Comparison

Monomals vs Dead Cells+

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monomals

Embark on a musical adventure by fishing for unique creatures that help you compose original music. Explore vibrant underwater worlds, battle rivals, and share your creations with a global community.

Highlights
  • Catch unique Monomals
  • Compose music in MonoMaker
  • Explore 28 oceanic courses
  • Compete in music charts
  • Share music creations online
  • Console-quality graphics
Features
Read full description

There's a big music contest going on amongst the world's best animal DJs! Armed with a big fishing rod and a plug, go fishing in deep waters to help the DJs catch all of the Monomals™, and create your very own music in the MonoMaker™! CATCH • Choose your favourite animal DJ: Retro Rabbit, Funky Frog, Techno Tiger, Rocky Rhino or MC Scratch • Explore 28 beautiful oceanic courses full of hazards and challenges • Prepare for Arena Battles and catch tons of Monomals • Discover dozens of collectibles and power-ups • Incredible console-quality graphics COMPOSE • Use the Monomals in the MonoMaker to create your own music • Listen to your own music in your self-created playlist during your fishing adventures • Switch instantly between music genres and listen to different styles of your music • Create and use Monomal stamps for instant results! • Literally unlimited hours of music making! COMPETE • Compete in the offline Hot 99 chart and go platinum! • Rate or be rated - share your music creations online for others to download! • Join weekly online contests and become the best musician! -------- The following applies when you make and share your music to the online charts: • Please be respectful of the copyright of others and do not make and share songs that violate another party's copyright. We may remove songs if we believe they violate copyrights. • Please know that there is a possibility that we will use your song to promote Monomals on our social media channels.

About

Dead Cells+

Embark on a challenging 2D action platformer adventure as a failed alchemic experiment. Explore a dynamic, interconnected world, master combat, and unlock new paths with each playthrough. This version includes extensive DLC content with new storylines, biomes, enemies, weapons, and bosses.

Highlights
  • Roguevania exploration
  • Frantic 2D combat
  • Nonlinear progression
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Return to Castlevania DLC
  • The Bad Seed DLC
  • Fatal Falls DLC
Features
Read full description

Play as a failed alchemic experiment and explore the sprawling, ever-changing castle to find out what happened on this gloomy island…! That is, assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers. Dead Cells+ is a roguevania action platformer that will require you to master frantic 2D combat with a wide variety of weapons and skills against merciless minions and boss. The indie hit Dead Cells+ is now slaying foes on Apple Arcade! Main Features • ONLY ON APPLE ARCADE - New daily leaderboards : Test your skills against players all over the world! • Roguevania: The progressive exploration of an interconnected world, with the replayability of a rogue-lite and the adrenaline pumping threat of permadeath • Frantic and Dynamic 2D Action: Learn your enemies’ patterns to stay alive, or prepare to be sent back to your cell before you can say “baguette” • Nonlinear Progression: Unlock new levels with every death, opt for the path that suits your current build, your playstyle or just your mood. Surely, the ramparts can’t be as bad the sewers, right? • Play at your own pace: Will you explore every nook and cranny of the castle, or rush to the end? [THIS VERSION ALSO INCLUDES ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT] *Latest updates are available: Clean Cut & The End is Near* RETURN TO CASTLEVANIA DLC • New storyline - overcome the Ruler of Darkness alongside Alucard and Richter Belmont, • 2 new biomes - Explore Dracula's Castle and its outskirts • 9 new monsters - Werewolves, haunted armors, and medusas are waiting for you • 14 new weapons - wield the Vampire Killer or the Holy Water to defeat creatures of the night, • 3 new bosses - go fangs to fangs against Death and Dracula himself • 20 new outfits - dress as your favorite Castlevania characters such as Simon and Richter Belmont or Alucard • Alternative soundtracks - play along 51 Castlevania original tracks and 12 tunes reimagined in the style of Dead Cells THE BAD SEED DLC You reap what you sow • New levels to lose your head in: the not-so-peaceful Dilapidated Arboretum and the noxious Morass of the Banished • New monsters to rip to pieces: get to know the locals, such as the Jerkshroom and the Yeeter • New weapons to play with: trim sticking out heads with the Scythe Claw, or make them dance to the sound of the Rhythm n' Bouzouki • New boss to fight against: Mama Tick is dying to meet you FATAL FALLS DLC Ready for a leap of faith? • 3 new biomes - Get some fresh air at the Fractured Shrines, splash around at the Undying Shores and take a picture at the Mausoleum • 8 new monsters - The Cold Blooded Guardians and their friends would love to teach you about their culture. ... Wait, aren't those relatives of yours in the Undying Shores...? • 7 new weapons - lil' Serenade is perfect for breaking the ice with the locals, although the Snake Fangs would make for a perfect souvenir... • 1 new boss - The Scarecrow is very proud of his gardening skills and won't hesitate to show off QUEEN AND THE SEA DLC Take it to the sea! • 2 new biomes - Battle your way through a rotten shipwreck, or scale a burning lighthouse and confront your deadliest foe yet. • 9 new weapons, including a throwable shark, a trident and a pirate hook hand (eyepatch not included). • 2 new bosses - Don't lose your head before you meet the Queen! This DLC also gives you the usual extras: - A not-so-cute pet. - Loads of new outfits. - New enemies to bash. Carefully redesigned for Apple Arcade with a revamped interface • Two game modes available: Original & Auto-Hit • Custom controls & More touch controls options available: Change the buttons’ position and size to your liking, swipe to dodge… • MFi external controller support • Game Center achievements If you run into a problem, please contact us at support@playdigious.mail.helpshift.com u with as much information as possible on the issue.

