RAID: Shadow Legends

About

"RAID: Shadow Legends" is a turn-based RPG where players can collect over 850 champions from 15 factions to battle bosses and explore dungeons. Strategic gameplay involves equipping champions with artifacts and utilizing their skills to vanquish formidable foes. Join forces with other players in Clans to take on epic challenges and defeat enemy Clans in intense fortress sieges.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,536 reviews

gameplay16 positive mentions

monetization142 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and a diverse roster of champions, making it visually appealing.
It can be entertaining and engaging, especially for those who enjoy turn-based RPGs and team-building strategies.
Players can progress through the game without spending money, although it may require patience and time.

The game is heavily monetized with aggressive microtransactions, making it feel predatory and pay-to-win.
Players experience constant pop-ups urging them to make purchases, which can disrupt gameplay.
Linking existing accounts from mobile to Steam is problematic, often forcing players to start over with a new account.

monetization
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
22%
76%
The monetization model of "Raid: Shadow Legends" is heavily criticized for being predatory and aggressive, with constant pop-ups and advertisements pushing players towards expensive microtransactions. Many reviewers describe it as a pay-to-win game where progression is significantly hindered without spending money, leading to a frustrating experience filled with intrusive ads. While some players find enjoyment in the gameplay, the overwhelming focus on monetization detracts from the overall experience, making it feel like a cash grab rather than a well-crafted game.
- “If you ignore the microtransactions, it's one of the best mobile games I've played.”
- “I enjoy playing it and if you play casually like me, you can ignore the pay-to-win elements and the microtransactions.”
- “Not necessarily, raid needs money to survive like any other game, and for a free-to-play game, monetization is important.”
- “The in-game economy is heavily skewed toward microtransactions, with constant pop-ups urging you to buy expensive packs.”
- “Worst RNG in gaming, constant pop-ups to let you know that if you aren't paying-to-play, you will get destroyed by the game, obnoxious pricing for in-game purchases, and the biggest issue, progression in this game after 5 days comes to a complete stand-still if you're not spending hundreds of dollars a week for the first 8-12 weeks.”
- “It's just a blatant cash grab with mechanics intentionally designed to try and drain money from you.”
gameplay
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
76%
10%
The gameplay of this gacha-style mobile game is widely criticized for being shallow, repetitive, and heavily reliant on microtransactions, often feeling like a grind designed to encourage spending money. While it features impressive graphics and a diverse roster of champions, many players find the mechanics simplistic and lacking in depth, with a significant focus on auto-battling and minimal strategic engagement. Overall, the experience is marred by aggressive monetization tactics, making it less appealing for those seeking meaningful gameplay.
- “Diving into a realm similar to Summoners War, Raid: Shadow Legends stands out with superior graphics and complex mechanics.”
- “Very fun grindy game with extensive and engaging gameplay and loads of epic champions.”
- “There's a good variety of boss monsters to learn, a long list of mechanics for fights which keeps them more varied, and while it is considered pay-to-win, I can confirm that free players are capable of making it very far.”
- “While it boasts impressive graphics and an extensive roster of champions, the gameplay quickly reveals itself to be a shallow, repetitive grind designed to push players toward spending money.”
- “The gameplay is non-existent; there is no strategy, you just press the auto button.”
- “It's just a blatant cash grab with mechanics intentionally designed to try and drain money from you.”
graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The graphics of "Raid: Shadow Legends" receive high praise for their impressive detail and artistic design, with many reviewers noting the stunning visuals and character animations as standout features. However, opinions vary, with some criticizing the graphics as outdated or overshadowed by aggressive monetization and shallow gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are often described as top-tier for a mobile game, they are not enough to compensate for the game's perceived shortcomings in other areas.
- “I enjoy the graphics and the strategy gameplay the game provides with amazing looking characters and insane looking bosses!”
- “Raid: Shadow Legends truly excels as a top-tier mobile game, featuring a gripping storyline, diverse champions, and stunning graphics.”
- “Through the cracked screen, I am still perpetually amazed by the graphics of this game... they look so real!”
- “A disgusting game - very old graphics, plastic, intrusive advertising banners and the whole gameplay built on donation.”
- “Ps2 graphics with a shit font in 2024 just ain't gonna cut it anymore.”
- “What sucks is the graphics are great and run with any hardware; there are some cool designs and elements that are lost on the fact that certain champions in the game are just trash and not viable in any content in the game at all.”
grinding
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game is a central feature, with players often engaging in repetitive tasks to upgrade champions and progress through content. While some enjoy the grind and find it rewarding, many express that it can become excessively tedious and heavily reliant on RNG, often necessitating real money investment to alleviate the grind. The inclusion of auto-battle options helps mitigate some of the tedium, but players should be prepared for a significant time commitment if they choose to play for free.
- “I have been playing it for over 2 years on mobile and after all the grind, there is more grinding.”
- “To get past certain level roadblocks, you either have to do an inordinate amount of grinding, or spend a little.”
