# Zen Shards - Idle Merge Game — user reviews > 435 indexed App Store user reviews of Zen Shards by Benjamin Metzger, rated 4.80/5 from 3,189 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-shards-idle-merge-game/id1494621990/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zen-shards-idle-merge-game/id1494621990.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,786 · 4★ 274 · 3★ 53 · 2★ 20 · 1★ 56 ## What do users think of Zen Shards? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Fun but relaxing - 🔒 No forced ads - 👍 Satisfying gameplay - 👍 Calming visuals and audio - 👍 Appreciative of player support **Cons** - 🐛 Progression can feel slow - 🐛 Occasional technical issues with loading/crashing - 💡 Could use more variety in gameplay/upgrades **Commonly reported bugs** - Game getting stuck on loading screen - Purchased items not working as expected - Inconsistent save/load functionality **Most requested features** - Add sound effects and background music - Improve progression balance and pacing - Expand content and unlock more features ## Newest reviews (20 of 435) ### 4/5 — Slow progression, but it’s for the best. *2026-08-21, version 0.27.6* No adds, no slop, genuinely a good use of my time, and it’s going to take a lot of my time. But that’s a good thing. ### 3/5 — Not a fan of purchased upgrades only lasting days *2026-08-21, version 0.27.6* Game is fun, but perishable purchased upgrades is a problem ### 5/5 — ? *2026-08-09* Progress slowing down to C5 after reseting why now 338lvl? ### 5/5 — !!!!!!!!!!!!!! *2026-08-06, version 0.27.4* Such a great game! Sometimes it even gives you add skip breaks!!!!!! And I totally recommend this game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ### 5/5 — Zen shards *2026-08-05, version 0.27.4* It’s relaxing ### 5/5 — Great game *2026-07-22, version 0.27.2* One of the greatest idle merge games. Never any ads and run smoothly, not one complaint about it. ### 2/5 — Starting to idle games more and more on mobile *2026-07-22, version 0.27.2* Another “pay-to-win-“ idle mobile game. You are not reaching the orange and pink sparks not unless you buy the 5-day ad free version and the events is not unless you reach TRILLION or QUADRILLION. So far, I am in the QUINTILLION, because of the 5 days, and I have 4 orange sparks - on day 2. The boosts - Ghost sparks, Core Sparks, and focus sparks starts to become useless and requires you to buy more prisms. You better off just playing the game normally and checking back to level up your sparks after the first or second restart. There should be an actual ad-free version instead of milking more money for prisms and credits. ### 5/5 — もっと拡張して欲しいです *2026-07-16* ゲームコンセプトも素晴らしいし、わかりやすくて楽しいが、その反面現状エンドコンテンツや深さに欠けるのまた事実。 ある程度やると、アプグレが単調になってくるし、できることもなくなって、正直放置して眺めるだけの飾りになっている、まあそれでもみてて楽しいけどね？ プリズムの使い道もかなり限られてて、課金するほどでもなく、欲しいものは無課金でも十分買えてしまう。 開発ペース見るに、おそらく趣味レベルで進めてると思うが、今後のアップデートに期待ですね。 ### 5/5 — 広告なし5日間900円 *2026-07-08* 広告を見ることでのゲーム体験の損なわれ方が著しい。Zenというゲームの根幹を崩していないだろうか。さっさと買い切りにしたいのだが、サブスクとしてもこの価格設定は信じられない。3日ほどプレイしてハマりそうだったが、起動して5分は広告を見続けなければならないのがしんどくて、流石に他に面白いゲームが沢山ある時代でこのゲームは続けられない。 ### 5/5 — Great! *2026-07-06, version 0.27.2* Beat FREE game without annoying ads. Humble devs. Support them ### 5/5 — 楽しい、爽快、詰んだら強くてニューゲーム *2026-06-27* 正直こういうゲームかなり好きだし広告も強制じゃないからありがたいけど1~2日ほど前からゲームに入ってもフリーズして動かない **Developer response:** Hi there, thanks for your review! Sorry to hear that! If the in-gane Feedback button works, could you please send me an email from there? It would allow me to investigate and fix the issue, hopefully. Much appreciated! ### 5/5 — Strangely compelling to play… *2026-06-15, version 0.27.0* I found this “game” a few months ago and have played it consistently since (105 days now). I’m not sure why. There is very little gameplay to this game - even for an idle game. However it is oddly compelling to watch, listen to, and simply zone out to while it is running. It is indeed quite Zen - at least for me. Some days I might just check in, click a few boosts or upgrades, and then leave. Other days I might be in it for long enough I need to connect my phone to a power source. Just watching, listening to the music, and slowly upgrading. I’m not going to say this is the best part of my day, however it most certainly is a very, very nice distraction from doom scrolling and other games. 5 stars. ### 5/5 — This game is amazing! *2026-06-08, version 0.27.0* Awesome game. Its pretty, its relaxing, the sounds are on point and they got the ads right too! The progression doesnt feel that annoying either, you dont get stuck for hours on one level, you can just reset and come back more powerful. You have all the control as the player and its so nice. You dont have to watch any ads but any you do watch add up and you get rewarded for that over time also. When im ever looking for a new game, this is the developer i will be coming to first. Thank you for doing this game right :) ### 5/5 — Perfect *2026-06-06, version 0.27.0* I praise you for making a simple, visually appealing game with 0 involuntary ads. