# Escape the Dark Castle — Companion App > Tabletop board game companion app for tracking stats and enhancing immersion. (iPhone/iPad app by Themeborne.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-the-dark-castle/id1536894316 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Themeborne](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536894318) - Category: Games, Entertainment, Adventure, Board - Price: $0.99 (on sale, was $1.99) - Rating: 3.20/5 from 28 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 11.0 · 48 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2021-04-22 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-the-dark-castle/id1536894316/reviews.md ## What is Escape the Dark Castle? Track your prisoners’ stats in style with the Escape the Dark Castle companion app, featuring atmospheric sound and animation that blend with and enhance the tabletop experience. Sitting alongside your character card, the companion app offers the following features: • Track your Prisoner HP Brutal heavyweight shackles represent your prisoners current HP. Press and drag to see the chain-links glow and rattle as you adjust your HP, while a tension building heartbeat increases in speed as you draw closer to death! • Record your Plague Level The Plague menu allows you to keep track of your plague level using tally marks as directed by the game rules. When you pass a Plague Threshold an animation is triggered - automatically adjusting your HP on the shackles. • Manage Companions When Companions enter the game, select them via the Companions drop-down menu, where you can adjust their HP and trigger their special abilities to mirror their in-game actions. • Access Digital Rules and FAQ Via the Settings menu you can access browser-based searchable digital rules and FAQ to help you get quick clarifications during play without hunting through the physical rule book. • Connected Soundtrack The settings menu also has links to the atmospheric ETDC soundtrack on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp – meaning you can easily play it in the background, combining with the SFX from this app for full immersion into your dark adventure. • Solo or Local Multiplayer You can play a 2-prisoner solo game on one smartphone, or Host a game which up to three other players can Join using their own devices. During hosted games, all player’s prisoner names and HP levels are displayed in real time on each device, and you will phase in and out of game states together as a group for maximum atmospheric connectivity. • Pass the virtual ‘YOU’ token Tap on the YOU icon and a list of your fellow prisoners will be displayed. Choose who to pass the token to and you’ll hear a heavy metallic sound on that players' device as the token lands with them! • Free Integrated Death Book! When your prisoner dies, enter the code of the card which finished you off and the app will display your doom – a contextual death scene to read aloud and bring full narrative closure to the story. The Death Book is normally sold separately for £9.99 but is included and integrated here for free! Please note: -A copy of the Escape the Dark Castle board game is required to use this application. -This application is compatible with iOS 11 onwards. -An internet connection is required to use the network features of this application. -This application is limited to one user per device. Escape the Dark Castle © Copyright 2017-2021 Themeborne Ltd. Escape the Dark, Escape the Dark Castle, the Escape the Dark Castle logo, Themeborne and the Themeborne logo are either ® or ™, and/or © Themeborne Ltd, registered in the UK. All rights reserved. No part of this product may be reproduced without specific permission. Actual components may vary from those shown. Themeborne Ltd is located at Kirkham. House, Norwich, NR3 2AG, UK. www.themeborne.com ## Key features - Track Prisoner HP with visual feedback - Record and manage Plague Levels - Manage Companion stats and abilities - Access digital rules and FAQ - Integrated Death Book with contextual scenes - Solo and local multiplayer support - Pass the virtual 'YOU' token ## Chart rankings - #84 in Top Paid · Board (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 21) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/escape-the-dark-castle/id1536894316/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Wonderful App for an Incredible Game *2026-08-09, version 1.1* I played the Dark Castle… ONE GAME… with my sons. Instantly fell in love with it. I purchased the Kickstarter collectible kit and discovered there was a companion app. The app is great - simple to use and it’s never let me down. I love that - if you lose - you can put the card code in the app and it will provide you the end of life narrative that an extremely rare book (I couldn’t acquire one) would have provided. My only wish is that the app allowed for more than 4 players. For a family of 5, this is regrettable. ### 1/5 — Cool in theory… *2026-05-26, version 1.1* The fact that each player needs to pay is insane, and feels a bit scammy. Micro-transactions