# Mancala Adventures: Board Game — user reviews > 235 indexed App Store user reviews of Mancala Adventures by Carry1st, rated 4.50/5 from 965 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancala-adventures-board-game/id1518590369/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mancala-adventures-board-game/id1518590369.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 820 · 4★ 11 · 3★ 18 · 2★ 28 · 1★ 88 ## What do users think of Mancala Adventures? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🚀 Fun game - 👍 Nostalgic childhood game - 🤩 Unique twist on Mancala - 💡 Customizable avatar - 👍 Easy to learn **Cons** - 🐛 Glitches and bugs - 💰 Excessive ads and in-app purchases - ⚠️ Unfair AI opponent with unlimited power-ups - 🤯 Levels become impossibly difficult - 🤖 Gameplay not true to traditional Mancala rules **Commonly reported bugs** - Game freezing or crashing - Levels not progressing properly after winning - Power-ups not working as intended - Coins/gems disappearing or not being awarded correctly **Most requested features** - Option to disable power-ups and play classic Mancala - More lives or a way to earn them faster - Reduce frequency of ads - Multiplayer mode against real opponents - More customization options for avatar ## Newest reviews (14 of 235) ### 2/5 — Multiplayer *2026-03-10, version 0.165.2* Are you able to bring back the multiplayer option to play with others? ### 3/5 — 1000 levels *2025-12-04, version 0.165.2* I finished it what am I suppose to do now ### 3/5 — A decent game, would be great without the boosts. *2025-10-28* This is a pretty good game. I’ve read reviews from people who got used to the perks. However after being frustrated with them for over 400 levels I can’t get used to them. I wish there was a way to disable them. The fun is leaking out of this game quickly. **Developer response:** Hi RChadC, We appreciate your honest feedback on our game. Please contact us at mancala@carry1st.com with any suggestions on how we can optimize your gameplay experience and earn a 5-star rating from you. ### 2/5 — Ridiculous ads *2025-10-25, version 0.163.2* The game is really good. You get uses to the powerups. But the ads are ridiculous! After every game it’s an ad no matter what. It just makes me want to close the game. It’s screaming purchase! purchase! It’s so upsetting at this point. ### 1/5 — Nope *2025-10-15, version 0.163.2* The game gets to a point where you are forced to watch ads to keep playing you don’t get hearts if you don’t play them game and when you get to a certain level you just can’t beat them ### 1/5 — Adds *2025-10-05, version 0.163.2* If you give someone the option to watch an add and they say no you shouldn’t then force them to watch an add. ### 2/5 — Multiplayer *2025-10-02, version 0.163.2* It used to have multiplayer game. But seems like it vanished. Was more fun when it allowed to play with others ### 2/5 — Games fun but enemies get powerups *2025-09-28, version 0.162.2* Love mancala and adding powerups is a cool idea except when you get a limited amount of them and have to watch ads or pay money for more, but the enemies get to use 1 of each every game ### 1/5 — You ruined Mancala *2025-09-25, version 0.162.2* What’s with the bots???? I don’t wanna play against something that is for sure gonna be given power ups no matter what. I’d rather play against real people. I’ve never hated a game so much as I hate this one. I will just finish playing enough levels to get the payouts from another app. Mancala is a childhood favorite game of mine and you literally destroyed it. Get AI or whatever bots you have out of it! ### 1/5 — Gets too hard to pass a level after a while *2025-09-20* It was fun at first until you’re unable to pass any levels unless you use your diamonds and watch ads. It’s also unfair how the opponent can revive their items for free while we gotta watch ads or pay for the items. Not to mention after you’ve beaten the “king” final boss, you’re basically starting the whole storyline over. I would not recommend anyone to download this game unless you’d want to be bored by the mundane storyline, and frustrating yourself by trying to pass any levels without using your money or watching ads. Please do better. **Developer response:** Hi Table, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We regret to hear that certain aspects of the game have caused frustration, particularly regarding level progression, item revival, and storyline repetition. Your concerns about the balance between player and opponent advantages, as well as the reliance on ads or purchases, are duly noted. Please be assured that your feedback is valuable and will be shared with our development team as we continue working to improve the overall gameplay experience. ### 1/5 — Never written a review *2025-09-18, version 0.162.2* To many ads! And force to pay to get ad free. Ad after every game play. Make it hard on purpose so your forced to buy there packages. I’m about to start charging company for forcing me to watch ads lol ### 2/5 — Super unfun & unfairly hard *2025-09-14, version 0.161.2* I’m pretty sure they make it ridiculously hard on purpose in order to make more money. I have played many in app purchase games, but never have I played a game that was THIS hard in a way that makes it seem like the developers are purposefully making the level impossible to win in order to bait you to spend money on it. Because of how hard it is, you basically need to watch 16 ads before you win a single level. In order to avoid that, you’d basically have to use & buy the powers every level, because unlike other in app purchases games, they’re 100% necessary to beating the levels on the first try; I’ve never ever won a level past level 20 on the first try except for the one time I caved and used 2 of the 6 starting free powers they gave us. Why can the bots you play against use 3 powers a level but I have to pay money to use the