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you ### 4/5 — Recent update *2026-06-05, version 0.27.0* Whatever the most recent update was completely bricked the game for me. It completely crashes whenever I open it. Aside from that, it’s an awesome game. It has ads but none of them are forced on you an occasionally the game gives you a free boost when you hit an optional ad. ### 4/5 — Slow but satisfying *2026-06-03, version 0.27.0* This is a game for slow steady dopamine rushes. It has a nice build up and is great to play long term! The longer you have the game the better the gameplay gets. While It’s not a play to win I do find satisfaction in buying a few in game upgrades because the devs clearly spend a lot of time into the mechanics and UI. It’s not like one of those falsely advertised ad games. The game design is clear and simple without being boring. I like to play when I have some down time. AMAZING JOB DEVS!! ### 4/5 — 進展がゆっくり *2026-05-26* 弾を強くして壁を壊して詰まってきたらリセットしてボーナスゲットして1から。複数の弾が壁にぶつかりまくってるのが見てて気持ちが良い。ボーナスゲットするのはいいけど1からなのが少々面倒。ボーナスの恩恵もあまり感じにくいのも残念な所。ただ弾を増やすだけじゃなく一時的、永続的など強化項目が多いのは良かった。広告を見た後だったりしばらく時間空けてからログインした時の開発者とおぼしき文章が丁寧で好意的なのが地味に好きだった。 広告を見ようとしたら稀に広告ではなく、開発者がこちらの体調を気にかけている文章が出てくるのは可愛さを感じた。 ### 5/5 — Love idle games *2026-05-26, version 0.27.0* I love idle games as I go through phases where I can forget games for months. This one is not at risk of being forgotten right now I love the idea of watching the shards disappear and levelling up. Was getting confused by the restart sparks and tokens for spending on enhancements. Can’t remember the specific names would be cool if could do something with the restart bonus other than damage (e.g like a skill tree) maybe something later in game as I have only reached level 250 ish ### 5/5 — Relaxing *2026-05-21, version 0.26.1* I use this to fall asleep with relaxing music and satisfying pings ### 5/5 — Fun and simple *2026-05-11, version 0.26.1* I like to play this when I'm trying to go to sleep. You can choose an option in settings to keep the screen on without touching it, and watching the little arrows go is relaxing. I'm currently at level 440 or so, and I have 1 million soul sparks with a bonus of 11 million (after maxing out the soul spark bonus upgrade). I've seen on reddit that people have rarely gotten to level 700, but not much past that. It would be nice to have some sort of prestige system in addition to the soul spark resets, like the option to gain a permanent x2 bonus after 1 million soul sparks collected, or something? Also, there is an unofficial reddit and discord, but an official one with a suggestions box that the developers actually read would be very appreciated. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — just another pay to win game *2026-03-28, version 0.25.7* just like every other scam game in the app store. avoid ### 1/5 — Broken update? *2026-01-19, version 0.25.4* I am addicted to this game, so rather distressed that as of today’s update I can no longer play, as the app does not / can not / will not progress past the welcome-back splash screen. Am desperately hoping to be able to, by tomorrow! Overall 4-5 stars when it works (which was for 2 years ‘till today). My rating has recently dropped to 4 as the optional adds which used to blessedly only hold you hostage for 10-30 seconds, have crept up to an almost infuriating 1.5 to 2 minutes. ### 1/5 — Watching the clock now. *2025-12-25, version 0.25.3* $250 worth of in-game purchases, 50+ restarts, every strategy I could thing of, and the game just grinds nearly to halt after level 1,000. Oh sure, I could plug in my iPad and store it away for a few months to progress furthur, but who wants to do that...and for what? Also, don't even try to email the developers about your concerns. They are far too important to respond to us peons. Anyway, this game is officially in the deletion dumpster. Whenever I want to play this game from now on, I'm just going to watch my clock now. It moves faster, has no ads, doesen't cost anything to play and unlike Zen Shards, at least the clock actually progresses... ### 1/5 — Not worth it. *2025-12-20, version 0.25.3* Omg those Ads!! It’s more annoying, had to delete this game app. ### 1/5 — Crashing *2025-12-07, version 0.25.0* I have the newest iPhone and this game still crashes poor quality of a game would not recommend ### 1/5 — Not a game *2025-08-19, version 0.23.13* You don’t play this game. You download it and check in on its progress while it plays itself in the background. Game matches the ads, but this is not a game in any sense. ### 1/5 — Ad scam. *2025-08-17* This