# Pawnbarian — user reviews > 153 indexed App Store user reviews of Pawnbarian by Jan Wojtecki, rated 4.20/5 from 354 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pawnbarian/id1510583444/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pawnbarian/id1510583444.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 238 · 4★ 50 · 3★ 13 · 2★ 8 · 1★ 45 ## What do users think of Pawnbarian? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 👍 Great concept - 🚀 Smooth gameplay - 💡 Unique chess-like mechanics - 🎨 Excellent art style - 🔊 Impressive sound design **Cons** - 🔒 Paywall for full game - 🕹️ Steep learning curve - 🐛 Inconsistent enemy behavior - 🕰️ Limited content in free version **Commonly reported bugs** - Unexpected attacks during player turns - Glitches with Apple Pencil input **Most requested features** - More levels and dungeons - Additional character classes - Difficulty settings - Achievements/progression system - Controller support ## Newest reviews (16 of 153) ### 4/5 — Want more levels. *2025-12-20, version 1.2.11* Good game! I just wish there were more levels. ### 3/5 — Fun for a couple days *2025-08-03, version 1.2.11* This game was super fun at the beginning and beating the first few campaigns with different characters, however, it definitely gets boring after a few days. Maybe they are working on a new update, but so far there is a very limited amount of enemies and gameplay. ### 4/5 — Please make the game free *2025-05-27, version 1.2.11* I am almost 10 years old and I don’t have an allowance, so it is impossible for me to get the full game ### 4/5 — Decent *2025-03-28* This game is fun, would give it a 7.5/10 if possible. The game looks and sounds great, but has some core gameplay issues. Some character/stage combinations are really tedious to win (ie the guy that HAS to take more turns when he gets hurt versus the area that punishes you for that) to the point where it feels like they were designed independent of one-another. Looping feels like an afterthought where the game forces you into a specific character set-up because of how bloated the enemy numbers and effects get. Just difficulty for the sake of difficulty with little nuance (since you’re still limited to 3 options at all times but the number of bad moves becomes “all of them”). This is also one of the few games I’ve seen advertise things that AREN’T in the game so proudly, since the “elegant system” it talks about gets completely borked by later loops. I’d still pick it up, but keep in mind that the game falls apart at later loops. ### 4/5 — The game is good but just 1 Annoying feature *2025-03-17* So I made it to Chain 5 with Pawnbarian and I can’t do anything because the Bilght is Awful, there’s basically nothing to combat it and it’s just there permanently, I just want it to be nerfed a bit so it’s more Possible to avoid Damage, so I suggest making it so after a couple turns 1 Blight is removed from a square that has it, I kid you not I had a match with a square that had 11 BLIGHT and there was nothing I could do to avoid Dying, and it is simple but will be effective enough to actually make this game a little more Enjoyable ### 5/5 — Worth 5 bucks *2025-02-23* One of the best games i have played before, it’s unique fun and doesn’t require internet like 98.7% of the “games” on the app store at the moment. The full version is so worth it i wish this game had come put sooner so i could have played during 2020 because this game is also amazing to pass time. My personal favorite character is the Cappyzerker because its ment for combos and destruction, even if it makes the fortress level harder (none of this is relevant unless you buy the full version(which is worth it btw)) People who leave reviews on the app store like i have seen expect everything for free because about all of them are children under the age of 13 and want everything on a silver platter. Actual criticism: there are only 3 maps and about 5 billion characters to play. Add some more maps please. The game gets repetitive, and i know the dev can’t fix this too easily but its just useful info for anyone getting the game who bothers to read this essay, and (i hate to say this) but i feel that more should be in the free version since you only get one world and one character, and since a world is only 8 stages, you could finish the game in under half an hour. ### 5/5 — Goated game *2025-02-22* Even without full game i played for hours without a break. Full game gives you even more levels and