# Norman Lives — 4-Player Apocalypse Survival > Pixel art permadeath survival RPG with procedural worlds and co-op multiplayer. (iPhone/iPad app by Joel Brecker.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/norman-lives/id6759507674 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Joel Brecker](https://appshunter.io/developer/1466722019) - Category: Games, Action, Role Playing - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 4 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 36 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Brazilian Portuguese, European Spanish - Released: 2026-02-24 - Data updated: 2026-08-05 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/norman-lives/id6759507674/reviews.md ## What is Norman Lives? Norman Lives is a top-down survival RPG set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Every death is permanent. Every choice matters. How long can you survive? EXPLORE A LIVING WORLD Venture into a procedurally-generated wasteland spanning 8 biomes — from Dense Forest and Suburban Ruins to scorching Desert, frozen Winter, and volcanic hellscapes. Discover fortified survivor villages with defensive turrets, hostile rebel camps patrolled by bandits, and abandoned buildings filled with loot. The further you go, the more dangerous it gets. DEFEND VILLAGES FROM RAIDS Survivor villages are under constant threat. When you enter a village, raiders launch a 10-wave assault — from scrap bandits to war machines to hive queens. Pathfinding enemies swarm from all sides while turrets help defend. Fight alongside the villagers, survive all 10 waves, and earn the legendary Flame Ring power. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Rescue trapped survivors and deliver them to a village. Ally with survivor camps for shield upgrades and XP boosts — or join the rebels and watch the regular villages send ice and desert warriors after you. Your choice shapes who attacks and who defends. FIGHT TO SURVIVE Battle 37 enemy types including mutant wolves, giant scorpions, mechs, sand worms, blizzard wraiths, and more. Face 8 epic bosses — each with unique multi-phase AI, from the Sentinel Core's energy barriers to the Hive Queen's aerial acid attacks. ARM YOURSELF Wield 20 weapons across melee and ranged — from a lead pipe to a plasma sword, from a pistol to the Annihilator. Weapons come in 4 rarity tiers with 6 damage types. Merge duplicates in the Weapon Lab to forge stronger gear. BUILD YOUR SURVIVOR Level up to unlock dodge rolls, auto-targeting, rapid fire, and more. Invest persistent coins into the skill tree for permanent upgrades — starting HP, armor, shields, elemental resistances, and growth bonuses that carry across runs. Rescue 8 unique survivors for permanent bonuses like increased loot, damage reduction, and passive healing. COMPLETE 42 MISSIONS Follow a story campaign spanning 5 acts with objectives ranging from boss hunts to biome exploration to weapon mastering. Earn rewards and unlock journal entries that reveal the world's lore. PLAY WITH FRIENDS Team up with 2-4 players in real-time co-op multiplayer. Browse lobbies, host private games, and survive together in the same procedural world. Spectate teammates after death or quit to menu. FEATURES - Permadeath roguelike with Casual Mode option (save & continue) - Infinite procedurally-generated world with 8 biomes - Survivor villages with turrets and free-roaming NPCs - Rebel camps with hostile patrols - 10-wave village raid defense system - Faction system — ally with survivors or join the rebels - Flame Ring power — earned by completing raids, upgrades over time - 20 weapons with 4 rarity tiers and 6 damage types - Weapon Lab for merging and upgrading gear - 37 enemy types and 8 epic multi-phase bosses - 42 story missions across 5 acts - 8 rescuable survivors with unique permanent bonuses - 8-skill upgrade tree with persistent progression - Real-time co-op multiplayer (2-4 players) - 10 character skins - Game Center leaderboards and achievements - Bluetooth controller support (MFi, Xbox, PlayStation) - No ads, no pay-to-win ## Key features - Permadeath roguelike gameplay - Procedurally generated endless world - 4-player cooperative multiplayer - 16 unique weapons - 20+ enemy types and 4 bosses - Unlockable abilities and customization ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Dark Commander Skin | $1.89 | one-time | | 1,500 Coins | $2.59 | one-time | | 3-Hour XP Boost | $1.89 | one-time | | Plumber Hero Skin | $1.89 | one-time | | 12,000 Coins | $7.95 | one-time | | Swamp Sage Skin | $1.89 | one-time | | Survival Kit | $4.00 | one-time | | Steel Titan Skin | $1.89 | one-time | | Pocket Tamer Skin | $1.89 | one-time | | 1-Hour XP Boost | $0.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (4 of 4) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/norman-lives/id6759507674/reviews.md ### 5/5 — I love it, but… *2026-07-24* The current version no longer fits on the iPhone, so I can no longer comfortably play. Othetwise, I LOVE this little game!! It’s hard to put down once you get into the groove and understand the gameplay loop. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for this review! We are so happy that you are enjoying our game. 