Bugs Found in Isle Survival: Land Builder for iOS
Isle Survival: Land Builder is a game that allows players to experience what it takes to build their own pocket of land. The game offers multiple mechanics, such as crafting, farming, and mining, to keep users from getting bored. You can even get pets and helpers to diversify the gameplay.
We tested Isle Survival: Land Builder during our regular bug crawl and discovered that while mechanically the game was quite strong, it has several bugs. In particular, it does not handle the combination of rewarded ads and offline state gracefully. Take a look at our report below to find out more.
Cached rewarded ad cannot be closed in Airplane Mode, leaving user blocked outside the game
Severity:
Critical
Precondition:
- A rewarded ad has been cached while the device has an active internet connection.
- ‘Airplane Mode’ is enabled before attempting to watch the ad.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Launch the game.
- Navigate to a screen where a rewarded ad is available.
- Enable ‘Airplane Mode’ on the phone.
- Tap the button to watch the rewarded ad.
- Wait until the cached ad finishes playing.
- Attempt to close the ad and return to the game.
Environment:
OS: iOS 18.4.1
Device: iPhone 12
Actual Result:
The cached rewarded ad is successfully launched and played while the device is in ‘Airplane Mode’. However, the ‘Store’ content displayed after the ad fails to load, and the ‘Close’ button does not appear. As a result, the user becomes stuck on the ad screen with no available way to return to the game.
Expected Result:
The ad flow should always provide a functional way to close the advertisement and return to the game, regardless of the current network state. If the post-ad content cannot be loaded without an internet connection, the failure should be handled gracefully without blocking further interaction with the application.
Rewarded ad remains available without internet connection and ‘Watch’ button fails silently
Severity:
Major
Precondition:
- Internet connection is disabled.
- A rewarded ad option is available to the user.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Disable the internet connection on the device.
- Launch the game.
- Navigate to a screen containing a rewarded ad option.
- Tap the ‘Watch’ button.
Environment:
OS: iOS 18.4.1
Device: iPhone 12
Actual Result:
The rewarded ad option remains available despite the absence of an internet connection. Tapping the ‘Watch’ button does not trigger the ad, display a loading state, or provide any error or informational message. There is no feedback explaining why the requested action cannot be completed.
Expected Result:
The application should properly handle unavailable rewarded ads when the device is offline. The ‘Watch’ button should either be disabled when an ad cannot be loaded or provide clear feedback informing the user that the action is currently unavailable due to the missing internet connection.
Upgrade purchase fails without feedback when user's coin balance is insufficient
Severity:
Minor
Precondition:
- The user has access to an upgrade that can be purchased with coins.
- The user’s current coin balance is lower than the amount required for the upgrade.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Launch the game.
- Navigate to an upgrade that requires more coins than the user currently owns.
- Tap the ‘Upgrade Purchase’ button.
Environment:
OS: iOS 18.4.1
Device: iPhone 12
Actual Result:
The upgrade is not purchased, but the application provides no visual or textual feedback explaining why the action failed. The ‘Purchase’ button remains available for interaction even though the user’s current balance is insufficient to complete the purchase.
Expected Result:
The application should clearly communicate that the upgrade cannot be purchased due to insufficient currency. For example, the ‘Purchase’ button can be visually disabled when the required amount is unavailable, or an informative message can be displayed after the user attempts the purchase.
During testing, I identified some issues, with the most significant problem occurring during the rewarded ad flow in ‘Airplane Mode’, where the user can become completely blocked on the ad screen with no option to return to the game. Overall, the core gameplay flow is functional, but error handling and user feedback should be improved. I recommend additional testing of rewarded ads under unstable or unavailable network conditions.
