Game2019

Iron Marines

ActionCasualIndieStrategy

Developer Ironhide Game Studio

Iron Marines is a 2017 real-time strategy video game developed by Ironhide Game Studio. It was released on September 14, 2017, for iOS and Android, and for Windows, Linux and mac OS X via Steam on May 16, 2019. In the game, players act as the commander of the Iron Marines, a military group tasked with saving a space colony from extraterrestrial invaders. To fight off the invaders, the player is given control of a… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

175 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon, Bluesky) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works

Audience score

72
Fresh

123 positive · 49 negative
95% range 64–78%

Source+−=
Steam reviews123490
Mastodon *000
Bluesky *000

* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).

3 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.

Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
1,477 of 1,895 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)

What people are saying

Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.

Reactions

60 of 175 · most liked first
  • Steam user Steam user …7785Steam reviews · Mar 2, 2023 · 22 h played

    TLDR: While it's a brave move to go from making Tower Defence games to a real-time strategy (RTS) game, Iron Marines is too simple and too frustrating in places to make it fun and enjoyable. An RTS that lacks basic functions such as "attack move" and any sort of HUD with a very limited unit cap has to have some very innovative ideas to counter these problems. Sadly, Iron Marines does not. Resulting in an overly simple and somewhat frustrating experience. I picked up Iron Marines as I'm a…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …4015Steam reviews · May 23, 2024 · 4 h played

    [URL=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware]Spyware Warning! This mobile app acts as spyware and performs personal data gathering and transmission. There's no immediate apparent way to opt out. This is completely unethical and reprehensible. Gamers must be aware of the dangers of installing this harmful software and should avoid this completely. Iron Marines is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. The…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2246Steam reviews · Sep 27, 2023 · 14 h played

    I am quite sure the game would be fun in mobile version. But for something released on PC and Steam I expect it to have a solid controls and lack of those completely took the fun away. If you're fine with that, then I'm sure you will find this game to be a great experience.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1857Steam reviews · Jan 3, 2026 · 4 h played

    Ironhide's take on an RTS, and it doesn't really work. All the visual charm and genre parody in the world can't save an RTS with no depth. You would think there would be more overlap from the TDF strategy of Kingdom Rush. Games like this appeal with satisfying micro or macro gameplay, but Iron Marines cuts the macro only to never flesh out the micro. When it's tricky to even select your units then something has gone seriously wrong. Worth it on a deep discount due to all the charm an…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1959Steam reviews · Apr 16, 2023 · 2 h played

    Good game but bad controllers. I understand since this is a mobile port but damn they couldve done way better job with this one.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9819Steam reviews · Aug 18, 2026 · 20 h played

    Mobile: 9/10 ; PC: 7.5/10 Am I Fighting the Enemy, or Fighting Your UI? Sometimes, the biggest enemy in Iron Marines isn't the aliens. It's the control system. Once your units start piling up and the screen fills with effects, selecting the squad you actually want becomes unnecessarily frustrating. Move everyone at once, and your formation turns into a complete mess—frontliners and fragile ranged units all thrown into the same blender. Want to micro? Controlling every squad individually…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5361Steam reviews · Feb 9, 2024 · 15 h played

    ░░░░░░░░▄██▄░░░░░░▄▄░░ ░░░░░░░▐███▀░░░░░▄███▌ ░░▄▀░░▄█▀▀░░░░░░░░▀██░ ░█░░░██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ █▌░░▐██░░▄██▌░░▄▄▄░░░▄ ██░░▐██▄░▀█▀░░░▀██░░▐▌ ██▄░▐███▄▄░░▄▄▄░▀▀░▄██ ▐███▄██████▄░▀░▄█████▌ ▐████████████▀▀██████░ ░▐████▀██████░░█████░░ ░░░▀▀▀░░█████▌░████▀░░ ░░░░░░░░░▀▀███░▀▀▀░░░░ ░░░░░░░░P A N D A ░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░A P P R O V E D░░░░░

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7562Steam reviews · Sep 5, 2022 · 29 h played