new enemies that are really unique. Each level has their own theme and characters revolve around that theme so you must build around that. The first level has goblins who dodge attacks so having the cantrip ability helps but on another there are enemies who attack when you use cantrip so you have to avoid using it. ### 4/5 — Игра не лишена достоинств *2025-02-19* Игра классно но в бесплатной версии играть 15 минут на две локации а Full версию не очень хочется покупать хотя игра классная любителям шахмат зайдёт! Ну 4 ⭐️ понятно почему бесплатная часть игры увлечёт на 10-15 мин ну можно переиграть пару раз и всё делать нечего больше. ### 5/5 — I ain’t complaining *2025-02-16, version 1.2.11* I don’t have the money to pay for the rest even though I would love too, and before anyone says I’m whining or anything… I’m not. The game is really awesome from what I did play, but I’m not really allowed to buy anything (No I don’t go to Starbucks never have and never will, and no I don’t have social media either) ### 5/5 — Wow *2025-02-05, version 1.2.11* This game is as simple, and engaging as any game should be. Nothing crazy, just a modern twist on a classic that we all should know. Great job, guys. You deserve Game of the Year. Seriously. ### 5/5 — Great indie game *2025-02-04, version 1.2.11* I just finished the demo and had a lot of fun for like 15-30 minutes even if you didn’t buy the full thing the demo is worth the download at least once. I’m about to buy the full thing and see what the rest of this game has to offer. ### 5/5 — umm *2025-02-02, version 1.2.11* ya so ts is good bru ### 5/5 — People need to stop whining *2025-01-18* It’s 5 bucks. I know all of y’all be spending double that at Starbucks or drowning in unhealthy energy drinks or candy. Shut up bro. It’s literally 5 bucks. That game is really amazing and it actually makes you think. Unlike all of y’all with your TikTok addictions. Good job creator, this game is really good and it does not deserve a 4.2. It threw me off when I first started playing this. “The ratings should not be this low” I said. ### 2/5 — Buggy *2025-01-11, version 1.2.11* I’ve come into many situations where I get attacked during the middle of my turn, even if I didn’t use a cantrip. Frustrating. Premise of the game is great tho. ### 5/5 — Most Underrated Board/ Strategy ever! *2024-12-15, version 1.2.11* Pawnbarian is simply amazing, sure most of it is locked behind a cheap paywall, but the game is perfect! little to no ads and no internet, The gameplay is jist amazing and the simplicity of the visuals is so good, my #1 rated app store game! ### 4/5 — Перевод имба *2024-11-18* Как обычно, большая часть платно и толпа крови, но основа на шахматах, и это круто (кстати, на ChessVariantsPages можно найти вдохновение для дофига новых персонажей). Перевод вообще 👍🏽 ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Tasty Game *2026-01-27, version 1.2.11* I used to be a chess player when I was 6. makes me review my childhood with a taste of teenage in it. I recommand you to try the app although it has a preview before buying the whole game. I bought it myself. but honsetly it was a little too expensive. bc the variety of battlefileds is low. heroes are very well designed but if there just was more battlefields or even better a story that follows up differently for each hero it could be totally worth the money. I’d like developers to consider my idea. thanks for the game. Recommanded ✅ ### 1/5 — THIS ISNT A ROGUELIKE OR CHESS! *2025-12-30, version 1.2.11* No xp or cards. And You can push enemies for some unexplainable reason ### 1/5 — Cool Concept; Poor Execution *2025-06-13, version 1.2.11* Really cool idea for a game but man did the level dynamics and basic rules make no sense. The tutorial felt more like a riddle than a helpful guide. Maybe I’m just stupid but it the game isn’t self-explanatory at all and the explanations are unclear and vague. Also my Apple Pencil 2 was glitching and the game wouldn’t recognize the clicks. ### 1/5 — Not A Free Game *2025-02-14, version 1.2.11* Deceptive developers make the game appear to be free in the App Store, but you can only play it for about 10 minutes before you need to pay to play the full game. ### 1/5 — This is another demo disguised as a game *2024-10-02, version 1.2.11* Wow another game on the App Store that looks like a full game but forces you to pay? This is like, the 5th one this month. Anyway, this game would be okay as a rogue like game, if it was a free app, but it