Solo Leveling has proven to be one of the most popular anime of late, and the new action RPG set within the franchise has caused quite a stir among fans. Initially a mobile game, developer Netmarble has now released the game in full, but this move has split fans. Netmarble’s bold attempt to bring the Solo Leveling world to life as a full-fledged action RPG has certainly arrived with fanfare, but for a vocal segment of the anime community, the experience hasn’t lived up to its promise.
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Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive was officially released as a paid game on November 24th, transitioning from its mobile origins. Players can now pick up the game free of gacha and other mobile gaming aspects for $39.99 on Steam. The game sits at a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam, and fans of Solo Leveling are divided into two major camps. A deep dive into its review score paints a thornier picture.
Several users praise the game’s slick combat, flashy skills, and hard-to-resist anime charm, but call out frequent performance problems. On Steam’s discussion boards, complaints range from ironclad drop rates for key items to bugs that make bosses unkillable and break mission progression. One player wrote, “Enemy’s get stuck under the map and the final boss disappears,” calling the bugs “unacceptable for something with this production level.”
Reddit threads echo similar concerns: players report constant crashing on mobile, loading screens that get stuck around 1%, and even keyboard and system-level glitches when playing on PC. For example, one user described being trapped in an endless loading screen when trying to start story missions, making parts of the game entirely inaccessible.
Critics have also noted design issues beyond just bugs. According to several reviews, Solo Leveling leans heavily on auto-play mechanics and grind-heavy progression, making the experience feel repetitive. On the other hand, some acknowledge that the game does recreate the anime’s power-fantasy feel. Still, for dedicated fans of the anime or webtoon, the core combat loop and character abilities land beautifully, offering a visually satisfying way to step into Sung Jinwoo’s world.
There is always the risk of alienating fans of a beloved franchise when it transcends media. Converting a popular IP to a video game requires careful planning, specifically when choosing a genre and honoring its original form. All too often, adaptations are seen as cash grabs or leave fans bewildered by gameplay. Anime typically lends itself to several choices when being adapted into a video game, leaving it all but impossible to satisfy all fans, as seen by Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive.
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