    1) No attack move + small enemy hitboxes resulted in me very often miss a click on a enemy making all ranged units go forward to stand next to the enemy. 2) Unskipable boss cutscene at the start of one mission, fail or restart the mission and you have to watch it again every single time.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6418Steam reviews · Mar 22, 2025 · 27 h played

    It hurts me to point out a game ruining bug on the AI boss fight where a unit called channelers (who are supposed to be invulnerable when travelling longer distances) die to the laser on 3rd phase. This makes the most intuitive strategy unviable. For anyone trying to play veteran this makes the game not in any way shape or form worth 12.49 €. A veteran does not want to go to youtube and copy someone else because of a bug; That destroys the point of the veteran difficulty. I completed all…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9828Steam reviews · Jan 1, 2024 · 6 h played

    it's okay, it gets the basics right, I like the units and hero system and the levelling and upgrades. It however has a problem with the level generation and just the engine of the game. The level generation is all very procedural, if you don't do it in the right order or if you go exploring to far you die, and it takes forever to get back to where you were. This leads to lots of unrealistic times where you just need to wait for a minute for you to regen health or currency. Plus you need to walk…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5361Steam reviews · Nov 29, 2022 · 3 h played

    This is nothing like Kingdom Rush series. I sadly advice against Iron Marines. Its not the tower defence game that you are used to. You have to capture enemy camps in order to build yours and build at most 3 maybe 4 towers at that place. Upgrading a tower does not change its visual appearance, and for you to win the map, you need to roam the map with your hero and your squads, who are very limited in numbers and the way you can increase the number of squads is very weird: find a +1human icon on…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …4710Steam reviews · Jan 24, 2025

    Good. Fun. Fine. Chill. Relax.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9711Steam reviews · Jan 11, 2025 · 3 h played

    Boring and buggy game. Constantly spending 15 minutes on a level and then losing because the game doesn't scroll to another part of the map. What a waste of money

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0205Steam reviews · Aug 17, 2023 · 10 h played

    A strategy game that is a bit too simple once you start getting the increadibly powerful buffs/perks that you can buy in the shop. Limited to nine unit types and three towers, but you get very little information about what each of your units and tower can do, meaning that it's impossible to make an informed decision about which units to purchase. The controls could also be better. It feels difficult to target individual units sometimes (especially if your squads are grouped together), you…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7283Steam reviews · Jan 2, 2026 · 3 h played

    Lightweight RTS, good upgrade trees, pretty fun heroes!

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3015Steam reviews · Dec 24, 2025

    This is Command & Conquer 4 remastered into Starcraft. It's bad.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …4715Steam reviews · Dec 1, 2025 · 5 h played

    I love all Ironhide games, except this. It has too many bad game design decisions. The first of it, is the grind system, the second of it, is the unnatural and un-explained difficulty system, the third of it, is the another level of grinding which is hero grinding level up mechanics, and, worst: The "You only get rewards" if you either win, or lose AND don't fortfeit a match (making the easiest way to "farm" for upgrades *evidentily losing* games in order to get... a miserable, amount of…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7602Steam reviews · Apr 14, 2023 · 38 h played

    The game's concept is okay. You control a small set of squads + a hero and with them you try to complete each mission as efficiently as possible. You also have a main base which you defend with a few towers and you can also destroy enemy bases and expand there to increase your income. The game's story was also fine. Although it is not as great as the other games from Ironhide Studios like our beloved Kingdom Rush series, this game is pretty fun at times and it has the good ol' references to…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2369Steam reviews · Feb 12, 2026 · 54 h played

    Fun game, decent challenge. Quite a bit different than kingdom rush and not nearly as good imo, but still fun and it's it's own thing. Oddly the "challenge" levels are like the easiest levels in the game tho.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1950Steam reviews · Aug 2, 2025 · 30 h played

    Fast strategy works best when it stays readable under pressure Iron Marines is a streamlined RTS that mixes base capture, hero control, mobile squads, and sci fi charm into a campaign that feels quick without feeling shallow. What stood out most to me was how well it balances accessibility and tension. Missions move fast, units are easy to understand, and the variety of objectives keeps the campaign from going flat. I also liked the colorful art style and light humor. Its main limitation is…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0859Steam reviews · Dec 19, 2022 · 33 h played

