# GnollHack — Roguelike Legend Remastered > Remastered classic roguelike dungeon crawler with deep strategy and permadeath. (iPhone/iPad app by Hyvän mielen pelit ry.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gnollhack/id1626979951 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Hyvän mielen pelit ry](https://appshunter.io/developer/1696097244) - Category: Games, Role Playing - Price: Free - Rating: 4.70/5 from 103 App Store ratings · 26 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 769 MB - Released: 2023-03-21 - Data updated: 2026-08-27 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gnollhack/id1626979951/reviews.md ## What is GnollHack? ABOUT GnollHack is a remastered and enhanced version of the classic roguelike game NetHack, one of the most iconic games developed in 1980s and 1990s. With GnollHack, you get: - Traditional roguelike with turn-based gameplay - Modern user interface - Legendary strategic depth of NetHack - Endless replayability - Several new features, enhancing your gameplay experience STORY In GnollHack, you are a hero sent by your deity into the perilous Dungeons of Doom, tasked with recovering the stolen Amulet of Yendor from the clutches of the malevolent god Moloch, who has hidden it in the fiery depths of the underworld. Along your journey, you will encounter formidable enemies, discover great magical artifacts, and strive for glory. You must either triumph or perish in the attempt. ROGUELIKE GAMEPLAY Explore procedurally generated dungeons filled with monsters, traps, and treasures. RICH CLASS AND RACE SYSTEM - 13 classes: wizard, barbarian, rogue, etc. - 5 races: human, elf, gnoll, etc. DEEP ITEM AND MAGIC SYSTEM Hundreds of items, spells, and artifacts with diverse effects. CHALLENGING PERMADEATH (Classic Mode Only) Death is permanent, requiring players to adapt, plan, and learn from mistakes to progress further. TUTORIALS AND GAMEPLAY INFORMATION - GnollHack wiki: https://wiki.gnollhack.com SUPPORT - Discord: https://discord.gg/cQuExnzUQy ## Key features - Turn-based roguelike gameplay - Modern user interface - Procedurally generated dungeons - 13 classes and 5 races - Hundreds of items and spells - Challenging permadeath mode ## Recent user reviews (10 of 26) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gnollhack/id1626979951/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Massive Disappointment *2026-08-09* The game and its mechanics are what you expect from a nethack adaptation. Unfortunately I was working my way through a Grandmaster, classic 40+ hr run (~200k turns) and put my phone down to consider my latest failed but luckily non-fatal attempt to make it through Gehennom. I then came back to my phone and was told I had been corrupting my save/cheating: a message along the lines of 'Trickery! Your save may have been corrupted.' - with a line like that, I am not sure who is to be assumed to be performing the trickery. In any case, my character was instantly killed after I received the message. What an immense disappointment to have a game that requires so much effort, research, and double-checking erase your run without much double-checking on the part of the devs; clearly this has been an issue for many years, and I made the poor decision to ignore the warning signs: %/ Frequently while shifting from playing the game to receiving text messages, calls, or to go to your browser for information about the game (which is absolutely required, if you do not want to play hundreds if not thousands of games), the game will seize up and the menus will not respond and you may have to restart the app. %/ Other reviews here made this clear, but I personally had 3 or 4 runs that fell into a crashing loop before the run that has lead to this review. The monumental disappointment here coming from the shear size of the time investment poured into this last run. I chose to play the game on Grandmaster, classic mode because it didn't really feel like a challenging game at lower difficulties. I expected to win or lose due to the merit of my own decisions in the game, not the poor quality control of the developers. It's really unfortunate that my playing this game is ending with this review. **Developer response:** The game does have pretty extensive guards against save file corruption, but they never can be 100% proof. The game normally launches a background service for saving the game upon app switch and the like, giving normally enough time to enable successful save given sufficient disk space. The app also has an automatic backup and restore feature, but one of the situations not covered by the normal automatic backup restore is trickery, which you encountered, an original NetHack tampering detection but commonly a result of some type of corruption, which seems to be the case here. In any case, you might be able to recover your run by exporting save files using a button from About > Manage Files, unzipping them to a folder, finding the relevant backup save file with .bak extension, removing the .bak extension from the file, zipping the save file, and importing the zip back with import saved game button in About > Manage Files. This makes the file non-scoring, but should enable you to continue the game from the point of last successful save. If you encounter such panics or crashes again, please feel free to notify us via our Discord server, for example. ### 5/5 — NetHack Re-Vamped *2026-08-08* Incredible roguelike. I have played tons of NetHack, a classic. This has far more quality of life and plays very smoothly on mobile. I have ascended 10 roles in it. I love the spell casting, the new equipment slots, and all the new items/qualities. I recommend if you’re new to NetHack to play on a lower difficulty. But if you’re familiar with NH play on Expert. Thanks for this amazing game. ### 4/5 — Please roll back the difficulty hikes *2026-07-02* Thanks for fixing the UI bug, but I’ve noticed that the latest build has seriously amped up some annoying things