# Musket Smoke — user reviews > 89 indexed App Store user reviews of Musket Smoke by Woodie Dovich, rated 4.80/5 from 99 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musket-smoke/id436684234/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musket-smoke/id436684234.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 83 · 4★ 10 · 3★ 4 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 0 ## What do users think of Musket Smoke? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - ♟️ Deep tactical strategy gameplay - 👥 Welcoming and helpful community - 🎮 Easy to learn, hard to master - ⚔️ Napoleonic era warfare authenticity - 🔄 Asynchronous multiplayer functionality - 🎯 Non-random deterministic damage system - 📚 Comprehensive tutorial and manual - 🎨 Clean and intuitive UI design - ⏱️ Quick turn-based gameplay pace - 🤖 Competent AI opponents - 🔁 High replayability and variety - 💰 Affordable pricing model - 🛠️ Regular updates and developer support - 🌍 Active global player base **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs - 🌧️ Weather effects (rain) affect all games simultaneously - 👤 Limited player base for matchmaking - 🎮 Steep learning curve for newcomers - 🎯 Experienced players dominate online matches - 🔧 Solo play experience is limited - 📱 Wind indicator removed from solo play - 🎪 Campaign mode lacks offline functionality **Commonly reported bugs** - Glitches causing turn replays - Controlling opponent troops unintentionally - Campaign download failures - Multiplayer synchronization issues - Wind indicator missing from solo play despite manual reference **Most requested features** - Larger maps with more units - Additional campaign scenarios - Map editor functionality - Offline campaign mode with full features - More solo/single-player content - Ability to purchase additional maps - Bigger army sizes (10,000+ units) - Improved matchmaking system with game availability info - Friend system in-game - Historical battle scenarios - More unit variety and customization - Better solo training to reflect multiplayer unpredictability ## Newest reviews (15 of 89) ### 5/5 — Awesome *2021-10-09, version 1.871* Awesome ### 5/5 — Tactical combat at it’s most engaging! *2019-10-11* Even the best players will be challenged. Little mistakes can be overcome and learned from although tempting targets will be there to lure you into danger. Risk vs. reward should be on your mind. The American Civil war buffs will enjoy the similar tactics of game play. Rewarding point system keeps me hungry for scores. The fall back option can alleviate the stress of a poorly managed campaign scenario. The fog of war can be created by the armies themselves and can be tricky for the unwitting. First contact is as unnerving as it should be as you can never tell how creative your opponent will be. Playing is simple yet being cold and calculating will bring the best results. Free to try, inexpensive to buy. This is a well thought out and well put together game Come and see for yourself. ### 5/5 — Getting that brain working! *2019-05-17, version 1.871* Reminds me of my chess days: more cerebral than most games on here...and accessible at the same time. Some very friendly and helpful veterans helping me out with tips and tricks. Easyish to play; hard to master. Fun! ### 5/5 — Takes awhile to learn *2019-03-26, version 1.871* Good game ### 5/5 — Great Game *2019-03-25, version 1.871* Fantastic game. A map editor and an offline campaign mode would be a nice addition ### 5/5 — Should be a indie choice game. *2019-01-07, version 1.871* It’s like all those napoleonic battles / unit symbol animations of battles come to a workable game format. ### 5/5 — Great strategy game *2018-10-31, version 1.87* You get cavalry, musketeers, pikemen and cannons. Detailed tutorial shows you how best to use them for flanking attacks, charges, bombardment. Smoke appears after heavy gunfire and blocks line of sight. After the tutorial you can practice, or go online for mini battles. Great game that rewards careful strategy! ### 5/5 — Great turn based hex wargame *2018-06-15* One of the best games on iPad hands down, rivals chess, IMO. If you like Napoleonic era war gaming Musket Smoke is a must to try out as the gaming system is very realistic and great fun to play. Additionally, the Naarden campaign is well worth it and offers an added dimension of fog of war and hidden units out of line of sight. Very realistic. There have been several updates to make the game a bit more fair for newcomers. I think they will work out in the end to make an improved MS. Do not be troubled if you do not win your first several campaigns. There are a lot of experienced players who will offer suggestions if asked. Excellent support, already had several questions answered. ### 5/5 — great depth and replay value *2018-05-19* This game has a steep learning curve (but quite good tutorial and practice matches). But as you figure out the nuances, it becomes more and more interesting and challenging. And the community of players is pretty welcoming and helpful in figuring things out. Highly recommended. I haven't had time to play lately and am just getting back to it - impressed enough again to update my review :) ### 5/5 — Great game! *2018-04-18, version 1.87* Heck of a learning curve, but great community support! ### 5/5 — Best game ever *2018-03-20* I have this on my IPhone and it is the best. I am always looking for games with strategies and old time weapons, ever since then I have been hunting games like this one and guess what?! I am here now and I love it!!!! ### 5/5 — Great game *2018-02-02, version 1.87* I’ve never had so much fun ### 5/5 — LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!👍🏻💜😃 *2018-01-09* One of the most enjoyable game experiences ever! Kill their leader, make them surrender, or keep them from completing the mission. It's that simple...but it's much, much more challenging to master. 