# Hostage Negotiator — user reviews > 31 indexed App Store user reviews of Hostage Negotiator by Peter Kossits, rated 4.00/5 from 42 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hostage-negotiator/id1319971932/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hostage-negotiator/id1319971932.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 19 · 4★ 13 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 2 ## Newest reviews (11 of 31) ### 4/5 — Watch some tutorial videos *2021-10-26, version 1.4.2* This is a great adaptation of the board game. I wish there was more variety in the cards you have access to but it’s much better than most iPhone games. You can buy more villains to go against but other than that there are no annoying pay to win micro transactions. ### 4/5 — Good game but achievements are bugged *2021-08-10* Love this game but the achievements with Rolph and Dolph are bugged and I can’t get them even though I do as the achievement says. ### 3/5 — cards too small for iPhone and iPad mini *2020-01-18, version 1.4.2* Although there are some good UI decisions (the drag and drop works well), cards are impossible to read zoomed-out, difficult to read zoomed-in. Some possibilities for zoomed-out: - no flavor text - title only - title with brief icon reminders - remove "face" on card because these are all the same anyway Some possibilities for zoomed-in: - scrollable with flavor text "below the fold" ### 3/5 — too hard *2019-10-17* the game is too hard, I think that dices are not well balanced, and it s the same with the physical game, it s a good solo game ### 4/5 — Almost great *2019-04-15* After owning and enjoying the physical version of this game I was pleasantly pleased to see a digital adaptation on the app store. The GUI could do with improvements, it looks and feels very dated like having to press the “X” to close dialogue boxes rather than just pressing the screen. Kinda reminded me of web games from years gone past. The dice rolls are a little suspicious also with some rolls seemingly sticking between two faces. Overall though the game is enjoyable and will remain on my iPad ### 4/5 — Not Bad *2018-12-30* Positives Engaging theme with nice quick clean gameplay. Easy to pick up and have a game or two without massive investment in time/energy. Definitely worth getting Needs improvement The game relies heavily on the random element of the dice - which seem to be particularly harsh. I have also had a couple of occasions where they don’t land properly and you can not continue (work around - close game then go back in and resume). The dragging of cards to play is a frustrating lottery so new I double tap and select play. Needs a bit of tidying up guys! ### 4/5 — Great game, but dodgy dice! *2018-08-20* I love the game (owning both the physical and digital versions) - it’s a superb little solo player with a need to switch strategy repeatedly to react to the Terror cards & dice rolls. However - there are 2 issues: 1. The dice rolls. The dice often stop balanced on an edge, and if it’s precisely between faces it won’t recognise the roll & the game gets stuck. The dice-rolling code needs to be fixed to prevent that. 2. The first expansion is locked with no option to buy it. Why is that? The others can all be bought. Is he an automatic unlock if you meet certain criteria after playing the base game? **Developer response:** I haven't actually seen any instances of #1. In 1 in 1000 rolls, a die will take a very long time to completely stop moving. This sounds like your case. It's pretty tough to reproduce. 2. I decided to give the first expansion away for free rather than selling it. You just have to prove you're ready for it by beating the first 3 at least once. If you read that villain's info, you can see that mentioned right at the end. ### 4/5 — Good game, not buggy but needs a visual upgrade *2018-07-04, version 1.4.1* As much as I wanna say the dice are rigged, it's a good game that works. I haven't encountered any major bugs and the dice issue is fixed. The main problem I have with it is that it looks ugly. I'm not really expecting fancy graphics and animations but it would be nice to get a visual upgrade. But for $1, it's a good game. ### 3/5 — Good start, looking forward to improvements *2018-02-17, version 1.1.2* I have the physical game with all expansions. This is a great way to enjoy the game "on the fly" during my commute, waiting for meetings, etc... Like most all new apps, it needs a little polish. The recent update (hopefully) fixed the irritating issue found in other games with 3D dice rolling - they roll around forever and often get "stuck" on an edge. It would be great if in the settings you could just turn off 3D dice. I would rate the app a full star higher if it weren't for the microscopic (and incomplete) card titles. I realize it's not possible to show card text at the app's resolution and that holding on a card magnifies it however, if you can't read the name of the card in the first place (the names are literally incomplete) then you wind up having to press and hold each and every card, each and every time. ### 4/5 — Great port of solo tabletop *2018-02-13* This is a really great port of a classic solo tabletop game. Only one expansion so far but I’m sure more are on the way. Great fun! ### 3/5 — It's okay *2018-02-10, version 1.1.0* The game itself is pretty good, but it's luck heavy dependent on dice rolls. The app looks a little dated. When you roll the dice, the dice move really slow. Also, if the dice roll onto a corner, it's automatically considered a failed roll. They should be rerolled because it pushes the already bleak odds further away. Animation of the cards could be improved, but more importantly, there should be an option to either turn them off or dramatically increase their speed. **Developer response:** Dice moving into a corner is NOT considerred a failed roll. