Master Arena

About

Master Arena is a single player and multiplayer shooter game. It was developed by CJGames and was released on May 27, 2022. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Master Arena" is a competitive first-person shooter that offers a variety of game modes and maps, with a focus on skill-based combat and strategic map control. It features a wide range of weapons, character customization options, and advanced movement mechanics. The game also has a dedicated server browser and supports esports competitions.

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57%

Audience ScoreBased on 110 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

monetization3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and complex movement system that allows for advanced techniques like wall jumps and bunny hopping, providing a fun and engaging gameplay experience.
Visually, the maps are well-designed and clean, contributing to an enjoyable aesthetic that appeals to fans of arena shooters.
It's free to play, making it accessible for players who want to experience a modern take on classic arena FPS games like Unreal Tournament and Quake.

The game suffers from a lack of active players and populated servers, making online play nearly impossible and leading to a dead multiplayer experience.
There are significant issues with monetization, including a toxic cash shop and misleading pricing strategies that detract from the overall value of the game.
Gameplay mechanics, such as weapon balancing and netcode, are poorly implemented, resulting in frustrating experiences like unresponsive controls and inconsistent hit registration.

gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fast-paced gunfights and strategic movement reminiscent of classic arena shooters like Unreal Tournament and Quake, while others criticize it for lacking polish, depth, and originality. Notable mechanics, such as a dynamic health system during duels and unique movement options, are appreciated, but many feel the overall execution is hindered by uninspired weapon designs and bugs. Despite its potential and some innovative ideas, the game struggles to meet the expectations of players accustomed to more polished AAA titles.
- “The gameplay is ridiculously break-neck requiring mastery of decision-making, gunplay, and movement.”
- “It provides all the classic mechanics of an arena FPS, such as fast-paced gunfights, strategic movement, close-quarter combat, and the iterative nature of trying to master the skill of movement and aiming.”
- “To me, and many others, it combines the best gameplay elements and also the coolest guns from Quake and Unreal Tournament; you can rocket jump like in Quake and use a shock rifle like in UT, for example.”
- “Without tighter gunplay and better movement, the gameplay just doesn't satisfy the itch.”
- “The gameplay is just Unreal Tournament if the weapon balancing and movement options were botched and made entirely out of stock UE4 assets, not to mention the lack of content and the AI not being programmed to do anything in CTF.”
- “I didn't like it because there were weird bugs with the game, and I find the gameplay to just seem fake or not entertaining because it felt fabricated to feel real but wasn't.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's graphics, powered by the Unreal Engine, are generally praised for their cleanliness and readability, contributing to a good atmosphere. However, some users feel that while the visuals are appealing, they do not reach the level of AAA titles or classic games like Quake 3 and UT2003/2004. Overall, the graphics feature a cyber aesthetic, though some elements, such as weapon placement, could be improved.
- “It's free to play and was created using the Unreal Engine, allowing for more players to marvel at its graphics.”
- “Graphics are very clean, and combat is very readable.”
- “Clean graphics, cyber aesthetics.”
- “Not AAA graphics.”
- “Clean graphics, cyber aesthetics; some weapons are too far in front.”
- “Graphics are very clean, combat is very readable.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The monetization strategy of this game has been heavily criticized as exploitative and reminiscent of mobile app practices, featuring numerous microtransactions and a focus on cash generation over quality content. Players feel it resembles a cash grab, with an emphasis on selling in-game tokens for real money and intrusive advertisements promoting cosmetic purchases. Overall, the monetization approach detracts significantly from the gaming experience.
- “Quake clone, no ads, health, weapons, and power-ups spawn on the map.”
- “This is a godawfully bad ripoff of Unreal Tournament/Quake III Arena except with painfully generic bland map design. In fact, roughly five times the development effort for this 'game' went into a plethora of toxic monetization schemes that can lead to only one conclusion: with this much 'gimme cash' monetization for a contentless low effort game, this is nothing but a cash grab.”
- “It doesn't stop there; this game is also infested with mobile app store-like microtransactions.”
- “The grift and cash grabbing keeps getting worse. This product is hooked into Steam's 'totally not NFTs' community marketplace/inventory, which means you can buy, sell, and trade 'tokens' (fungible ones in this case) for real-world money, and you can 'earn' these tokens by playing the game.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report great performance with no noticeable bugs, others experience significant issues such as stuttering, high RAM usage, and poor collision detection, particularly during intense gameplay moments. Overall, the game's performance appears inconsistent, with some users feeling it is not well-optimized for lower-end systems.
- “No noticeable bugs, and great performance.”
- “Runs pretty poorly for something 'optimized' for a potato.”
- “Feels unoptimized, not very fluid (maybe engine related?).”
- “The performance is below average, especially when you kill a bot/player, resulting in stuttering. The game also consumes an insane amount of RAM.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed; while some users report a lack of crashes and a solid core gameplay experience, others highlight significant bugs and a frustrating interface. Overall, players may need to tolerate these issues, especially given the game's alpha status.
- “The game is a tad buggy.”
- “Edit: I love that the devs took time out to mock me for not playing more of their buggy mess instead of working on taking the criticisms to heart and fixing their game.”
- “If you're willing to put up with some very bare-looking menus and somewhat arduous and buggy interface navigation, the game itself is a fantastic arena FPS.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's story is perceived as lacking depth and creativity, with developers relying on player interactions to compensate for weak storytelling and level design.
- “The developer gambled that other players would be an acceptable substitute for adding storytelling, level design, etc. to the game.”
- “Same story here.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in Master Arena is praised for its engaging and competitive team-oriented gameplay, particularly in its instagib capture the flag mode. While the graphics and overall ambiance are well-received, some reviewers note that it struggles to match the iconic atmospheres of classic titles like Quake 3 and UT2003/2004.
- “Despite this, Master Arena has managed to create a great atmosphere for competitive team-oriented gameplay with their take on instagib capture the flag.”
- “Nice graphics, good atmosphere, but there was Quake 3 and UT2003/2004 at that time and couldn't beat those.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers find the emotional aspect of the game touching, noting its innovative blend of mechanics from classic titles like UT2004 and UT99 with elements from Quake. This attempt to revitalize a stagnated genre resonates with players, highlighting a heartfelt effort to bring something fresh to the experience.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game has been criticized as uninspired and lacking creativity, contributing to an overall sense of dullness alongside other gameplay elements like slow movement and generic maps.
- “The movement is slow, the weapons aren't fun, the maps are generic minimalist garbage, and the music is uninspired.”