Merge Farm!
- November 1, 2017
- Zynga
Merge Farm! is a puzzle game that offers pretty visuals and good mechanics, but is hindered by numerous bugs, grinding, annoying ads, and a strong emphasis on in-app purchases. In this farming and merging game by Gram Games, players merge crops to unlock new ones, clear fields, and upgrade their farm, but should be prepared for repetition and potential technical issues.
Reviews
- The game is fun and addictive, providing a casual gaming experience.
- The graphics are cute and engaging, making it visually appealing.
- The developers are responsive to issues, as seen when they fixed a problem with purchases.
- The frequency of ads is excessive, making the game frustrating to play.
- There is no way to save progress across devices, leading to loss of in-game purchases.
- The game becomes repetitive after reaching higher levels, with limited content available.
- monetization493 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been heavily criticized for its excessive and intrusive ads, which disrupt gameplay and often appear at inconvenient moments. Many players express frustration over the frequency of mandatory ads, even after making in-app purchases to remove them, leading to a diminished gaming experience. While some users appreciate the option to watch ads for bonuses, the overwhelming consensus is that the sheer volume of ads makes the game nearly unplayable without paying to eliminate them.
“I love that there are very, very few in-app purchases.”
“I did purchase the no ads version and it works great.”
“I paid $4.99 for no ads, 2500 coins, and double seeds.”
“Unfortunately, the level of ads makes it basically unplayable.”
“I understand that the ads help pay for the game development, but the forced ads make me want to throw my phone, and it will absolutely not get me to buy the no ad package.”
“The free version is almost unplayable because the ads are too frequent and at bad times.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as engaging and addictive, with a blend of mechanics that can be enjoyable, but is heavily marred by an overwhelming number of ads that disrupt the experience. Many users find the gameplay slow and tedious, often requiring payment to enhance the experience and reduce interruptions. While some appreciate the game's relaxing nature, the constant ad interruptions significantly detract from overall enjoyment.
“Cute graphics, engaging and addictive gameplay.”
“This is an amazing app, it has great gameplay too.”
“Understand, the gameplay is fun, and it's addicting until the crops take.”
“Yea, this game is free, but gameplay is very stunted until you pay $5+ to stop popup ads, get x2 harvesting, etc. If you don't, the game is terribly slow.”
“I thought I was playing a farming game, but that isn't the case at all seeing I've seen more ads in this 'game' than I've seen gameplay.”
“I get that they want to make a bit of extra cash off this game, but the sheer number of ads just starting in the middle of gameplay makes this game nearly unplayable and not very fun at all.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- -9 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, often exacerbated by the prevalence of ads that interrupt gameplay. While some enjoy the slow-paced, merging mechanics and find it addictive, many express frustration over the repetitive nature of tasks and the need to watch ads to expedite processes. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, making it a mixed experience for players.
“Not tedious yet.”
“The grinding feels rewarding and keeps me engaged.”
“I enjoy the sense of progression that comes with grinding.”
“The game is fine but it gets to be such a grind after a while and trust me I love grinding games but this was just ridiculous. It's fine, it's just I would rather have a different experience; the ads are horrible though.”
“You will still have to watch video ads if you want to speed up any process in your farming.”
“Huge waste of time and tedious to sit through because they don't enhance gameplay.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally described as cute, colorful, and engaging, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some users noted inconsistencies in the art style between different elements, such as fruits, and mentioned occasional lag due to ads. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, there are areas for improvement in clarity and consistency.
“Cute graphics, engaging and addictive gameplay.”
“The graphics are cute, cartoonish and very colorful.”
“Fun merging game with bright, colorful graphics.”
“New artwork for blueberries - too hard to differentiate.”
“The art style is not consistent between the fruits.”
“I found that the style of the graphics and what the objective of the game not something I really found worked for.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with frequent reports of freezing, glitches, and lag, particularly during ad displays and gameplay interactions. Many players express frustration over the game's tendency to crash, leading to lost progress and a diminished overall experience. While some enjoy the game, the persistent technical issues prevent it from receiving higher ratings.
“I would have given 5 stars, but sometimes the game freezes up and I have to exit out of it or it will shut off on its own. That's the only reason I didn't give it the last star.”
“Good game but seems to be buggy quite a bit; it freezes all the time and stops working when trying to harvest things.”
“Good game until level 11, then it freezes, locks the game, and you lose all progress and money.”
- story12 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the story aspect of the game, highlighting that daily quests often feel unbalanced and repetitive, offering inadequate rewards compared to their costs. There is a call for more challenging and engaging storylines, as well as a desire for expanded plot space and additional buildings to enhance gameplay. Overall, the current quest system detracts from the overall narrative experience.
“Need to be more challenging with the storyline, not just repetitive!”
“A problem is that the daily quests just give, most of the time, bad rewards.”
“Daily missions cost more than what they give back; a 35k mission is giving me back only 425.”
- music7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting issues such as music glitches, interruptions from ads that mute their media volume, and a lack of in-game music altogether. While some players enjoy the gameplay despite these issues, the frequent ads and their impact on music playback have led to frustration and lower ratings. Overall, the music experience is hindered by technical problems and ad-related disruptions.
“The music will not stop.”
“Although the game glitched, causing the music to repeat or completely disappear while playing.”
“I don't mind the adverts and there is a challenge every day, but why does an advert popping up turn my music off on my headphones? This is a bug that needs to be fixed.”
“Low rating because when ads play, it mutes my media volume on my phone, which interrupts my music.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by quirky and absurd elements, such as amusing mistakes and unexpected food combinations, which players find delightful and entertaining. Many users appreciate the lighthearted and sweet nature of the humor, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“I still find it hilarious that juicers are a thing, that cucumber juice and watermelon juice are a thing, but orange juice and lemonade are not.”
“Funny, sweet game.”
“It's really funny and I like Merge Farm! 💖💖💖”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the game lacks replayability, as it tends to lose its appeal after reaching level 30, leaving little incentive to revisit once completed.
“I love this game, but it's pretty much over after level 30, and there isn't any replay value.”
“Once you complete the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
“The game lacks variety in missions, making it feel repetitive after the first playthrough.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users express concerns about the app's optimization, indicating that unresolved performance issues could lead them to uninstall it due to negative impacts on their phone's overall performance.
“If these issues are not resolved, I will delete the app as I cannot have it impacting the performance of my phone.”
“The game runs poorly on my device, causing frequent crashes and lag.”
“I expected better optimization; the frame rate drops make it nearly unplayable.”