game seems nice at first. No forced ads, no ad bars covering parts of the screen, and pretty clean looking game. That being said, you cannot get past lvl 100 (the bare minimum for your first prestige) without watching ads for boosters. You will spend more time watching ads than playing the game. Which is intentional, the ads aren’t forced, but they make amazing ad revenue by just bumping the numbers of billions to make sure none of the upgrades you get will make any difference. Boosters all cost real money or ads, which is a win win for them, because they make money both ways. I’m sick and tired of these predatory games that look good, but just screw you over by being an ad scam game. ### 1/5 — Ads, Ads, and More Ads *2025-08-02, version 0.23.13* This could easily be a 5 star game but you spend more time watching ads than playing the game. Technically the ads are optional but in practice they are not, you can’t really give up a damage and coin boost if you want to progress. Also every boost is hidden behind an ad watch individually: coin boost, damage boost, auto collect, speed boost, idle boost, daily ad offer. I will gladly pay for ad free in games I like to give back to developers (especially indie developers) but ad free in this game is a recurring purchase because it only last for 5 days. That is practically criminal. Let me pay $20 for permanent ad free that gives me all the boosts all the time. I would gladly pay $20 for that. ### 1/5 — Ads Causing Freeze *2024-08-28, version 0.18.2* Garbage ads won’t close. Have to force quit the app. Of course with no reward. Wish devs would stop using these crappy ad networks. ### 1/5 — Can’t open *2024-01-10, version 0.17.0* The game can’t be played ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Idle game done right *2026-09-04, version 0.27.6* Calming, charming, and chill. If you’re looking for a great upstarting game still being developed and worked on that has amazing music and a great gameplay loop, this is it! It’s very relaxing, I can put it on while I’m winding down for the day and not get super hooked like other idle games with loud music. The ads are literally optional, I’ve not seen a single one I didn’t want to see for boosts. It’s free, it’s fun, it’s relaxing, and it’s beautiful. ### 5/5 — Love this game!! *2026-09-02, version 0.27.6* I’m a big fan of idle games, this is 100% one of the best ones!! The gap between upgrades and credit earning is perfect!! ### 5/5 — Best game for chilling *2026-08-27, version 0.27.6* I have been on this game for weeks so fun ### 5/5 — The best Idle and Merging game ever! *2026-08-23, version 0.27.6* I usually install idle games just to leave and come back sooner to analyse how much earnings I’ve made. But this idle game has attracted my attention, it is so satisfying watching bricks explode into fading smaller ones and shards moving around. There are no pop up advertisements and sometimes when you want to watch an advert they skip it with a Thanks - and that is amazing. Love this game! ### 5/5 — This game respects you and your time *2026-08-22, version 0.27.6* This game is a certified gem, it's not obnoxious about any purchases or even rating the game in the App Store (I came here of my own volition to leave this review, I don't think they ever actually asked me to), and there's legitimately no forced ads which is wild and I'm so grateful for that. I've watched ads for certain rewards and they're worth it too, these devs know what they're doing and it's awesome to see from a mobile game, bc you don't very often. This game's going to be on my phone for a very long time ### 5/5 — Chill *2026-08-20, version 0.27.6* Nice calming game that you can play to kill time. Fun, easy, and chill. ### 5/5 — The most genuine game ever *2026-08-18, version 0.27.6* I’ve never seen a mobile game that feels more honest and heartfelt. While most mobile games are incredibly predatory, forcing you to watch endless ads and trying every tactic they can to manipulate you into buying a premium currency, this game has none of that. It feels like the developer actually values its players, and sees them as humans, not numbers. I have nothing bad to say, and this game is such a refreshing breath of fresh air in a world where every mobile app feels like a parasite trying to suck you dry. ### 5/5 — Goated *2026-08-18, version 0.27.6* They respect you for supporting the game via watching ads or purchases and also it’s such a simple but fun design overall very good 👍 ### 5/5 — Great chill game *2026-08-12, version 0.27.4* Very simple game, doesn’t force adds on you, all adds are optional (at time of review). Overall game is easy and great for a dopamine boost. ### 5/5 — Relaxing *2026-08-11, version 0.27.4* Way more fun then other games --- *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 2026-09-13.*