# Blackbar — user reviews > 183 indexed App Store user reviews of Blackbar by Mrgan LLC, rated 3.60/5 from 97 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbar/id672002602/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackbar/id672002602.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 45 · 4★ 10 · 3★ 11 · 2★ 16 · 1★ 15 ## What do users think of Blackbar? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 💡 Clever and unique gameplay - 👍 Engaging and thought-provoking story - 🤔 Challenging puzzles and word games **Cons** - ⏱️ Too short for the price - 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure or difficult - 🐛 Bugs and compatibility issues **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes or freezes on certain devices - Inability to progress past initial screen **Most requested features** - Longer gameplay and expanded story - More levels or chapters - Hints or clues for difficult puzzles ## Newest reviews (17 of 183) ### 3/5 — 読める範囲での感想ですが *2025-07-25* ネットを利用する機会が増えて、英語を用いる事が日常的になってしまった現在、語彙を増やしたくて様々なアプリを試している。日本語無しだけど好きなアドベンチャーゲーム「White Night」のオススメ欄にコレを見つけて、ディストピア的な雰囲気やシンプルさに惹かれて 500円だからと入手。でも、ゲームアプリとしての体を成している感じがしない。実際の手紙は墨塗りだろうが貰えば全体に目を通せるが、コレは正しく入力しないと先が読めない。読める所は面白いのでストーリーが気になるけど、いかんせん入力すべき単語を想起できるほど英語に慣れてない。ヒントや何か配慮が有れば凄く楽しめそうだけど、とにかく単語が思いつかないユーザーに冷淡でホント「それまで」なので困ります。それに墨塗りの箇所の条件も少し把握できかねている。結構ザルなのに数字ひとつにも神経を尖らせていたり。センスが好くて魅力的なので、ゲームとしてもう少し何とかして欲しいと思います。 ### 2/5 — Kinda good? *2023-04-11* I didn’t hate this game. But I didn’t really like it either. Pros: —I enjoyed stretching my brain a bit with the word play. There were two words that really stumped me. I admit I had to find a walk-through online to get past those levels. I appreciate that in a game. Cons: —It took me a little over two hours to complete it. If I’m paying to play, I expect some more playtime. —I can definitely understand how some could be confused at the start of the game. A brief explanation could help. Perhaps make it the start to the game, you could write vague instructions (not too vague), with blanks to make it part of the puzzle your starting. Would I recommend this game? Probably not. It’s a nice little game, but it just needs more. ### 4/5 — Enjoyable puzzles, too short *2021-12-20* My wife and I have both played Grayout, and now Blackbar. They were very enjoyable! I like how easy they were to pick up/put down. No menus, loading screens, time sensitive activities- it was as simple as checking your text messages, so I never felt tied to it. My suggestion would be making them longer, or possibly having them branch storylines in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure. That would allow for some replayability at least. Definitely worth your time and money, so pick it up if you haven’t! ### 2/5 — How *2021-02-16, version 1.2.1* How does it work? I filled in the black space and the screen just stays the same? No buttons to push? The screen doesn’t slide up down back or forth? How do you move past the first page? ### 4/5 — Way too short *2020-12-18, version 1.2.1* A nice novel concept, but way too short. Perhaps half an hour playing time. I would love to see them develop this further. ### 4/5 — ... *2020-06-20* Nice one. But the ending is too abrupt ### 4/5 — Excellent, but too short and a missed opportunity! *2020-02-25* This game was delightful, and I’m glad for every moment I spent with it. But I finished the whole thing in a night! The creators did just enough with the censorship mechanism to keep it interesting and I definitely wanted more—maybe some DLC? The one mechanism I’m sad wasn’t explored more was *SPOILER ALERT* the single puzzle that had TWO possible correct answers for progression. Granted, one led to an immediate game over, but finding other ways to implement this would’ve been amazing. Thanks for the great game, looking forward to trying Grayout! ### 3/5 — Too short *2020-01-05, version 1.2.1* Interesting, but took me about two hours to complete. It needs to be longer and the story just seems to cut off, like it is unfinished. ### 4/5 — Where's the rest? *2019-08-04* Great game, excellent use of text, tricky puzzles. But given the themes and plot, and the price, it needs to be three times as long. I did not need a walkthrough, I played it over several days and used a bit of trial and error for a couple pages. BTW, there are two endings, sort of: a "black ending" and a "yellow ending." If you got the black ending, go back one page and try again. ### 4/5 — Felt too short *2019-05-05, version 1.2.1* Wanted more story, who are the department why are they censoring etc. Enjoyed it