isn’t, it’s 5 dollars, which is insane with how small and simple the game is. ### 1/5 — Completely rng *2023-11-09, version 1.2.11* Spawn in unable to move because the cards im given aren’t usable in situation. Had like 7 hearts in a row taken because I literally can’t move. Then you spawn in a new room with 1 health and every square is red and very even has the dodge ability while I have no cards to hit them. Many times it’s literally impossible to do anything but sit there and die ### 1/5 — Great audio visuals. Incomprehensible play. *2023-07-12, version 1.2.11* Wasted 20 minutes trying to figure it out. Just makes the player feel dumb. Just when you think you’ve cracked the icon code the dynamics turn out to seem inconsistent. If you like games where the game is figuring out the mystery of how to win then this one is for you. Great visuals and sound effects. ### 1/5 — Unbalanced *2023-03-24, version 1.2.9* difficulty is extremely unbalanced ### 1/5 — Demo has almost 0 gameplay *2022-12-31, version 1.2.9* Demo is dog ### 1/5 — Don’t be fooled by this game, it’s a DEMO *2022-09-20, version 1.2.9* This game is incredibly misleading in the sense that you’re not getting a game, you’re getting a demo. You get one character, 2 dungeons (one is a tutorial), and a handful of mechanics. Then, the developer wants you to pay 7 whole dollars for the rest of the game, which includes about 4 more dungeons and about 7 more characters. Unless this paywall is hiding something amazing, I’m clearly missing something as to why anyone would buy it. Opening up a free game and seeing “buy full game” as one of the options, when there was no immediate indication that this is what the game was, was very disappointing. **Developer response:** Hey! I don't want to monetize my games with endless ads or microtransactions, so the only alternative would be a premium purchase without any free content to try out and let you judge if the full game is worth it. I did my best to be as transparent as possible about the demo model, it's the very first thing in the description. There are plenty of people who appreciate and prefer the pay once model, myself included. It's certainly not my intention to "fool" anyone. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Promising! *2026-04-11, version 1.2.11* Really enjoying the demo! Might pay for the whole game if my parents let me. Just wish there was more boards ### 5/5 — Great game *2025-11-02, version 1.2.11* A perfect mobile game. Great concept, wonderful character and enemy and dungeon variety, and a difficulty curve that grows at a good rate. Highly recommend. ### 5/5 — Really Enjoyable *2025-08-04, version 1.2.11* Came across this whilst searching for rouge-likes on the Appstore. What a great game really easy to pickup if you know chest and innovative ### 5/5 — A Hidden Gem *2025-07-15, version 1.2.11* This is such a great strategic and tactical game. Perfect for mobile. I’m a big fan of strategy gaming, such as Into the Breach and XCOM, and this game boils down the challenge into something so suitable for mobile. I don’t even like chess that much, but this game has been a please. Great work. ### 5/5 — Чудесно *2025-06-13* Сложность сбалансированна идеально, 2-3 раза проигрываешь и на четвёртый смакуешь. Механик достаточно много для разнообразия игры, даже без покупки полной версии. 10 пешек из 10 карт. ### 5/5 — Super addicting *2025-05-26, version 1.2.11* I could play this game for hours it’s just so addicting! ### 5/5 — Fantastic game *2025-04-13, version 1.2.11* This is a really cool indie game with some unique mechanics that make it really fresh to play. I enjoyed the free demo and will be buying the full game. Easy 5 stars ### 5/5 — yes *2025-04-10, version 1.2.11* chess and rogelike fan here so immediate 5 star ### 5/5 — Surprisingly good, kudos to dev *2025-04-09, version 1.2.11* Definitely going to purchase, the game has a nice twist to chess ### 5/5 — A One of a Kind Experience *2025-03-09, version 1.2.11* This game is a beautiful blend of chess rules with an incredibly addicting gameplay loop. Anyone who enjoys Fantasy/DnD type games and Chess, will find themselves enthralled and entertained. The mix of strategy and variance that what at what first glance seems simple but has more depth the longer you play. A wonderfully simplistic and intuitive game and a huge shoutout and thank you to the developer for such a unique and engaging experience. --- *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 2026-08-30.*