    Last Mission needs a rework because it has unskippable dialogue when trying to play on impossible and stupidly hard with the Tortugon, not gonna play this game until update comes

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5709Steam reviews · Dec 8, 2024 · 1 h played

    Expected it to be tower defence like other Ironhide games, got positively surprised and disappointed at the same time. The issue here is that it is a moderately competent mix of tower defence and real-time strategy - yet it never excels at either of them. I would want to pass on it if you want a purely TD game - and pass on it if you want it to be an exclusively/dedicated RTS game since its terrible controls and scope fall short in that regard, too.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3382Steam reviews · Dec 4, 2024 · 11 h played

    Very different from usual TD game of Kingdom Rush series. Game was interesting but it was lacking in few aspects. From regular TD style the levels were simple and some maps were able to rush and push in few minutes. And other maps you could solo run with lvl 10 hero. There was no reason for me to change my base hero to another during Casual levels which is one odd design choice. When we have 10+ heroes to choose. Towers were fun but I miss the upgrade system of Kingdom Rush, where you can…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0416Steam reviews · Feb 16, 2024 · 21 h played

    I never thought Ironhide could make a bad game...well I was wrong, this game is terrible. At first you see the familiar art style from Kingdom Rush and a hero system you've seen before and you think this is gonna be great, Well its not! the more I played the more I realized I'm wasting my time, the controls first of all are trash, nothing feels smooth or responsive, I shudder to thing how bad this was on mobile considering its a mobile game. Missions were slow and boring, the rate at which you…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5226Steam reviews · Feb 7, 2023 · 7 h played

    Forget about gameplay, graphics, progression, sound, etc. Has a Slurm flag easter egg. 11/10

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2548Steam reviews · Aug 13, 2022 · 13 h played

    All units are extremely clumsy. This is not what an RTS should feel like. Hotkeys are ineffective; it takes you forever to maneuver your units to the designated position and fire at the target.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9512Steam reviews · Jul 19, 2022 · 10 h played

    Kingdom Rush: Space Marines This is what I play when I feel like playing starcraft but don't want to fry my brain.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …8306Steam reviews · May 18, 2026 · 49 h played

    Another quite balanced gameplay with really cool missions. The moving units seems a bit weird but you get used to it.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0372Steam reviews · Apr 22, 2026 · 14 h played

    This is an incredible game. I also like how this game is located in the same galaxy as ironhide studio's Kingdom Rush and it's other versions. It is a great high tech game, where your basically a commander, commanding a faction, defending bases, waging war on your enemies, with a gripping storyline. I stopped playing a bit ago as I was struggling to beat this one mission on borealis, but I am going to give it another go. If you asked me to rate it /10 I would give it a 7/10. If your looking for…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …8427Steam reviews · Mar 22, 2025 · 1 h played

    Amazing little game. Marines do: "Go, go, go!!" Ghost squads, I meant Sniper squads are also present. 😉 Acknowledged H.Q., Nav-comm locked.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6069Steam reviews · Aug 28, 2024 · 9 h played

    A drastic change in the typical style of Ironhide Game Studio games, while keeping the same, wonderfully unique graphic style. It's a very engaging RTS that brings the same design of Kingdom Rush series into a sci-fi setting. You can feel it was born to be played on mobile as it feels very easy to play on computer, making this game approachable for both casual players and enthusiasts thanks to it's well balanced difficulty curve. You fight across multiple aline planets, commanding marines,…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3935Steam reviews · Mar 13, 2024 · 13 h played

    SC2 Campaign Light

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …8174Steam reviews · Feb 12, 2024 · 6 h played

    It's just not great. They took the same engine and everything from there td game and just made it into a "walkable tower defense game" and imo it's passable but just is missing something.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6170Steam reviews · Jun 27, 2023 · 19 h played

    Fun mix between tower defense and RTS. Got all achievements in roughly 19 hours =D

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3017Steam reviews · Jun 19, 2023 · 33 h played