same powers? No game I’ve played with in app purchases (and again, I’ve played a lot!) lets the bots use powers that are pay only for users beyond maybe once or on certain harder levels. This game lets them use all of them every single level. And also, if you want to win a single level in one sitting, you can’t, because while the levels take 10+ tries, the lives run out after around 5 tries and you have to wait a while or watch an ad per life or pay to get more. While having lives is normal for this type of game, it doesn’t usually take even close to more than 5 tries to win a level in other games. At some point a game becomes so hard that it becomes unfun. It’s not like I was 100 levels in - it became impossibly hard by level 15-20, and I never got past level 40 because I had to replay each level 10+ times before I could win. While you might think I’m just bad at this game, you can look at the other reviews saying the exact same thing. But even without that, as I’ve said, I’ve played numerous phone games and even other Mancala phone games and never had this much of a problem, so clearly something about this game is making it almost impossible to win without trying a bunch. I think the main thing making it so hard is the bots’ ability to basically cheat by using the powers all at once in one move. This makes it almost impossible to strategize your turn because the bots can make moves you can’t possibly have predicted. They do this by using every single power to completely change the makeup of the board in a single turn and then gain 15+ points and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Plus, you can’t strategize based on what happened last time you played the level because the same level changes set up every time you try again; not just who starts, not just what move the bot makes first, but even where the pieces are located. As I said, I play a lot of games that have in app purchases so don’t get me wrong, I know this is par for the course in some ways; the app developers are always trying to get you to make a purchase to win a level. But it’s never been this bad, ever. Do not give this game your attention or your time. Playing this game will be frustrating, not enjoyable. ### 1/5 — Mixed feelings *2025-08-19* First of all, I’m genuinely enjoy with this amazing game with features that I can play with different difficulty levels. But it’s really necessary to see robots do all powers to take all of them. I have to use one time to use for them? How it’s fair? I find this is really like that? Game should be let FINISH when you are reaching that number not like oh robot got all them and beat me… lol I was like right there to get close number. But I give this game 1/5 rate. you have to fix with fairness game lol **Developer response:** Hi Jianaa21, Thank you for sharing your gameplay experience. We sincerely understand your concern; however, our development team is working on adjusting this to ensure our passionate players enjoy the game with more fairness at all times. We hope we get more ratings from you if you enjoy our fun game. ### 1/5 — Vibe This *2025-08-04, version 0.157.2* I can’t tell you how many times the opponent won without actually clearing their side or reaching the amount, like they know they need to cheat for you to spend money, or, it was Vibe Coded and never really tested. Whatever it is, it’s not cool. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Nope *2026-07-04, version 0.165.2* The game gets to a point where you are forced to watch ads to keep playing you don’t get hearts if you don’t play them game it’s just stupid asf and honestly the creator of this game needs to die because he is milking people of there money because you have to pay to get heats now when your run out ### 1/5 — App broken *2026-06-08, version 0.165.2* Everytime I try to use the app it doesn’t load. It’s stuck on the opening picture after the fireworks. Please fix your app ### 1/5 — Not 2 player *2026-05-26, version 0.165.2* Description says it’s multiplayer and PvP. It is not. It is a level based version of Mancala that starts each level with a preset board with goals to accomplish. ### 1/5 — Bugging out *2026-04-13, version 0.165.2* The app will act like it’s loading and once the bar is complete it just stays on the opening screen. I haven’t been about to play in almost 2 months. ### 1/5 — Please make an option to play without power up’s!!!!!!!! *2026-03-04* I understand that some people like them, but it honestly gets old when you are losing after two rounds of a game because the computer you are playing with uses two to three power up’s on every turn. It’s also very unfair that you have a limited amount, but the number of power up’s that your opponent is given restarts every game. It is impossible to win, and the lives you are given run out very fast when the computer has reached 25 rocks with their power up’s before you’ve even made your third or fourth move. I don’t like using them myself because I want to play real Mancala, not this. No offense to the developers, but if an option to play without these power up’s does not become available, I will be deleting this app. It is so frustrating when you are about to win based on skill, but the computer pulls out multiple power up’s at the last minute to cause you to lose. **Developer response:** Hi Player. We’re truly sorry to hear how frustrating this has been for you. We understand your concerns about power-ups and appreciate your sharing such detailed feedback. Our team is always working to improve the gameplay experience. If you need any help with the game, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at mancala@carry1st.com — we’d be glad to assist. ### 1/5 — Lost My Progress *2026-02-21, version 0.165.2* I uninstalled the app and lost all my progress and been waiting weeks back for a email. Customer Service is just the best here I guess 😕 ### 1/5 — Was really hoping for better! *2026-01-22, version 