907bigdogak ### 5/5 — New player training rule is flawed *2017-12-23* The game itself is great. The new player zone training mod however is flawed. As some player deliberately take advantage of it to not kill any unit while killing as many men as possible. its now fixed. Great game **Developer response:** The enforced training mode was removed. Thanks for reporting. ### 5/5 — Very Interesting *2017-11-12, version 1.85* Extremely enticing, good strategy and fun to play, however multiplayer sometimes has some bugs(replaying same turn or controlling the opponents troops) Also hope for more single player content(campaign or one with smoke and line of sight) ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 3/5 — Bad glitches. *2026-02-16, version 1.871* Great concept but glitches a lot ### 4/5 — AWESOME LITTLE GEM!! *2024-11-12, version 1.871* This game is pretty awesome. The tactics part in depth.. I would love to see more updates in the future. ### 4/5 — Increase sales? Add true solo play! *2019-11-22* Right up there with Carrier Battles for Guadalcanal (CBFG). I gave MS 4 stars. The developer DID clearly state that MS is a multiplayer game but I was hoping for a decent solo play experience too since there were Tutorials and Solo Training. I was wrong. No joy for solo play so I’m deleting MS. As a professional iOS game reviewer wrote recently, developers maybe realizing that there is a big market for solo play games. I don’t play MMOs, multiplayer (Not completely true. I did play Doom when it first could use Novell Networks), nor online games. I’ve had way more negative experiences than good ones. Less BS and more enjoyment. The solo play in MS is crippled not giving wind the indicator, etc. (Why remove that (or why leave it in the manual just with lines through it?)) It’s the whole page. Just remove it. And no campaigns. I was drooling at the way this game is designed when I dug into the manual. And it’s my favorite period of warfare history. (I would love to find a tank warfare (local solo play) sim/game with MS level of detail and depth of strategy. The search continues. Add a true solo game feature and I’d gladly pay for it as an add on with the great play detail with the multiplayer! ### 4/5 — Buy This *2019-08-01* Easy to play, hard to master. The community of players is welcoming and the games variable. I would like the designers to develop other games and substantially improve the solo training to better reflect the unpredictability the player will encounter in head-to-head play. ### 4/5 — Hidden gem! *2019-04-24* A great game with a simple to understand but still interesting combat system. Its only really worth getting for the expansion pack, and now a days only the best players still play, so it’s hard to get involved. Still fun even as you lose though, and you can always improve! ### 4/5 — Endless fun *2016-02-18, version 1.62* I don't know how a game can be simple AND incredibly tactical but this one is. Fans of tactical war games must purchase this title. The campaign even allows for some strategic maneuvering. Addicting. ### 4/5 — Great little game, lots of replay *2015-06-07, version 1.59* Great game ... Easy to play, hard to master. Growing fanbase means plenty of opponents, too. The in game purchase is cheap and gives us a great campaign game. Worth it, ### 4/5 — Realistic Battle ism *2014-08-17, version 1.53* Could do with more campaigns but very enjoyable ### 4/5 — Not bad *2014-04-20, version 1.21* Like it very much. Only improvements I would like: 1 bigger map with more units 2 ability to build a entire scenario from scratch. In a later add on? ### 5/5 — Great tactical wargame *2025-12-30* One of the best implementations of flanking, morale, Napoleonic-era combined arms I have seen. Really easy asynchronous turn-based multiplayer. My only complaint is not having enough active opponents. ## Most praised reviews (9 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best Game on iOS by far !!!!! *2025-10-02, version 1.871* Buy this game !!!! ### 5/5 — Best Turn Based Strategy Game Available *2025-08-11* This is a fantastic turn based strategy game. Only takes a couple of games to learn and is far and away the best strategy game for iPhone. ### 5/5 — Underrated Gem *2024-10-17* The Best Turn Based Strategy Game on mobile and perhaps also the best Strategy Game I’ve ever played as well. Chess is too linear and you must memorize a billion gambits for it to be great, Subterfuge may have diplomacy but a single game takes forever (not to mention it looks gross since the recent update), and Total War games have moronic AI at times and no PVP on mobile. Musket Smoke although complex has a certainty to it and times and not to mention it lets you build your own armies. You can play multiple games at once for free and quickly visit them through the day, resolving them relatively quickly. The Naarden campaign has pvp like no other game. 10/10 ### 5/5 — Chess on steroids *2024-02-27, version 1.871* This is a great game for all levels - very good tutorial feature to get you up to speed - gameplay is easy to grasp - lots of global players eager to teach you and then beat you - many scenarios to keep you interested Have played for 3+ yrs now and still finding out new plays ### 5/5 — Great! *2023-04-21, version 1.871* This is a really fun game! Great tactics, love flanking units and shredding them to pieces. Wish there was bigger maps against ai, perhaps a future update? Overall, a very fun, intense, interesting game! Would definitely recommend. ### 5/5 — review *2023-04-15* this game is awsome. play it! It takes getting used to. But once you’ve learned how it works, the campaigns are extremely fun. ### 5/5 — Great throwback to old board games *2022-11-15* Enjoying the system … exactly as advertised. Simple enough but complex in tactics and this game definitely reminds of playing old SPI games in the basement back in the day. One can imagine lots of applications of the system. Hope to see lots more battles and or campaigns. Highly recommended throwback game. A little wonky, but that’s cool with me. ### 5/5 — Best turn-based tactics on mobile *2022-07-12* This game really is great, a fun challenge against other players or the very good AI. Combined arms in the age of flintlocks, pikes, cavalry and cannon. Infantry squares, gore piles, routs. Get it! I want the sequel. ### 5/5 — Chess with more pieces *2021-10-16* I love this game. Matches take weeks at a time if they’re good. Consequences are harsh. If you lose you can always rematch and learn more from your opponent. It’s a great game of sacrifice or defense. Every unit can survive the battle if you choose or if you really want you can sacrifice one for a greater reward. I purchased the campaign ‘cause I liked this game so much and after purchasing the campaign it’s really all I play. For those that like action and reaction and thinking about those things before they happen this game is great. --- *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 2026-06-08.*