- “Yes, you don't need to pay to play, but playing for free is torturous unless you like spending long, tedious periods of time grinding for a champion or piece of gear that some rich kid in China spent $2,000 on and got right away.”
story
72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
6%
The story in "Raid: Shadow Legends" is largely criticized as generic and unmemorable, serving more as filler than a compelling narrative to engage players. While some users appreciate the game's graphics and character diversity, they note that the lack of unique storytelling elements and character interactions detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the campaign is seen as bland, with many players expressing a desire for a more developed storyline.
- “It's got an amazing storyline, awesome 3D graphics, giant boss fights, PvP battles, and hundreds of never-before-seen champions to collect and customize.”
- “Raid: Shadow Legends truly excels as a top-tier mobile game, featuring a gripping storyline, diverse champions, and stunning graphics.”
- “With 8 exciting game modes and over 800 champions from 15 playable factions to choose from, Raid: Shadow Legends offers a gripping story-driven campaign featuring competitive PvP clashes with players from across the world in highly detailed environments with stunning models and graphics.”
- “Only very few have a backstory, there is no interaction among heroes, but because you nurture them all the time, they grow dear to your heart.”
- “Campaign 2/10 - in-game story is absolutely bland.”
- “It is not - there is barely a storyline.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
58%
17%
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it delivers impressive performance on mobile devices, it struggles with PC optimization, leading to a presentation that feels overly mobile-oriented. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics and decent performance, but the aggressive monetization and frequent cash-shop pop-ups detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging and rewarding, particularly for those willing to invest time and effort into mastering its mechanics.
- “I never expected to get this level of performance out of a mobile game.”
- “Whether it's advice on team compositions, gear optimization, or navigating challenging content, a solid clan can make the grind more manageable.”
- “Beautiful graphics, aggressively monetized, pretty good computer performance, steep learning curve, extremely long playable time, time consuming, lots of grinding, often highly rewarding, strategic, somewhat luck-based in that getting new stuff relies more on luck than not, and playing it effectively does require some patience but it's remained one of my favorites for most of the time I've played it, and only very recently when reaching ridiculous levels of OP have I started to lose things to do.”
- “Too mobile-ish in its presentation, poorly optimized for PC, and with cash-shop pop-ups everywhere.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many users noting a lack of background music during fights and describing the existing tracks as uninspired and repetitive. While voice acting is praised, the overall sound design, including music and sound effects, is considered a significant drawback, leading some players to mute the music entirely due to its looping nature.
- “There isn't even music in the background of most fights, and the music that is there is incredibly uninspired.”
- “And be prepared to mute the music as the same song loops forever.”
- “Music is okay but repetitive.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find humor in the game's absurdities, particularly in its monetization strategies and repetitive gameplay, which lead to amusing situations. The funny animations and the contrast between the game's serious intent and its execution elicit laughter, even if some aspects, like storage usage, are frustrating. Overall, the humor seems to stem from a mix of irony and the game's quirks.
- “I have been a free-to-play player for nearly four months now and I just find myself laughing at all the ways Plarium is trying to extract money from players.”
- “It's sad yet funny when all I can say is 'tap'.”
- “How much action can you expect when all you're doing is tapping on a move and then on an enemy just to see some rather funny animations.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is praised for its exceptional design, featuring improved animations and a more engaging aesthetic compared to similar titles. Players appreciate the unique and appealing character designs, which enhance the overall gaming experience.
- “The character design is actually wonderful.”
- “See, Raid is Pokémon, but with better animations, way cooler character design, and much fairer battles.”
- “Great character design.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed, with users reporting frequent bugs and glitches, though some note that the core functionality remains intact without unexpected issues or feature loss. Overall, while stability is a concern, the game is still operational for many players.
- “Very buggy at times”
- “Yes, there are bugs and glitches, but I will do a short pros and cons list for easier reading.”
- “Game works (crazy right), no unexpected bugs or glitches, no feature loss”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its uniqueness and depth, with players noting the significant effort put into the graphics and overall ambiance. Many feel it creates an experience unlike anything else available, contributing to their desire to return to the game.
- “I came back because this game has a special atmosphere; I have not seen anything like it anywhere else.”
- “You can tell they actually put a lot of thought into the graphics and atmosphere of the game.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the game's replayability is limited, with many players feeling that once the main content is completed, there is little incentive to return. Some users mention that while there are different modes or challenges available, they do not significantly enhance the overall experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game may not offer enough variety to encourage multiple playthroughs.