    'Iron Marines' has: - Good story - Balanced units and enemies - Hard/Impossible difficulty - Boss fights - Semi-tower defense game but it focuses more on RTS - Lot of achievements and more. My only issue with this game is that there is no encyclopedia for monsters and bosses like in the other kingdom rush series but this is just a minor thing so I won't nitpick this specifically.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0851Steam reviews · Jan 24, 2023 · 53 h played

    Iron Marines is a casual RTS/Base Defense hybrid that pretty much nails everything it wishes to do. The graphics are lovely and the gameplay always keeps you going. It is the definition of a game you can pick up at any point and play no strings attached. The achievements are also pretty fun to go through. As for the negatives, the only one I can think of (and that one is rather subjective mind you) is that the game's writing, aesthetic and overall vibe consists of 99% pop culture references.…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6423Steam reviews · Jan 13, 2023 · 11 h played

    Starcraft, Star Wars, Star Trek memes

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5637Steam reviews · Nov 28, 2022 · 32 h played

    It took me some time to like Iron Marines, especially because I really love the Kingdom Rush series and this one is different. Not only because of the space theme, but because Iron Marines can still be identified as a Tower Defense and, at the same time, is very open, free and, consequently, chaotic. I finished the game with all the achievements and yet didn't use half of the heroes because I didn't have a good reason to do it. The game is not well balanced. There are clearly some heroes that…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5275Steam reviews · Aug 21, 2022 · 25 h played

    This game was really disappointing for me. I like the first 4 kingdom rush games a lot, my favorite of which was Vengeance, but this game feels very unrefined. For an RTS game where you need to manage your units, your units sure are hard to manage! TL;DR - There's things to like about the game but the unit management was very bad and a big turn-off for me. First, there are some things I like about the game. The heroes have nice designs, and being able to control their abilities makes them all…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1268Steam reviews · Mar 20, 2026 · 10 h played

    What a seriously sh*t final boss fight to ruin what was otherwise an okay game. I did not buy a platforming or bullet hell game!

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0970Steam reviews · Mar 18, 2026 · 35 h played

    A mix of Starcraft and CC. Could be more challenging but it is fun

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2961Steam reviews · Jan 21, 2026 · 3 h played

    These developers have decided to become nothing more than a mobile PAY TO WIN company. Extorting as much money out of players as possible. We used to be their customers, now we are seen as nothing more than consumers to them! I will NEVER support any of your games again and i have bought every game from the very first release. You disgust me!

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2703Steam reviews · Oct 14, 2025 · 11 h played

    Who loves StarCraft and Tower Defense - this game is for you!

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …7982Steam reviews · Oct 9, 2024 · 23 h played

    I became interested in this game because of the Kingdom Rush series from Ironhide studio. It turned out to be quite a fun game. Sci-Fi reminiscent of Warcraft, but the game itself is more simplified and that's not a bad thing. I had mixed feelings at the beginning, but I had quite a lot of fun with the game. I recommend it to fans of the IronHide studio, and RTS fans can of course also give it a chance. Peace

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1212Steam reviews · Aug 22, 2024 · 14 h played

    boring, only 2,3 unit to control slow leveling up the hero a hero 1v1 a mob can lose, what is the point of hero? in 1 mission waiting for the resource slowly charge 10 mins of waiting , then the enemy simply walk though your base even full upgrade the base. and all your consumable used, no refund all need to regrind. which idiot make this game should retire from the gaming industry totally garbage to grind to buy the consumable i know how to make a game difficult by tuning all parameter ,…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6365Steam reviews · Aug 8, 2024 · 5 h played

    A swing and a miss with this one. I can't quite grasp whats missing but the combat gets a little dull after a few missions with just a little touch on base building. I find myself annoyed with having to recapture bases each time after I've maxed out all the defenses and pushed my forces forward, while only being able to send my hero back to help out with defending (since the pop cap is usually low). A decent game, just not for me. Much prefer their original TD games. Overall solid animation…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0627Steam reviews · Aug 2, 2024 · 29 h played

    fun game must buy for tower defence starcraft lovers.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5056Steam reviews · Jul 10, 2024 · 11 h played

