjoyment and frustration for players. While some appreciate the ability to progress without spending real money, many find the resource collection, particularly for wood, tedious and overly time-consuming, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the game is described as fun but heavily reliant on grinding, which may deter players seeking a more balanced experience.
- “Good game, fun, not too grindy; it's great for mindless fun.”
- “Better wood for grinding would be nice; you also don't always get the double wood reward for watching the 2x ad option.”
- “It gets very boring after about 30 minutes of playtime, as grinding for wood is soul-destroying.”
- “The game is extremely tedious.”
- “Eventually you get to the point where you have a somewhat decent-sized army, but all the point of the game becomes grinding the ranked ladder which you can only get points for 20 matches, which are randomized.”
humor
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
8%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both hilarious and entertaining, particularly in campaign mode where unexpected antics occur, such as troops hilariously destroying their own base to reach a lone enemy. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter and provide a lighthearted experience, making it a fun and addictive time-killer. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some technical issues mentioned by users.
- “Overall, a brilliant little time killer. I thought it was funny in the campaign mode that if there's one foe left in the opposite corner of the map from your troops, they just start wrecking what's left of the base to get to them. :'D”
- “Makes me roll around laughing.”
- “Hilarious.”
- “52k worth of free currency to a percentage of players is not funny.”
- “The jokes in this game fall flat and feel forced.”
- “I expected humor, but instead, I got cringeworthy attempts at comedy.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
77%
14%
The game's story aspect is generally perceived as lacking depth, with many players expressing a desire for a more engaging narrative and additional storyline elements. While some enjoy the simplicity of the quests and the ability to advance without spending money, the repetitive nature of daily missions and the absence of a robust story mode detracts from the overall experience. Players are calling for more character development and mission variety to enhance the storytelling experience.
- “Awesome gameplay, great storyline and easy to advance troops.”
- “I love it but please add a story mode.”
- “The quests are repetitive, and the game modes seem redundant.”
- “This was dumb, no strategy, no story, it did not hold my interest and it was not like the advertisements.”
- “Very entertaining but could use a little more storyline about the troops.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end devices like the Samsung A12. While some players experience smooth gameplay and appreciate recent updates, others face lag, battery drain, and control inaccuracies, indicating that further optimization is necessary for a better user experience. Despite its potential, the game requires substantial improvements in performance and graphics to meet player expectations.
- “This is finally optimized for tablets.”
- “Great game, nice mechanics, runs smoothly and has enough cards to compete with other smaller card games on the market.”
- “Very good performance.”
- “On the minus side, performance is abysmal on a Samsung A12.”
- “The game has major performance issues.”
- “This game needs a lot of optimization.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
50%
The music in the game receives high praise for its amazing quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with players expressing a strong emotional connection to the soundtrack. Many users appreciate the current music while also requesting the return of tracks from older versions, indicating a fondness for the game's musical history. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to player enjoyment.
- “The graphics are cute and the music, oh the music is so amazing.”
- “Kudos to whoever chose the soundtrack.”
- “0 ads, graphics great, and music great!”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I found the music to be quite bland and forgettable, failing to leave a lasting impression.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Players appreciate the game's strong replayability due to its strategic depth, effective matching system, and absence of pay-to-win mechanics, forced ads, or energy limits. Many users report enjoying hours of gameplay, highlighting the complexity that keeps them engaged.
- “First the good: not pay to win, no forced ads or energy limits, decent strategy, good matching system, enough complexity for replayability.”
- “Hours of replayability.”
- “The game has decent strategy and a good matching system, but the replayability feels lacking after a few hours.”
- “While there are no pay-to-win elements or forced ads, I found the replayability to be quite limited.”
- “After a few hours of play, I realized that the game doesn't offer enough variety to keep me coming back.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with gameplay mechanics that can lead to emotional distress, particularly due to glitches and the potential for irreversible mistakes, such as accidentally recycling important structures. This highlights a sense of vulnerability and the impact of technical issues on the overall gaming experience.
- “Make a mistake and recycle your city hall by touching a very small button, and the game is done.”