RAID: Shadow Legends
- January 9, 2024
- Plarium Global Ltd
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Apple Store"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.
iPad
iPhone
PC
Phone
Steam Deck
Windows
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features impressive graphics and a diverse roster of champions, making it visually appealing.
- It offers a fun and engaging way to pass the time, especially for casual players who enjoy turn-based strategy.
- There are many opportunities for free-to-play players to progress, provided they are patient and strategic.
- The game is heavily monetized with aggressive microtransactions, making it feel predatory and pay-to-win.
- Players often experience constant pop-ups urging them to spend money, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Linking existing accounts from mobile to Steam is problematic, forcing new players to start over without their previous progress.
- monetization94 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 76 % negative mentions
The monetization in "Raid: Shadow Legends" is heavily criticized for its aggressive microtransactions and pervasive advertising, which many players describe as predatory and overwhelming. Users report constant pop-ups urging purchases, a pay-to-win structure that hampers progression without spending, and a barrage of ads that detracts from the gameplay experience. While some players find enjoyment in the game despite these issues, the overall sentiment leans towards it being a cash grab that prioritizes profit over player experience.
“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.”
“Overall, it's a decent game with too much monetization, but the monetization can be ignored with an ounce of willpower.”
“The in-game economy is heavily skewed toward microtransactions, with constant pop-ups urging you to buy expensive packs.”
“This game is an unbalanced cash grabbing pay to win quagmire!”
“It's just a blatant cash grab with mechanics intentionally designed to try and drain money from you.”
- gameplay59 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this mobile gacha game is widely criticized for being shallow, repetitive, and heavily reliant on microtransactions, often reducing the experience to a grind for resources and auto-battling. While the graphics and champion designs are praised, many players find the mechanics lack depth and strategy, leading to a pay-to-win environment that detracts from overall enjoyment. Despite some acknowledging the potential for fun and engagement, the overwhelming monetization and lack of meaningful gameplay make it difficult to recommend.
“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.”
“However, its repetitive gameplay and heavy reliance on microtransactions dampen the overall experience, overshadowing its strengths.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and not really all that exciting or special, so don't go into this expecting something more.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Raid: Shadow Legends" receive high praise for their impressive detail and artistic design, with many reviewers noting the beautiful 3D models and animations of characters and environments. However, opinions vary, with some criticizing the graphics as outdated or overshadowed by aggressive monetization and shallow gameplay. Overall, while the visuals are often described as stunning and immersive, they are sometimes seen as a facade for a less engaging gaming experience.
“I enjoy the graphics and the strategy gameplay the game provides with amazing looking characters and insane looking bosses!”
“The diverse range of champions, intricate lore, and visually appealing graphics contribute to a world that's both immersive and addictive.”
“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.”
“The game’s heavy advertising and aggressive marketing campaigns promise an epic RPG experience, but what you get is a glorified slot machine with pretty visuals.”
“Ps2 graphics with a shit font in 2024 just ain't gonna cut it anymore.”
“A disgusting game - very old graphics, plastic, intrusive advertising banners and the whole gameplay built on donation.”
- grinding41 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- -5 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that grinding is a central aspect of the game, often requiring players to repeatedly engage in activities like XP farming and resource collection to progress. While some players enjoy the grind and find it rewarding, many express frustration over its excessive nature, particularly in relation to the game's monetization and RNG elements, which can make advancement feel tedious and reliant on spending real money. Overall, the game offers an auto-battle feature to ease the grind, but players should be prepared for a significant time investment.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is satisfying and offers a real sense of progression.”
“The core gameplay revolves around grinding the same levels repeatedly to collect resources for upgrading your champions.”
“I can also see how it will get more and more grindy and RNG-dependent, both of which will in turn practically demand the use of real money to overcome.”
“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 some rich kid in China spent $2,000 on and got right away.”
- story36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in "Raid: Shadow Legends" is largely criticized as generic and unmemorable, serving more as a filler than a compelling narrative to engage players. While some users appreciate the game's graphics and the variety of champions, they find the in-game story bland and lacking depth, with minimal character interaction and backstory. Overall, the campaign is seen as a weak point, overshadowed by the game's mechanics and monetization strategies.
“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.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it delivers impressive performance on mobile devices, it struggles on PC with a presentation that feels overly mobile-oriented. Players note that despite the beautiful graphics, the game is poorly optimized for PC, leading to a less satisfying experience, especially with frequent cash-shop interruptions. Overall, while the game offers rewarding gameplay, it requires patience and can be time-consuming, with optimization issues detracting from the experience on certain platforms.
“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.”
- music6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely criticized for its lack of presence during fights and for being uninspired and repetitive, with some players opting to mute it due to the constant looping of the same track. While voice acting received praise, the overall sound design, including music and sound effects, fell short of expectations.
“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.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from its absurdity and the exaggerated attempts by the developers to monetize the experience, leading to a mix of frustration and amusement for players. Many find the simplistic gameplay and quirky animations to be unintentionally funny, creating a lighthearted atmosphere despite the game's shortcomings.
“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 development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive design and animations, highlighting that it enhances the overall experience of the game. The characters are noted to be visually appealing and contribute to a more engaging and balanced gameplay.
“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.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a mixed experience with stability; while some acknowledge the presence of bugs and glitches, others note that the game functions well without unexpected issues or feature loss.
“Very buggy at times.”
“Yes, there are bugs and glitches, but I will do a short pros and cons list for easier reading.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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, creating an experience unlike any other.
“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.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game's replayability is significantly enhanced by its diverse gameplay options, multiple endings, and varying character paths, encouraging players to explore different strategies and experiences. However, some users note that certain elements may feel repetitive after several playthroughs, potentially diminishing long-term engagement. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for replayability, though individual experiences may vary.
