Merchant Guilds

About

Merchant Guilds is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with fantasy and business themes. It was developed by Retora Games and was released on February 13, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Merchant is a business tycoon role-playing game.

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 116 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

Engaging and addictive gameplay loop with a fun multiplayer guild system that enhances social interaction and progression.
Deep crafting and hero development mechanics with considerable content and meaningful progression without forcing pay-to-win elements.
Appealing art style and sound design that fans of the original Merchant series appreciate, providing a charming and satisfying experience.

Significant grind and artificially slow progression, especially with costly building upgrades and gated content requiring guild cooperation.
Technical issues including frequent crashes, lag, loading problems, and bugs that negatively affect gameplay and user experience.
Frustrations with UI and map navigability, limited inventory space, account connection requirements, and problematic guild management features.

grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is a significant and intentional part of the experience, offering both a rewarding challenge and extended playtime. However, some players find it slow, tedious, and overly gated by resource costs, making progression feel grind-heavy. Overall, grinding provides enjoyment, especially in multiplayer, but may feel excessive to some.
- “They thought players would enjoy upgrading every aspect in the game but it just makes it slow and tedious.”
- “It's supposed to be grindy, inventory space is supposed to be a challenge, drop rates are supposed to be rare... progression is definitely gated by coin and in my opinion the hero contracts cost a little too much.”
- “This one is just way too grindy.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun and engaging loop, meaningful progression, and innovative mechanics, especially as a mobile experience without pay-to-win elements or ads. However, some users report technical issues like frequent crashes. The addition of multiplayer and community features further enhances the gameplay appeal.
- “It's the perfect mobile game gameplay-wise: no pay-to-win, no ads, cool art style, meaningful progression, and a nice variety of mechanics.”
- “It's an incredibly fun and engaging gameplay loop; I recommend it if you're into playing a crafter, merchant, or guild master.”
- “Makers of one of the best mobile games ever made a sequel that innovates the core gameplay and adds multiplayer.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The story involves developing heroes through gear and skills, completing quests, and participating in guild missions, which add engaging elements. However, some players find that story rewards tied to guild item requests can be challenging, especially in the early game. The narrative encourages strategic teamwork, such as using mercenaries for tactical advantages.
- “Don't like that story rewards require guild item requests; this can be tough during early game.”
- “I sent my mercenaries on a suicidal mission to weaken a monster so that my almighty, powerful wizard could then take it down with one spell.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game features fair monetization with no pay-to-win elements or forced ads, allowing progression without spending. Optional ads are available for bonuses, maintaining a player-friendly experience alongside meaningful progression and engaging gameplay.
- “It's the perfect mobile game gameplay wise, no pay-to-win, no ads, cool art style, meaningful progression, and a pretty nice variety of mechanics.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics feature a charming and enjoyable art style that fans of merchant games appreciate. While visually pleasing, the focus is more on gameplay than graphical innovation, maintaining a familiar yet appealing aesthetic without heavy reliance on ads or pay-to-win elements.
- “It's the perfect mobile game gameplay wise, no p2w, no ads, cool art style, meaningful progression and a pretty nice variety of mechanics.”
- “Was so excited to see a new version that took that old art style and maybe some new twist.”
- “I've always adored the merchant games and the art style is quite enjoyable to look at.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has notable stability issues and bugs, reflecting its unfinished state, but these flaws are somewhat mitigated by its engaging content and the optional nature of in-game purchases.
- “Game is unfinished and a little buggy but spending money is truly completely optional and the game has enough heart to make up for the lack of polish.”
- “The problem is that it is pretty buggy.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game generally runs well but experiences some slowdown when returning to it via the home button, indicating a need for improved optimization or adjustable detail settings. Overall, performance is good aside from this minor issue.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor adds a light, enjoyable touch that complements its engaging idle mechanics and diverse upgrade options. Players appreciate the witty elements that enhance the overall experience without overshadowing the gameplay.
- “Fun idle game with lots of different upgrades and pursuits to balance, plus a nice splash of humor.”