Timecrest vs Shadow House
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Timecrest
Embark on an epic fantasy adventure where your choices shape the narrative. As a young mage, you'll explore a magical world, uncover plot twists, and make decisions that determine the fate of a realm threatened by destruction. Experience a rich story with an emotional soundtrack.
- Interactive chat story
- Branching narrative choices
- Fantasy adventure
- Explore a magical world
- Emotional custom soundtrack
- Unlockable music tracks
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*** Best Game & Developer of the Year, AppleVis Golden Apples *** *** Featured in Apple's App Store Best Of *** “An interesting story... Simple fun.” - The New York Times Timecrest is a young adult fantasy where you are the main character. A young mage named Ash contacts you frantically through a pocket watch connecting to your iPhone asking for your help. Ash’s world, Alyncia, is about to be destroyed by falling meteors, but you demonstrate the ability to save Ash’s world by turning back time. There isn’t long to celebrate as Ash is suddenly being hunted by someone who informs you that you’ve done the impossible–your use of time magic has broken the rules of magic. Whether you save the world or do something else, your journey will take you through wondrous places where you’ll meet people that will either become your friends or your enemies. The decision to experience this game is yours, but if you do adventure in Alyncia, it will be the journey of a lifetime. - MAKE YOUR CHOICE. Timecrest is a story where no path is the wrong one. Walk your own road and experience a satisfying story no matter what. - EXPLORE A MAGICAL WORLD. Timecrest pulls no punches with big emotional moments and plot twists across over 640,000 words. - EXPERIENCE FANTASY AND WONDER. Timecrest features an emotional custom soundtrack with 34 musical tracks to unlock. What people are saying about Timecrest: “The characters really do draw you in.” - Jamie Pauls “It's not just a survival, yes/no–binary choice thing. It's like you're watching actual characters, actual people, living actual lives.” - Alex Hall “Timecrest stands out.” - AFB, AccessWorld Magazine “Worth a look–even if you’re not a fan of interactive fiction–as this is the best one so far.” - RNIB Connect Radio
Shadow House
Embark on interactive ghost stories where your choices shape the narrative. Explore a constantly changing haunted house with chilling visuals and audio. Uncover the dark secrets within this terrifying place.
- Choose your own path
- Haunting visuals
- Chilling audio
- Changing adventures
- Uncover secrets
- Based on book series
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Shadow House is more than just haunted . . . it’s hungry. Step into ghost stories where the choices you make determine your fate! Enter Shadow House, if you dare. . . . Companion to the Shadow House series by spooky story master Dan Poblocki. •Choose your own path through spooky ghost stories. •Step inside Shadow House through haunting visuals and chilling audio. •The house is always changing—play again for a terrifying new adventure. •Learn the secrets the house doesn’t want anyone to know. •Each ghost story comes from a haunting image in the Shadow Houses books, where more scares await. Shadow House is a place with a terrifying history. Every generation, it lures five kids inside . . . and never lets them leave. Are you brave enough to enter Shadow House? Trace a sigil to step into a ghost story, and navigate your way through each of the stories to uncover the haunting secrets Shadow House is keeping. Disclosure for Parents -------- This app does not collect any personally identifiable information. This app contains: •Information and advertising about Scholastic's Shadow House books •Links ONLY to Scholastic-owned websites and Apple’s App Store and iBooks Store •No social media sharing •No location tracking functions Privacy Policy: http://shadowhouse.scholastic.com/privacypolicy Developer: Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, New York 10012, 800-SCHOLASTIC, custserv@scholastic.com Customer Support: software@support.scholastic.com 1-800-724-6527
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadow House at none against Timecrest's 12. Shadow House also leads on iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Timecrest sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Shadow House asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Timecrest against 4.8 for Shadow House. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 855 and 685 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Timecrest's written reviews are positive against 84% of Shadow House's.
Timecrest ships an update monthly, Shadow House every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Timecrest | Shadow House |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (855 ratings) | 4.8 (685 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.2% of reviews — better | 83.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 855 — better | 685 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.2 | 9.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 308 MB | 647 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Sneaky Crab, Inc. | Scholastic Inc. |
Customer experience
Timecrest
Shadow House
User reviews
Timecrest
From 855 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic story and world-building
- 👍 Engaging and immersive gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful music and soundtrack
- 🎯 Meaningful choices with impact
- 🙌 Excellent accessibility for blind/VI users
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Lengthy wait times between actions
- 🤑 Expensive in-app purchases for time crystals
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and syncing issues
- 🤔 Some predictable story elements
Shadow House
From 685 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Engaging stories
- 🎨 Great visuals and sound effects
- 🤖 Interesting backstories and lore
- 🔍 Encourages exploration and discovery
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🔍 Some puzzles/challenges are too difficult
- 🔇 Lack of audio/voice acting
- 🤔 Limited choices/interactivity in some stories
Bugs and requests
Timecrest
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inconsistent save data across devices
- Text overlapping/glitching issues
- Relationship points not tracking properly
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to earn more time crystals in-game
- More control and customization options
- Expanded story and content updates
- Improved save/load functionality
Shadow House
Reported bugs
3 issues- Mirror challenge in Book 3 is blurry and unresponsive
- Sigil 2 in Book 3 crashes the app for some users
- Loading issues and crashes on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Add more books/stories
- Improve puzzle/challenge mechanics
- Implement a save/progress system
- Include a Russian language option
In-app purchases
Timecrest
- 300 Time Crystals$0.99
- 636 Time Crystals$1.99
- Memory Oracle Starter Pack$2.99
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- 1296 Time Crystals$3.99
- One Time Welcome Pack$5.99
- 2310 Time Crystals$6.99
- 3330 Time Crystals$9.99
- 6,330 Time Crystals$18.99
- 6900 Time Crystals$19.99
- 13,330 Time Crystals$39.99
- 19,997 Time Crystals$59.99
- 34479 Time Crystals$99.99
Shadow House
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Timecrest free?
Is Shadow House free?
Which has better reviews, Timecrest or Shadow House?
Do Timecrest or Shadow House have ads?
Which is updated more often, Timecrest or Shadow House?
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