[quote][b]Note: Dead PvP game[/b]
This game contains no meaningful single player content. There's no viably populated servers/active player population. This game cannot be played as intended.[/quote]
[quote][b][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtransaction]Warning: Microtransaction infested mobile app![/url][/b]
This mobile app is not free, it's infested with a nasty mobile-style in-app cash shop. You will be expected to hand over cash to the "developers" just for playing the game.[/quote]
"Arena" is one of thousands of nasty mobile apps infesting the "free" section of Steam, but it's not really free.
This garbage mobile app rips off other mobile garbage like Minion Masters/Clash Royale, being an ultra lightweight soldier attack/defense "MOBA" looking screen tapper where the results of each round are determined by who gave the most money to the mobile devs running the scam.
There's only a superficial game here. The game visuals and the game itself are incredibly shallow... think of them as the too-bright, colourful, thin plastic cabinet dress theme on a poker machine at the casino. That's basically what this is. So really, the mobile app "game" is just a veneer, a thin skin wrapped around a nasty, predatory mobile app cash shop.
Setting the greedy mobile monetization and toxic cash shop aside, this is an iPhone app, not a PC game. I didn't pay thousands for a serious gaming rig to use it like an iPhone, and you shouldn't have to either... you deserve a lot better than mobile trash. We're here for PC games.
As with all mobile scams, you're forced to sign a highly questionable yet legally unenforceable End User License Agreement... for such a relatively low effort, low quality mobile app, this is specifically designed to invalidate your consumer rights and destroy your right to privacy. This agreement includes questionable requirements that may attempt to revoke consumer law protections that gamers expect to have, which is also highly problematic. Developers must learn they are here to serve gamers, not control them. I had my cat walk over the keyboard while the EULA was displaying, which fixed that problem for me.
This game is fairly dated at 7 years old... and even back then it looked old and busted compared to contemporary, professionally made 3D games of the same period. It looked bad then, it looks worse now.
Now on to pricing and value for gamers.
This is "free" enough (not every "free" game in the "free" section is truly free, there's usually some hidden price tag), at least you won't be expected to spend any more money after you download this, but just because something is free doesn't mean it's good, and the cost of a game is more than just financial, your time is valuable too.
In terms of public reception, the "free" price tag didn't help. This peaked at a handful of players and then immediately cratered. With a peak count of less than 50 gamers (out of over 130 million gamers and over 40 million daily logons), it’s safe to say the PC gaming community has collectively decided to ignore this, probably because of the reasons supplied in this review.
All other issues aside (any of which would disqualify this from being worth your time), this is a game that relies on other players for it to be viable, and because there's not enough players, it's not viable. I can't recommend anyone downloads this, it's basically dead.
At the end of the day, my reviews are intended to help gamers find quality and avoid the dregs (with over 140,000 games on Steam... not all of them are masterpieces). If you think my review is wrong, definitely add this to your library, download it and play it... it's surely exactly the kind of game you'll love (but I doubt it will work out that way). Game reviews are for gamers to share their thoughts and help others choose where to spend valuable time. If my review helps you to grab or reject this game, then my job is done.
