LUDUS - Merge Arena PvP | Game Brain

About

Merge Arena - Build your deck is a strategy game featuring card battles in auto-arena formats. With exceptional graphics, the game allows you to build your deck and duel other players online. However, be prepared for grinding and frequent ads. The game is described as a card strategy with PvP duels, providing a platform to test and improve your strategic skills.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

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

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,604 reviews

gameplay50 positive mentions

monetization184 negative mentions

The game has a fun and engaging gameplay with unique mechanics that combine merging and battling.
Graphics and character design are appealing, making the game visually enjoyable.
The game offers a fair chance for free-to-play players to progress without mandatory spending.

The game heavily favors pay-to-win mechanics, making it difficult for free players to compete at higher levels.
Matchmaking is often unbalanced, frequently pairing players with significantly stronger opponents.
Progression can be slow due to the scarcity of in-game currency needed for upgrades.

monetization
200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
4%
92%
The monetization strategy of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players expressing frustration over the excessive number and length of ads, which often disrupt gameplay and can exceed two minutes. Many users feel that the game is heavily pay-to-win, requiring significant financial investment or extensive ad-watching to progress, leading to a perception of it being a cash grab. While some players appreciate the option to watch ads for rewards, the overall sentiment indicates that the monetization model detracts from the gaming experience.
- “If the prices of in-game purchases were a little bit lower, this would make the game more competitive.”
- “I downloaded it out of boredom and man, it paid off... only thing so far is I would like to see a classification for the units (tank, assassin, melee, etc.). Also, please add a one-time payment option for no ads!”
- “The player has basically 3 options: free-to-play with hardly doable daily/season missions, free-to-play but incentivized to spend money via ads-heavy bonuses, or pay-to-win, and you probably also end up giving them money through ads.”
- “Is insane, even when you pay you are still bombarded by ads.”
- “Changed to 1 star after seeing 3 battle passes, all for different events, cards equal to $260, ads never leave either.”
- “You will not progress unless you have a lot of money to spend or you can watch endless ads to waste your life; they make you think that you have progression but actually you're going nowhere.”
gameplay
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
43%
4%
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun mechanics, strategic elements, and smooth execution, with many players enjoying the merge and upgrade systems. However, there are significant concerns regarding pay-to-win elements, aggressive monetization, and matchmaking issues, which detract from the overall experience, especially for free-to-play users. While the graphics and core gameplay loop are well-received, the reliance on ads and connectivity problems have led to mixed reviews.
- “Great gameplay and concept.”
- “The gameplay is original and strategic.”
- “I'm really enjoying this game; the graphics are awesome, gameplay is awesome, and I love the merge aspect of it!”
- “Valuable mechanics and rewards are locked behind a paywall.”
- “My biggest gripe is the mechanics of cards and matchmaking.”
- “Not as advertised; terrible gameplay and matching system. Definitely would not recommend.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
17%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised, with many users highlighting their beauty, smoothness, and overall quality, often describing them as "amazing" and "great." While some players appreciate the art style, a few express a desire for a shift to 3D graphics. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, enhancing the enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “Graphics are amazing and the gameplay is smooth.”
- “Awesome graphics, good gameplay, very addictive.”
- “I'm really enjoying this game; the graphics are awesome, gameplay is awesome, and I love the merge aspect of it!”
- “Just wish it weren't so cartoony with its graphics.”
- “Great games.. make me happy.. but for my opinion, try to upgrade graphics and characters to 3D.”
- “Graphics is decent compared to similar types of games, but improvement is required.”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game excessively tedious and slow, often leading to a frustrating experience where progress feels stagnant without spending money. Many reviews highlight that the rewards for grinding are not worth the effort, with a significant pay-to-win element that detracts from the enjoyment. While some players appreciate the challenge, the overwhelming consensus is that the game requires an unreasonable amount of grinding to achieve meaningful progress.
- “Quests are too grindy, progress is slower than a snail's pace and the game has become more and more pay to win.”
- “The game is completely boring with day-in and day-out grinding with the same basic merge.”
- “Rewards for grinding are not worth it.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
65%
18%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with players expressing frustration over quest implementation and a lack of engaging content. Many feel that the game is overly focused on pay-to-win mechanics, limiting the enjoyment of the narrative experience, while others suggest that additional side quests, cinematic animations, and improved clan functionalities could enhance the overall storytelling. Overall, players are seeking a more balanced and rewarding narrative experience that doesn't rely heavily on ads or monetary investment.
