# A Short Tale vs Iced In

The clearest difference is price: Iced In at Free against A Short Tale's $3.99. Iced In also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 74%). A Short Tale's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Iced In is free to download; A Short Tale costs $3.99 up front. Iced In sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. A Short Tale asks for nothing beyond the download.

A Short Tale holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A Short Tale has 246 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of A Short Tale's written reviews are positive against 100% of Iced In's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

A Short Tale ships an update every 5 months, Iced In every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | A Short Tale | Iced In |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (246 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-short-tale/id1062642163/reviews)** | [4.2 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iced-in/id1451738430/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **246** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 290 MB | 214 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Glitch Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/499866302) | [Dennis Mengelt](https://appshunter.io/developer/314464103) |

## What reviewers say

### A Short Tale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-short-tale/id1062642163)

Embark on a first-person point-and-click adventure where you shrink to toy size and explore a brother's room. Solve puzzles, collect items, and uncover clues in a charming, nostalgia-inducing environment with trademark humor.

**Highlights:** First-person point and click adventure, Toy-sized room exploration, Charming and nostalgic environment, Humorous puzzles, Glitch Camera for clues, Item collection and usage, Auto-save feature

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Challenging puzzles
- 👍 Charming and relaxing atmosphere
- 💡 Unique and clever puzzles
- 🤖 Impressive game design
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
- 🤔 Some puzzles too obscure or illogical
- ⏱️ Slow navigation and screen transitions
- 🤷‍♀️ Lack of hints or guidance

**Reported bugs**

- Camera/photo album icon overlap issue
- Crossword puzzle glitch causing game to freeze
- Missing puzzle elements preventing completion

**Requested features**

- Hint system or built-in walkthrough
- Improved navigation and screen loading times
- More logical and intuitive puzzle design


### Iced In

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iced-in/id1451738430)

Navigate frozen landscapes by strategically sliding ice blocks to solve puzzles and rescue stranded penguins. This adventure game features clever mechanics where every move counts, with 50 handcrafted challenges that increase in difficulty.

**Highlights:** Slide ice blocks to solve puzzles, Rescue trapped penguins, 50 handcrafted levels, Clever movement mechanics, Intuitive controls

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Episode 2 | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is A Short Tale free?

A Short Tale costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Iced In free?

Iced In is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, A Short Tale or Iced In?

A Short Tale is rated higher. A Short Tale averages 4.6 out of 5 from 246 ratings, while Iced In averages 4.2 from 13 ratings.

### Do A Short Tale or Iced In have ads?

Neither A Short Tale nor Iced In shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, A Short Tale or Iced In?

A Short Tale ships an update every 5 months, and Iced In every 3 days. Most recently, A Short Tale was updated on November 6, 2026 and Iced In on November 2, 2026.

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