0.165.2* YOU GET NO MORE THAN 10 LEVELS AND IT BECOMES INSANELY DIFFICULT !!!!!!!!! I was really hoping this game was different! You make me use my power up? Why can’t I just play until the game is won? Really poor game, fix it! I didn’t think the more I played the worse the game got! ### 1/5 — Good luck *2025-11-07, version 0.165.2* Power ups make the game unplayable unless you want to pay for them too. App loads ai down with power ups and after a few levels you won’t be able to win without spending money on them yourself. Ruins an otherwise solid app. ### 1/5 — New update ruined game *2025-10-30, version 0.163.2* The new update completely ruined this game for me. It used to be fun but now it’s forcing you to use the “special moves” or forcing you into making specific plays, deleting this and getting a better now now. ### 1/5 — I love the game hate the sounds *2025-10-18, version 0.163.2* I absolutely love this game but I hate sounds and music on some mobile games so I turn them off. But for some reason on this game the sounds for and extra turn or capturing still plays and it’s aggravating. Especially since I paid to remove the adds, that’s also a testament to how much I enjoy this game. I’ll rate higher if it ever gets fixed. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Unless you have plenty of money don’t play it *2025-12-29* spent so much money on this game trying to just be able to have the things that the other player has so that I can win and it’s ridiculous I do like the game it is nice. there’s way too many ads in the game so they’re already making money like that so then they shouldn’t be taxing their players the way they are just to win the game. but the thing is that unless you’re rich and you have plenty of money it’s game with little rewards and lots and lots of paying out and it’s not even fun anymore I’m on like Level 100 and it’s ridiculous the amount of money I have to pay to be able to beat these people because they send those little bots in with an artillery of different things to kill you so that you can’t beat it I play the same level over and over and over again and there’s just no way to beat it unless you have unless you pay out big-time . im probably out like $400 on just this one game.. and unfortunately it stops today I can’t beat the guy because he’s stacked with his whole artillery full of things to kill me that’s not how this game is actually played there is no freaking bombs and other things to kill you to steal your marbles n its not right and I don’t wanna pay anymore I’ve paid enough. developers need to realize that there’s real people playing real games here that enjoy their games that they’re ruining and I’m sure I’m not the only one stop trying to profit off of us and just make the game you already have the ads to make money it’s ridiculous what you’re doing. **Developer response:** Hi Pennmj, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We’re truly sorry to hear about your frustration regarding ads, purchases, and gameplay balance. Your feedback is very important, and we understand how discouraging it can feel when progress seems tied to spending. Please know that we’ll forward your comments to our development team for review as we continue working to improve the game. ### 5/5 — Easy, Stressfree *2025-09-21* I’ve seen a lot of low reviews and it’s kind of surprising. At first, I hated the opponents power ups. I thought the game was the original game of Mancala so the use of power ups was confusing at first. However, once you realize how they work, it’s a fun game. I wish there was a game play where you also could just play the basic board game without the power ups as well though. I’ve read a few reviews saying it’s impossible or really difficult, but Mancala is a puzzle game 😭 it’s not supposed to be easy. It’s about strategy. And you can watch an ad for more power ups if you need, so I don’t see it as a dealbreaker. I’ve completed all levels right now so I can speak on it that it’s not impossible, you just gotta learn the power ups and use strategy. It’s honestly fun, not super exciting but it’s not supposed to be. It makes time pass and it’s not stressful. It’s genuinely my most played game on my phone. I also really love strategy and puzzle games so if you’re more into action then this isn’t for you. **Developer response:** Hi lyss.alyssa0, Thank you for the thoughtful 5-star rating and for sharing your gameplay experience in such detail. We're glad to know that once you got familiar with the power-ups, the game became enjoyable and rewarding. Your insights on strategy and gameplay are spot-on, and we appreciate your suggestion about offering a classic mode without power-ups—we’ll be sure to pass that along to the team. It’s wonderful to know the game has become a favorite for you, and we’re grateful for your support! ### 5/5 — Love this game!!!!! *2025-09-20, version 0.162.2* I love this game. It has power up that comes in handy and you can make an avatar. I love that you get chests that have more items. I would recommend this game to anyone who loves board games with twists. ### 5/5 — Fun gaming *2025-09-13, version 0.161.2* Not boring like the other app games I like the challenge ! ### 5/5 — My Review on the game *2025-08-20, version 0.159.2* I really enjoyed the game it’s so fun to play ### 5/5 — Love it *2025-08-19, version 0.159.2* Very nice to game….got a nice interface and very easy to start with ### 5/5 — Finished levels *2025-06-26, version 0.153.2* I love it I finished all 1,000 levels hoping they make more I don’t really like the battles there too easy ### 5/5 — Good game *2025-05-11, version 0.152.2* Good game but make that game have 5 stars ### 5/5 — Fun *2025-03-12, version 0.146.2* It’s a fun game ### 5/5 — I love this game! *2025-02-14, version 0.143.2* It can be challenging at times but it’s so fun! --- *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 2026-09-06.*