    Iron Marines is a fun little strategy indie game where bases and defensive towers are pre-located in the map, so they are capturable by the player and the ai. Missions were enjoyable and fairly challenging in the harder difficulties with a bit annoying features, for example the moment you touch the mission's objective a thousand enemies spawn out of nowhere to force you back. Only a few heroes are actually viable, like every ironhide game, but the good ones are fun to play with. I only wish…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5203Steam reviews · Apr 22, 2024 · 32 h played

    I really enjoy this game. Small tactical game which can be played without connection to the internet. For a reasonable price and well presented by the Ironhide Game Studio. Polished for a relatively small company and fun enough to be entertaining for 30-50 hours. More if you like the repetition with different strategies and approaches.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0073Steam reviews · Feb 8, 2024 · 11 h played

    A good strategy game for those who aren't amazing at base building RTS games. Playing on medium difficulty, I only occasionally have to use the gold boosts, and I haven't had to grind at all, even though I'm leveling up heroes as I go. Grinding may have been required if I hadn't done the side missions, but that's where a lot of the interesting installation missions live, so it never feels like a chore.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …6883Steam reviews · Dec 31, 2022 · 8 h played

    Iron hide is the best really lovely

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …3908Steam reviews · Jul 26, 2022 · 3 h played

    Pretty fun but can be dificult due to the controls and lack of QoL features. Small things but they make a difference. You will get used to them. Tis a fun game.

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …9089Steam reviews · Mar 11, 2026 · 3 h played

    A great game!!!

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2328Steam reviews · Nov 12, 2025 · 7 h played

    Got this at 65% discount, doesn't feel like a strategy game since it's either a few options that can win or it all collapses. Upgrades are absolutely nescessary to progress, which means you have to farm early levels to get the ressource needed for these nescessities. (not fun at all but accessible). The good: Easy to learn and use, few mobs and troops types, troops can be morphed into other variation of their "class?" without any cost, which is a good idea. Many "easter egg" achievements and…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …5795Steam reviews · Oct 29, 2025 · 29 h played

    As much as this game wants to be an RTS, it is not. Much of the base building part of the game is about being able to hold a static position while you wait for your economy to generate. It is much closer to a hybrid tower defence game than a true RTS. There is very little info on what anything actually does, especially heroes, so you need to spend time field testing everything. Impossible difficulty is a slog without powers or the correct heroes. The final boss is also terrible compared to…

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …8106Steam reviews · Mar 2, 2025 · 4 h played

    Ironhides games are always fun, Plain simple fun to pass the time, i love all their games so far. Felt like playing a 2D starcraft and thats a huge compliment!

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …4843Steam reviews · Jan 13, 2025 · 36 h played

    Iron Marines If you are just expecting Iron Marines to be a normal tower-defence game like Kingdom Rush but in a sci-fi setting, it's not that exactly. It has the feel of Kingdom Rush but now it's more like a real-time strategy game where you have to go after the enemy. In some senses, Kingdom Rush players have already…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …2766Steam reviews · Nov 27, 2024 · 3 h played

    was not adapted to pc very well

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …0307Steam reviews · Sep 24, 2024 · 27 h played

    Shockingly Clever There will be a TL;DR at the end. ~ Ironhide Studios has been a bit of a simmering favorite in my library. Over the past decade I’ve racked up hundreds of hours in their little mobile game Kingdom Rush and have been waiting for some sort of return to form for a while after many attempts to recapture that bottled lightning; which have never seemed to capture the same magic as their initial success. When I booted up Iron Marines for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to…

    positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
  • Steam user Steam user …1713Steam reviews · Sep 17, 2024 · 30 h played

    Garbage gameplay. Too much grind especially for heroes. Janky pathfinding. Frustrating unit movements/speed. Too much enemy RNG for artificial difficulty. Veteran to impossible difficulty is night and day. Whoever thought the last stage was going to be fun when designing it is a retarded. A random spawning purple ball kills your Tortugon or whatever bs in one hit.

    negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →

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