🙂 ### 5/5 — Hard to put down! *2026-03-25* It’s a survival rpg, and there is so many ways to play and things to find that I find myself playing for several hours before I realize how much time has past. Really loving the game! **Developer response:** Thank you for the positive review! We are glad that you are enjoying the game! ### 5/5 — Great Mechanics *2026-03-19* Takes me back to the 90’s where we installed computer games on the computers in computer lab. Love the surplus of weapons and the ability to duck in cover in shelters and avoid enemies to get a breather. Definitely be careful of dangerous enemies that may pop up when chest raiding. Definitely recommend!! **Developer response:** Thank you so much for taking the time to review our game! We appreciate you. ### 5/5 — Multiplayer RPG!! *2026-03-05* This is a very fun game for iPhone and iPad. I just wish more people were playing so I could find a match in the multiplayer mode. Otherwise, the single player mode is very fun! Hard to put down. ## Frequently asked questions about Norman Lives ### What is Norman Lives? Norman Lives is a top-down pixel art survival RPG where every death is permanent. It features a procedurally generated world, diverse enemies, and cooperative multiplayer for up to 4 players. ### Does Norman Lives have permadeath? Yes, Norman Lives features permadeath, meaning there are no second chances after you die. Each run is high-stakes and requires careful strategy to survive. ### Can I play Norman Lives with friends? Yes, Norman Lives offers real-time cooperative multiplayer for 2-4 players. You can team up with friends to explore the same procedural world and survive together. ### What platforms is Norman Lives available on? Norman Lives is supported on Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices. ### How often is Norman Lives updated? The latest version is 1.1.8, and the app was last updated on March 29, 2026. This indicates a recent update frequency. ### Is Norman Lives suitable for younger players? Norman Lives has an age rating of 12+, suggesting it is appropriate for players aged 12 and above. ### Does Norman Lives have ads? No, Norman Lives is advertised as having no ads, allowing for an uninterrupted gameplay experience. ### Are there any pay-to-win elements in Norman Lives? No, the game explicitly states that all cosmetic skins are purely visual and there is no pay-to-win. In-app purchases are available for character skins. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.2.4 — 2026-08-04 BUG FIXES: - Balanced the difficulty for casual mode ### 1.2.3 — 2026-07-26 BUG FIXES: - iPhone sizing problems - Tutorial made the game unplayable - Buildings and landscape too cramped for Norman. ### 1.2.2 — 2026-07-02 NEW FEATURES: - Craft weapons using materials collected from death drops - New reimagined artwork and animations ### 1.2.1 — 2026-04-13 Co-op Overhaul: Both players now see the same enemies, items, and crates. Attacks from both players deal damage. Enemies chase the nearest player — no more guest invincibility. Cross-platform play (iOS + Mac) now connects reliably. Village Raids: Fixed ghost raiders that blocked wave completion. Leaderboard: Now shows top 100 players with your rank always visible. Store: Starter Pack and Survival Kit upgraded with XP boosts, shields, and more. Premium items organized into clear sections. ### 1.2.0 — 2026-04-09 SURVIVOR VILLAGES - Discover rare fortified villages scattered across the wasteland - Villages feature barricade walls, teepee shelters, and free-roaming survivors - Bright, distinct visual style makes villages stand out against any biome - Villages are safe havens — immune to all damage from Norman and enemies - Four defensive turrets guard the corners, firing electric projectiles at approaching threats - Turret kills do not award XP, coins, or loot drops REBEL VILLAGES - Dark-walled rebel camps spawn near survivor villages - Scrap Bandits and Shock Troopers patrol inside rebel villages - Entering a rebel village without a survivor triggers an overwhelming attack - Deliver a rescued survivor to a rebel village to join the rebellion VILLAGE RAIDS (10-WAVE DEFENSE) - Entering a friendly village starts a 30-second countdown to the first raid wave - 10 increasingly difficult waves of enemies march toward the village from all directions - Raiders use smart A* pathfinding to navigate around walls and obstacles - The entire raiding party advances together — no single-file bottlenecks - Wave 1 starts with Scrap Bandits; Wave 10 ends with War Machines, Hive Queens, and Sentinel Cores - Enemy levels scale with each wave (+3 levels per wave on top of player level) - HUD shows wave counter, raiders remaining, and a direction arrow to the nearest enemy - Norman must damage or kill raiders to get credit — turret-only kills reset the raid - Timers pause when Norman leaves the village area (except active wave combat) - Dying during a raid resets progress back to wave 1 FACTION SYSTEM - Deliver a survivor to a regular village: become Allied +30 shield HP (permanent for the run) 5-minute XP boost Village defenses strengthened - Deliver a survivor to a rebel village: become a Rebel Regular villages now raid rebel camps Raids use ice and desert enemies (Frost Wolves, Ice Golems, Blizzard Wraiths, Sand Worms) FLAME RING POWER - Awarded for defeating all 10 raid waves - Powerful fire AoE attack that damages all nearby enemies - 5-minute cooldown between uses - Upgrades each time you complete all 10 waves — more damage and larger radius - Activate via the Flame Ring button on the HUD SURVIVOR ESCORT REWORKED - Rescued survivors are now escorted to the nearest village instead of a base camp - Direction arrow points toward the nearest village - Delivering a survivor to a village triggers faction bonuses - Base camps have been removed REPAIR KITS - New stackable item found in enemy drops, supply crates, and abandoned buildings - Currently collected as loot — future updates will expand their use VILLAGE TURRET BEHAVIOR - Regular village turrets fire at all enemies within range (200px, 100 damage, pistol fire rate) - Rebel village turrets fire at Norman and survivors - Turrets have 500+ HP and are indestructible to Norman ## More apps by Joel Brecker - [Bullet-Journal v2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bullet-journal-v2/id1513040157) - [Wacky Genes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wacky-genes/id1641711708) - [Health HQ+](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/health-hq-plus/id6444343202) - [Stone Defender: Infinite TD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stone-defender-infinite-td/id6748558876) - [Forest-Run](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forest-run/id6757683875) - [Easli](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/easli/id6759333208) All apps by Joel Brecker: https://appshunter.io/developer/1466722019 --- *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 2026-08-05.*