in a physical game is crazy. ### 2/5 — Nice idea but *2026-04-23, version 1.1* I thought this would be a true companion app for playing with friends locally, in person. But it seems each person needs to own the app. That is a no go. I was hoping I could use this one (paid) app instance on a single ipad to track all of our hp and add a soundtrack. Does not seem to work that way. I regret the $1 purchase since I don’t see us using this app at all while playing. ### 4/5 — Very neat, could be more functional *2025-12-26, version 1.1* This app is really fun and adds to the overall vibe. I love the graphics and design. The music and sound effects are top notch and really add to the atmosphere. I also don’t mind the $0.99 charge. A really simple addition that would bring huge value would be a soundboard. We really loved the text on the chapter cards, and having a soundboard of simple creepy sounds that make sense (gurgling, swinging axes, shield bashes, screeches, etc.) would be so fun and be even more functional. ### 1/5 — Pointless *2025-03-29, version 1.1* Not intuitive. Doesn’t work. Waste of money. ### 1/5 — App simply doesn’t work DO NOT BUY *2024-09-07, version 1.1* Downloaded for our first game, no music or sound. Select prisoner screen worked, clicked escape and next screen is frozen. Can’t track health or anything. App just doesn’t work. Do not buy ### 5/5 — Death book *2024-02-08, version 1.1* I only bought this for the Death book that’s included..You get to see this at the end of your game when your dead! ### 1/5 — Terrible *2024-01-02, version 1.1* A waste of money. The links to the FAQs and rules don’t work. The animation is minimal. The music is on another website. Hopeless. ### 2/5 — Would not recommend *2023-12-31, version 1.1* The app does not seem to be worth the 2 dollars. Not very intuitive design and buggy overall ### 1/5 — False advertising *2023-12-05, version 1.1* The app in the description clearly calls out that the death book is included a €9.99 value. That’s just plain bollocks. That does not include that and honestly barely works quite badly put together save your money, even though it is just two dollars. ## Frequently asked questions about Escape the Dark Castle ### What is Escape the Dark Castle companion app? Escape the Dark Castle companion app is a digital tool designed to enhance the tabletop board game experience. It allows players to track prisoner health, manage game mechanics, and access digital rules and lore. ### Is Escape the Dark Castle app free? No, the Escape the Dark Castle companion app is a paid application. It is priced at $0.99 and requires a copy of the Escape the Dark Castle board game to use. ### What devices is Escape the Dark Castle app compatible with? The app is compatible with iOS 11 onwards and is designed for iPhone and iPod devices. An internet connection is required for network features. ### Can I play Escape the Dark Castle app offline? While some features may function offline, an internet connection is required to use the network features of the application, such as hosting or joining multiplayer games. ### What age rating is Escape the Dark Castle app? Escape the Dark Castle app has an age rating of 9+. This indicates it is suitable for players aged 9 and above. ### How often is Escape the Dark Castle app updated? The app was last updated on May 19, 2021, to version 1.1. Information on update frequency beyond this is not provided, but it was released on April 22, 2021. ### Does Escape the Dark Castle app support multiple users on one device? No, the application is limited to one user per device. Each player will need their own device for multiplayer sessions. ### What makes the Death Book feature special in Escape the Dark Castle app? The integrated Death Book is a free feature that normally sells for £9.99. It provides contextual death scenes to read aloud when a prisoner dies, offering full narrative closure. ## Version history (last 2 releases) ### 1.1 — 2021-05-19 Audio bug fixed. ### 1.0 — 2021-04-22 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Escape the Dark Castle | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oathsworn-into-the-deepwood/id1631237540) | 4.7 (22) | Free | Games | | [Paranormal Detectives](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paranormal-detectives/id1484425840) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Games | | [Assel](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/assel/id1632487100) | 4.7 (46) | Free | Games | | [Viticulture](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viticulture/id1467248737) | 3.7 (93) | $8.99 | Games | | [Scythe: Digital Edition](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scythe-digital-edition/id1482645966) | 3.1 (216) | $9.99 | Games | | [Fruit Cutter King](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fruit-cutter-king/id1171294820) | — | Free | Games | ## Related topics [escape the dark castle](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/escape-the-dark-castle) --- *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 2026-08-28.*