- “2) More content, story tale, and cinematic animation will make the vibe better.”
- “Cool game but quest bugged and can't continue the campaign quests because I completed the magic hat event before getting the quest to acquire hats.”
- “Love the game, yes you pay for some things but that helps improve the game so I don't mind spending a little to get extras.”
- “It was the quest requirements in the end that made me uninstall the game.”
- “The free account progress is limited and slow, and the event and mission are designed to encourage pay to win.”
- “Pay to win and ads... if players had the same chances to finish events, complete all missions, and earn things without this pass, it could be a 5-star game, but with this, there's no chance.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and glitches that disrupt gameplay, particularly after reaching higher levels. Many players experience issues such as being kicked to the home screen, inability to merge units, and inconsistent match outcomes, leading to significant frustration. Overall, while the game has potential, its stability problems significantly detract from the user experience.
- “The reason I've changed my rating is due to an app performance issue... approximately every 3rd or 4th time I open it and start playing any kind of game, PvP or grand tourney, it freezes for like 5 seconds then auto-kicks me to my phone's home screen... that reason alone is why it dropped to 2⭐, because the gameplay and character collection alone makes it 4⭐... it just needs a fix for the auto-crash and... boom ... instant 4⭐.”
- “Great game, but once you reach arena 6 it starts to glitch and freeze causing you to lose important matches.. then you have to totally go out of the game and come back an hour later, even then it'll just give you a couple of successful rounds then freezes again... it's frustrating!”
- “Actually it is a good game but there were so many glitches recently even if I won the match it's showing I lost my hearts and at times even though I'm having many monsters on my side with high star value I'm losing the match how's that even possible🤷🏻‍♂️.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing graphics and lighthearted gameplay, making it an enjoyable time-waster. However, players express frustration with the matchmaking system, noting that opponents often use laughing emojis, which detracts from the fun when facing overwhelming odds. Overall, while the game offers comedic elements, the competitive experience can sometimes overshadow the humor.
- “The opponents keep using the laughing emoji when they were obviously at an advantage?!”
- “Fun game, funny graphics, good time waster.”
- “Easy and funny, okay with thanks.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Users report significant performance issues, including frequent crashes and freezing during gameplay, which have led to lower ratings despite enjoying the game's content. While some players find it runs well on lower-end devices, the need for optimization and fixes for these stability problems is a common concern.
- “Overall, it runs smoothly on my potato devices.”
- “Game needs some optimization and changes to be 'good'.”
- “The gameplay and character collection alone make it a 4-star experience; it just needs a fix for the auto-crash.”
- “The reason I've changed my rating is due to an app performance issue. Approximately every 3rd or 4th time I open it and start playing any kind of game, PvP or Grand Tourney, it freezes for about 5 seconds then auto-kicks me to my phone's home screen. That reason alone is why it dropped to 2 stars, because the gameplay and character collection alone makes it 4 stars. It just needs a fix for the auto-crash and... boom... instant 4 stars.”
- “So bad game team performance.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development received mixed reviews, with some praising the concept and design while others criticized the lack of creativity and originality, describing the character design as subpar and uninspired. Overall, the gameplay was seen as derivative, failing to offer a unique experience.
- “+1 star because of the great concept and character design.”
- “There is a complete lack of creativity and originality in character design, UI, gameplay, and every other system.”
- “The gameplay is identical to any other merge war-like game, but the character design is the worst I've ever encountered.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The music in the game is perceived as somewhat outdated, with players expressing a desire for more energetic, high-octane EDM tracks to enhance the gaming experience. Additionally, there are requests for new background music options to better suit various gameplay modes.
- “The music has a bit of an 'old style' feel; it could use more 'high octane EDM' to really get players pumped.”
- “Please add more background music options to enhance the experience.”
- “The music is a little bit 'old style'; it needs more 'high octane EDM' to get players pumped.”
- “Please add another background music option.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers decent replayability, enhanced by its engaging blend of genres and well-executed mechanics. While players appreciate the fun factor and overall design, some minor bugs, such as unfinished fights in the tooth tournament, may slightly detract from the experience.
- “It's really a great game, with a nice blend of various genres and good replay value. The only bug I see is that sometimes a fight in the tooth tournament doesn't seem to be finished.”
- “Nicely made and put together, it keeps you on the edge of your seat while offering a fun factor and replay value. I love the look and feel, as well as the mechanics.”