but some levels weren’t easy as there didn’t seem to be clues in the previous screens for certain words they weren’t words that easily came to mind. ### 3/5 — Not Sure About Value *2019-04-09, version 1.2.1* The game was fun and so loved the premise. I loved the simplicity of it and how it was all text-driven. For £2.99, I did expect more than 30 minutes of gameplay and more of a story. Not sure what justifies the price here (not that 2.99 is a lot at all, just comparing to other games that offer much more). Would love to play more games like this from this developer- very creative and dystopian-centric, which I love, but fell a tad short of expectations ### 3/5 — Zu kurz *2018-12-17* Nicht schlecht gemacht, aber für die kurze Spieldauer zu teuer ### 4/5 — Very interesting game! *2018-11-03* As other reviews mentioned, seems a tiny bit off on a few of the puzzles. The design itself is very ... if you don’t get it you’re just sort of flailing without recourse, and the back and forward buttons are super annoying to use to traverse prior puzzles. But I enjoyed it mostly. For $3? Yeah, get it. An interesting look at a different type of word/novel/puzzle game. :) ### 2/5 — Neat idea, boring gameplay, lackluster story *2018-06-26* The concept of the game is fun and original. The game itself is pretty dull. Not a lot of clever; not a lot of fun. The cute little twists all leave something to be desired, I think because the medium itself—like a worse kind of crossword—is sorely lacking. The plot, which is really the only thing worth keeping on for, isn't worth keeping on for at all; it's a heavy-handed, childish take on a dystopian government, the sort of thing a teen comes up with after reading 1984. The characters are shallow, the Evil Government is boring, and the one attempt at tugging your heartstrings manages to be simultaneously melodramatic and boring. This is not a good game, for all it was created by a great guy. ### 2/5 — [SPOILERS] “I must inform you that I am not stupid...” *2018-05-20, version 1.2* . . . but I cant solve puzzles with absolutely no context, writers. Subculturia?! Really? It just devolved into an exercise in futility and interrupted the story. Unsatisfied with a game I was so curious about for so long. I love a good dystopian story, but the gameplay was disappointing. ### 2/5 — Meh *2018-03-24, version 1.2* This game was alright. Some of the puzzles were challenging but overall I found it boring with little background and context. ### 4/5 — Thought provoking, unusual but way too short *2018-03-07, version 1.2* I loved this game! The concept is great (though as other reviewers comment far too short) and I loved the story. A lot of the puzzles are easily guessable but some your really have to work for. This is the first game I’ve played that has really made me think and search elsewhere for answers. It can be frustrating - but that’s because you can’t get every answer straight away! No constant instant gratification with this I’m afraid. However, persevere and the wait is worth it. This is a game that will stay with me. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Wanted to love this *2023-12-29, version 1.2.2* I love adventure games and word puzzles. But this was a very predictable, cliched story. And the game design is such that you are completely blocked from proceeding if you can’t guess the often arbitrary missing word. Difficult puzzles should produce an “aha” moment when you solve them, not an “ugh” or “well, that’s done now” feeling. Blackbar has too many of the latter. Plus there’s a bug that makes it impossible to finish the game. ### 1/5 — Didn’t work *2023-03-03, version 1.2.2* I downloaded the app after paying but the app does not work on Iphone 13 pro. It just come a first screen and nothing else - no button with “next” Or anything to move from that screen. I shut down, closed all apps, open again and nothing. ### 1/5 — Enjoyed it until I got stuck *2021-07-14, version 1.2.1* But with no clues, there was no way to continue. Waste of money, deleted ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work on iOS 14 *2020-12-30, version 1.2.1* I only get one page, the ability to type an answer and then nothing. That’s it. There is no enter key or ability to move forward to anything else. Crazy. ### 1/5 — Black bar *2019-09-12, version 1.2.1* Bought this after searching for best word games. This came up as number 1. It is not worth 2.99 for a game which only lasts about an hour. Don’t waste your money! ### 1/5 — Meh *2018-10-13, version 1.2.1* Too short for the price, very little to actually