which were probably meant to increase difficulty, but just frustrate me as a person with ADHD. The enemy curse items spell apparently has been buffed to pass MR/MC and is used more often, resulting in lots of trips back to the temple. This kind of annoyance is supposed to be reserved for the endgame when the WoY is annoying you, now it’s the whole game and that’s not fair. More treasure chests are trapped, and trapped chests are a pain because you have to doff your rings, hide your wands, stash your flammable items and potions and etc. just to open the chest safely. Having to do this for every single locked chest in the entire dungeon (not just Gehennom/castle/maze) is also frustrating. There should also be guaranteed instances of each type of service in the main dungeon because if you roll the orc town, you may not have ready access to them until you get to the castle and Orcus Town. Some stuff like the temples are essential, and I had to quit a game once I got the Candelabrum because there were no candles left thanks to the orc town putting Izchak out of business. **Developer response:** The fix is on the way, and is currently waiting for Apple’s store review, so hopefully it gets to the store as soon as possible. UPDATE: The fix is out now. ### 5/5 — NetHack for people who don’t hate themselves. *2026-06-27* *hit send* ### 4/5 — Fix UI bug in Build 140 *2026-06-22* Build 140 introduces a bug which causes the touch to travel interface, and any other action which requires touching the map, to stop working when you change floors unless you close and reload the app. I do not know what triggers the bug but it persists across sessions and phone reboots. Once it happens, it affects all saved games. **Developer response:** The fix is on the way, and is currently waiting for Apple’s store review, so hopefully it gets to the store as soon as possible. UPDATE: The fix is out now. ### 5/5 — A True Roguelike That Teaches You as You Play *2026-04-12, version 2.119* This game hooked me in a way I didn’t expect. My very first run started with my pet dying early, and it genuinely felt like the game was impossible to continue. But that’s exactly where this roguelike shines — it rewards you for not giving up. If you slow down, avoid rash decisions, and actually learn how the systems work, the game opens up in amazing ways. Experimenting with potions, testing items, checking curse status at temples, figuring out how pets behave, learning when to take risks and when to hold back — all of it matters. The depth is real, and every run teaches you something new. And that's just playing as Valtari Dwarf. There's so many other classes styles of play. It's the kind of game you could play indefinitely just differently every time. What impressed me most is how well all this complexity works on mobile. The controls are intuitive, the UI is clean, and nothing feels watered down. It’s a true roguelike with real consequences, real discovery, and real satisfaction when things finally click. ### 5/5 — Discord!!! *2026-03-30* I've searched everywhere but I can't find any link to the player community. Do you have Discord or something like that? ### 5/5 — best iphone game *2026-01-15* I hated iphone cuz it never got anything fun but this game got me so hooked. this is literally what ive been searching for in modern games ### 1/5 — Crash fest *2026-01-06* If you like games that crash every 2 mins, this is the game for you. **Developer response:** Would you mind letting us know which device you are using so we can investigate this further? You can send us email to gnollhack@hyvanmielenpelit.fi. Also, please make sure that you have free disk space availble. If it is a memory issue, closing other background apps may also help. ### 5/5 — Full old-school roguelike game *2025-12-28, version 2.83* If you like Angband, Nethack, or ADOM, you will like this game. ## Frequently asked questions about GnollHack ### What is GnollHack? GnollHack is a remastered and enhanced version of the classic roguelike game NetHack. It offers traditional turn-based roguelike gameplay with a modern user interface, legendary strategic depth, and endless replayability. ### What are the key features of GnollHack? Key features include procedurally generated dungeons, a rich class and race system (13 classes, 5 races), a deep item and magic system with hundreds of effects, and a challenging permadeath mode for classic gameplay. ### Is GnollHack free to play? Yes, GnollHack is a free game. The provided information indicates it does not have in-app purchases or ads, suggesting a completely free experience. ### What is the goal of the game? The goal is to become a hero sent by your deity into the Dungeons of Doom to recover the stolen Amulet of Yendor from the god Moloch, hidden in the underworld. You must triumph or perish. ### Where can I find more information or support? You can find detailed information on the GnollHack wiki at https://wiki.gnollhack.com. For community support and discussion, join their Discord server at https://discord.gg/cQuExnzUQy. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.12 — 2026-08-26 Build 12 adds handling for partly eaten food in edibility prompts. ### 3.10 — 2026-08-22 Build 10 adds an edibility confirmation prompt and improves dual wielding when polymorphed. ### 3.9 — 2026-08-17 Build 9 makes bug fixes. ### 3.8 — 2026-08-15 Build 8 adds support for timed monster polymorph. ### 3.7 — 2026-08-08 Build 7 improves memory management and adds support for game assistant. ## Related topics [inethack2](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/inethack2) · [nethack](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nethack) · [nidavellir](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nidavellir) · [pathos nethack](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/pathos-nethack) · [rivendell](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rivendell) --- *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 2026-08-27.*