# Time Crimes vs Mars Mystery

The clearest difference is update cadence: Time Crimes at every 3 weeks against Mars Mystery's every 11 months. Mars Mystery's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Time Crimes sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Mars Mystery sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Mars Mystery holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 436 and 613 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Time Crimes's written reviews are positive against 64% of Mars Mystery's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Time Crimes ships an update every 3 weeks, Mars Mystery every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 6, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Time Crimes | Mars Mystery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/time-crimes-hidden-objects/id1061423360/reviews) | **[4.5 (613 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-mystery-hidden-objects/id1577196255/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 436 | **613** |
| Positive reviews | **71.0% of reviews** | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 87 MB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Rolltower Studios Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/672539756) | [Crisp App Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143551614) |

## What reviewers say

### Time Crimes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/time-crimes-hidden-objects/id1061423360)

Embark on a time-traveling mystery adventure to find hidden objects and prevent a criminal from altering history. Explore beautifully hand-drawn scenes across different eras, collect treasures, and solve puzzles with a team of detectives. New content is released regularly.

**Highlights:** Solve mysteries, Beautiful hand-drawn scenes, Engaging storyline, New episodes released regularly, Find the differences, Collect rare treasures, Offline play

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pack of Energy Items | $2.99 | one-time |
| 15000 Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| 44 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pack of Hints | $7.99 | one-time |
| 93 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 30000 Coins and 90 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Max Energy Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| 64500 Coins | $19.99 | one-time |
| 190 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| Magic Key | $19.99 | one-time |
| 395 Gems | $39.99 | one-time |
| 999 Gems | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun
- 👍 Enjoyable
- 👍 Great game
- 👍 Interesting
- 👍 Challenging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Freezes/glitches
- 🔋 Slow energy regeneration
- 💰 Requires in-app purchases
- 🐛 Bugs and issues

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes
- Freezes during gameplay
- In-app purchases not working
- Connectivity issues
- Taps not registering

**Requested features**

- More time travel locations
- Ability to save progress/level upgrades
- Faster energy regeneration
- More mini-games
- Ability to request items from friends


### Mars Mystery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-mystery-hidden-objects/id1577196255)

Embark on a thrilling hidden object adventure on Mars. Explore its mysterious landscapes, uncover the secrets of failed expeditions, and race back to Earth. This game offers a unique sci-fi plot and trains your eyes and mind.

**Highlights:** Hidden object gameplay, Explore Mars locations, Sci-fi plot, Hints for beginners, Replayable scenes, Eyes and mind training

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Preview Hints Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| NoAds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Time Machine | $0.99 | one-time |
| Instant Hint | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gold Master | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Beautiful graphics and visual design
- 💡 Innovative hidden object gameplay with unique theme
- 🌍 Educational language learning feature
- 👍 Responsive developer that listens to player feedback
- ⭐ Engaging and enjoyable gameplay experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive and inappropriate advertisements
- 😤 Overly difficult star achievement system
- 🔄 Game progression bugs causing scene resets
- ⏱️ Limited content length

**Reported bugs**

- Skip ad button not functioning properly
- Scene reversion to jungle/animal scenes without clear objectives
- Three-star achievement system not triggering despite repeated play
- Hint system required to progress past certain scenes

**Requested features**

- Longer gameplay with more levels
- Better ad filtering for family-friendly content
- Improved star achievement mechanics clarity


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Time Crimes free?

Time Crimes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mars Mystery free?

Mars Mystery is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Time Crimes or Mars Mystery?

Mars Mystery is rated higher. Time Crimes averages 4.1 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while Mars Mystery averages 4.5 from 613 ratings.

### Do Time Crimes or Mars Mystery have ads?

Both Time Crimes and Mars Mystery show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Time Crimes or Mars Mystery?

Time Crimes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Mars Mystery every 11 months. Most recently, Time Crimes was updated on September 6, 2026 and Mars Mystery on September 21, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*