do, a ‘meh’ storyline. Waste of money. ### 1/5 — This is a waste of money ... it doesn’t work *2018-08-07, version 1.2.1* It’s one page and shows example doesn’t work ### 1/5 — Tedious *2018-03-04, version 1.2* In a word, this 'game' was tedious. I don't like to rate things 1 star.. I think almost a bad attempt at something is worth more than that. But this... I really can't bring myself to say two star. It was tedious. Labourious. There was no joy. No humour. No sound, no imagery, no design... it was just text. Not interesting text, no story... just text, for you to solve. Puzzles of any sort were very infrequent and not satisfying. Some of the textual puzzles I had to Google the answer for because I would never have got them. Some just because they were American and some because they were obscure. And the page that listed all the text and answers I just found myself wanting to read it and not deal with the 'game', because it would have been a lot easier. I think there are other games out there which provide so much more value. I bought 80 Days on the same weekend... and when you look at the sound, graphics and extensive text that it offers - Blackbar feels like very bad value. I like to find redeeming values in anything I try, particularly if the developer is trying something new. But with this... I just can't. ### 1/5 — A clever idea severely lacking in the execution *2017-08-30, version 1.1.3* The game mechanic and presentation were sufficiently appealing to make me purchase the game. I had hoped for a contemplative journey through the ramifications of the censorship of ideas. Unfortunately, the authors seem have gotten so preoccupied with swear words that they forgot to tell a compelling story. Quite disappointing. ### 1/5 — Not worth it *2017-05-16, version 1.1.3* A disappointing game with a vague bio to lure you into buying it. Wishing I could get the money I wasted back ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — patience pays off *2022-11-11, version 1.2.2* Such a clever, well written game. Clearly a lot of passion went behind its creation and it shows. You need a decent amount of patience to work out some of the ‘puzzles’ but it’s not too difficult once you get the hang of it. ### 5/5 — Love it *2020-08-31, version 1.2.1* Really enjoyable word-based interactive/puzzle game. Great concept and story. Quite short, I will say, but I really like it. One of my faves. ### 5/5 — Brilliant *2019-07-20* Voilà un jeu très original, simple mais néanmoins passionnant. Il requiert effectivement un bon niveau en anglais. On peut le voir aussi comme une opportunité de s’y perfectionner ;) ### 5/5 — Sleek Dystopian Word Game *2019-06-03, version 1.2.1* This is all I’m after in an app! A sleek, simple design and some real intrigue. It was like code breaking. I finished it in under 48hrs I loved it so much. I’ll be downloading Grayout ASAP. ### 5/5 — This game is ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎ *2018-04-12* I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game. It’s one of the ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎ concepts I’ve encountered in interactive fiction in a long time. I’d ◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎ to see a sequel or follow up. ### 5/5 — Challenging but not impossible *2018-03-04* If you like puzzles and really don’t mind guessing and thinking and guessing some more and maybe sleeping on it, then you might like this game. I only had to google two things and they were both just quotes. Highly recommended! ### 5/5 — Amazing game *2017-11-08* GREAT game. Terrific story, good puzzles, quite challenging at times. I recommend playing with a friend so you can bounce ideas off each other. Some reviewers thought it was too hard. It can be difficult, but it just takes time and thought to figure it out- this is not a game for people who want to zip easily through puzzles. Well worth the price, and I just bought grayout too! Thanks for such a great experience- I hope there will be many more games like this to come! ### 5/5 — Wow *2017-08-23, version 1.1.3* Cool, different, smart. ### 5/5 — Fesselndes Abenteuer *2017-06-18* Eine spannende Geschichte mit kniffligen Sprach-Rätseln im Setting einer Dystopie. Leider verlieren die Rätsel in der deutschen Übersetzung ein wenig an Logik und Charme. ### 5/5 — Intelligent game with more surprises *2017-04-21* You must pay attention to how each message is written as well as what is in it. This is the best text based game I have ever played. I've played a lot! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*