Screenshots

Monomals4 screens
Dead Cells+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dead Cells+ at 4.9 against Monomals's 4.7. Dead Cells+ also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 76%) and ratings volume (14K vs 3.5K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dead Cells+ holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.5K and 14K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Monomals's written reviews are positive against 90% of Dead Cells+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Monomals versus Dead Cells+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonomalsDead Cells+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.5K ratings)4.9 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews89.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.5K14K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size925 MB1.8 GB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPICOMYPlaydigious

Customer experience

Monomals

All ratings3,490 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews224 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative15.6%

Dead Cells+

All ratings13,598 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews693 reviews
Positive89.9%
Neutral4.3%
Negative5.8%

User reviews

Monomals

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🎨 Gorgeous graphics
  • 🎶 Awesome music
  • 🕹️ Fun and engaging gameplay
  • 🎮 Smooth controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Challenging and frustrating at times
  • 🎶 Music creation tool is too complex
  • 🔍 Progression issues (unable to revisit older levels)

Dead Cells+

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Excellent controls
  • 🎨 Beautiful pixel art
  • 🔍 Engaging exploration
  • 💡 Helpful accessibility options

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional audio issues
  • 🔋 Performance drops on some devices
  • 🤔 Lack of cloud save sync across devices
  • 🕹️ Touchscreen controls can be finicky

Bugs and requests

Monomals

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes at specific levels/bosses
  • Glitches that prevent progression
  • Issues with saving/loading custom music
  • Control problems (unresponsive, fling issues)

Requested features

5 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Improved music creation tools (more instruments, layering, automation)
  • Better save/progress system
  • Difficulty options (easy mode)
  • Controller support improvements

Dead Cells+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes or freezes during boss battles
  • Map not updating properly after teleporting
  • Controller buttons not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to listen to own music/podcasts while playing
  • More customization options for button layout
  • Multiplayer or co-op mode
  • Improved save/progress sync across devices

In-app purchases

None

Monomals

No in-app purchases

None

Dead Cells+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monomals free?
Monomals is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dead Cells+ free?
Dead Cells+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Monomals or Dead Cells+?
Dead Cells+ is rated higher. Monomals averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Dead Cells+ averages 4.9 from 14K ratings.
Do Monomals or Dead Cells+ have ads?
Neither Monomals nor Dead Cells+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monomals or Dead Cells+?
Monomals ships an update every 3 months, and Dead Cells+ every 3 months. Most recently, Monomals was updated on September 22, 2026 and Dead Cells+ on September 23, 2026.

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