Melvor Idle is an idle game on multiple platforms that I will revisit in the future because I do happen to have bought the PC version on steam. Contrary to that one, the iOS version is free and comes with a bunch of restrictions and in-app purchases that certainly soured my experience a whole lot. Ultimately it is because of confusing UX and progression that I dropped it. It is fine to have a ton of systems in your games - or a ton of different skills that do mostly the same thing, but affecting different stats - but making it all come together is really important, and - for now - Melvor Idle didn’t do that at all for me.
This review is part of a “drought of iOS games I actually care about and I really should subscribe to Apple Arcade I guess” series of reviews.
The big problem with Melvor Idle is the lack of clarity about what to do next; You can mine metals and make bars and craft gear, you can master mining, smiting and crafting, you can fight monsters, get items, train stats, everything pools back into your level that is used to unlock more mining spots. You can fish, make arrows, gather herbs and runes, craft spells and cook, there are apparently dungeons to complete. All of this is dumped on you as soon as you start the game, without a good argument of why you would collect wood instead of mine, why X method of fighting is important, without telling you why you are doing any of this. Is the goal of the game just to get a high level? Fight monsters? If so, should the players funnel their actions toward specific smaller goals in order to progress? I have no idea.
The fact that some features are purchasable after the fact - like the spells, for instance - make me not wanna spend any time with this version of the game. We’ll see in the far future how the PC one does!