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — It cheats, because that is the only way it can beat you *2023-02-23, version 1.4.2* You make the right play, and in response you somehow always get a crappy die roll that ruins things for you, or just the wrong terror card shows up to undo everything you’ve accomplished. Always. There is no ‘AI’ in this game - it just cheats against you so it can ‘win’. ### 1/5 — Meh *2021-05-11* Way to dependent on luck. ### 1/5 — Too many bugs *2018-02-28, version 1.1.3* Tried to play 4 games, each ended a game breaking bug. It would be fun if it was playable. **Developer response:** Please report any bugs that you find to my email address. I am not aware of any serious bugs in the app nor have any been reported by numerous beta-testers. ### 2/5 — I want to love this game *2021-08-23, version 1.4.2* I have really bad luck with dice in real life, but I really think the algorithm for the dice in this game is designed to roll bad 90% of the time. Other then the this I like the game. ### 2/5 — Disappointing *2019-08-28* The dice rolls are terrible, it feels like the game wants you to loose. Very rarely do you get a good roll. ### 2/5 — 70%?? *2018-05-21, version 1.3.1* I’m glad they insist the luck isn’t dominant. When I finally win one game using the exact moves they suggest for me, then I’ll believe their claim that you should beat the first abductor ~70% of the time. Lol **Developer response:** OK. Don't believe me. I can win against the first 3 bad guys about 80% of the time - and lots of other players can too. Why not visit boardgamegeek for some tips or to chat about it. ### 2/5 — Probably okay if you know the rules before playing. *2018-05-10* Interface seemed clunky and unpolished. Even though I enabled the tutorial in the settings, I did not get any help during gameplay. Probably would have enjoyed this more if I had received help or had a rulebook to look at. **Developer response:** You need to play games against the first villain and then tell the chief that you want help when the game starts and you will get LOTS and LOTS of advice. ### 2/5 — Bad use of visuals *2018-02-18, version 1.1.2* You know, when you have one zoom feature, that’s good. When it uses less than a third of the screen, that’s bad. When you have TWO zoom features, you are already saying that your first zoom was just rubbish. And when the second still uses less than half, you are just nuts. Overall, a very bad use of screen real estate makes this feel like there was no attention at all to visual design. ### 3/5 — No tutorial on phone *2021-09-12, version 1.4.2* I see the tutorial when playing on iPad but not iPhone. It is enabled in the settings but doesn’t actually come up when playing on phone ### 3/5 — Looks and plays like it was made in 1993 *2021-08-08, version 1.4.2* It is good at simulating the card game, but the software looks antequated and is a bit clunky on ipad. It was clearly made for PC and was hastily ported. It’s a fun, but not polished experience. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Wonderful game *2023-06-26* The board game is one of my favorite solitaire games and this app is a good, faithful adaptation. Beat the first the abductors and immediately bought the next three! Sure, it’s not the best-looking interface, and I’ve noticed a few small issues with the way the achievements are calculated and unlock, but the actual gameplay is smooth and bug-free. Great way to enjoy the game when in bed, on the throne, on the road. I only wish it was still getting updates. I’d gladly purchase any and all expansions they put out. More abductor packs, Crime Wave, Career Mode, all of it! And a few interface tweaks would be gravy. Like skipping or at least speeding up the card animations. Maybe another pass of polish on the visuals? ### 5/5 — Brilliant game *2021-08-11* I have the physical version of this but bought this for on the go. The app does a great job of teaching you the rules and showing you different strategies. It was worth the money even if you just want to learn how to play. the dice could do with a little fix as they do get stuck on an angle quite a few times so your not sure what face it landed on and have to rely on the computer telling you what was rolled but that’s a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. ### 5/5 — Great game *2020-08-14* Very strategic game. You play a card for the defensive play then flip the card for your offensive play. Excellent port. ### 5/5 — Good game *2019-12-02* Easy to learn but with a lot of challenge, it’s a tense and rewarding game, very nicely done, recommended. ### 5/5 — Fun and Challenging *2018-02-25, version 1.1.3* Enjoying the app while waiting for the physical game to be shipped. ### 5/5 — Love it. Difficult. Great adaptation of the board game. *2018-02-21, version 1.1.2* I have always loved the board game Hostage Negotiator and have purchased all of the content for my game table. I feel this app has captured the game extremely well and I love playing. ### 5/5 — Darkly themed fun *2018-02-17, version 1.1.2* The game is very frustrating, to be sure, but very compelling and original. An interesting strongly themed dice rolling card game with light deck building. I really appreciate how the game's handy advisor doesn't simply suggest moves but fully explains its reasoning in most cases. ### 5/5 — One of the best games in cardboard goes digital! *2018-02-09, version 1.1.0* This legitimately on of the greatest solo games ever designed for tabletop and they’ve done a tremendous job getting the app to match the experience on the table. ### 4/5 — Tough to win but fun *2021-11-27, version 1.4.2* Still evolving strategies. Some insanely bad luck with dice at times but challenging. Quick game for times when you want to squeeze in a game in 20 minutes or less. ### 4/5 — I prefer to the physical game in a lot of ways. *2021-11-11, version 1.4.2* It is still quite stressful as games go, but with the physical version it is so easy to scrap a bad game when things seem like they are unrecoverable. I have twice now won in situations that seemed hopeless. The dice also seem to roll slightly more favorably than the real dice which makes this game easier to play. My preference here may have as much to do with the game itself as it does when and where I play it. I play the app when there is not much better to do and I am waiting for something. When I am playing the physical game, I have dozens of other options. Bottom line: it’s a good game turned into a serviceable app with an ugly interface and a good way to burn 20 minutes. There certainly worse ways you could blow 5 dollars. --- *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 2026-06-10.*