Swap Sword vs Howl
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Swap Sword
Engage in a tactical puzzle battle by matching gems and collecting coins. Outsmart enemies on a dynamic battlefield, utilizing spells and strategic swaps to defeat monsters and progress through diverse worlds. Collect rewards and compare scores with friends in this challenging adventure.
- Gem matching and coin collection
- Strategic sword swapping
- Customizable spell arsenal
- World exploration with unique features
- Score comparison with friends
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It’s Swap Sword! A knife-sharp puzzle battle from the creators of Stellar Smooch and Sunburn! Match gems and snatch up coins, but watch out for angry frogs!! In Swap Sword, you’ll need to out-smart and out-slice your enemies on a battlefield that changes with every step. It’s the right mix of tactics, spells, and match-3 madness. Will you be able to draw your sword before you draw your last breath? UNSHEATH YOUR WITS - Swap to kill, match to dispatch, but don’t get caught with your sword down. CAST AWAY FEAR - Build a custom arsenal of spells to defeat your monstrous opponents and march toward victory. TRAVEL THE WORLD - Journey through mines, valleys, and beyond — each space filled with unique features and clever opponents waiting to strike you down. REAP GOLDEN REWARDS - Collect treasure, amass points, and compare your score with friends. Swap Sword was created by AP Thomson and Diego Garcia. --- Praise for Swap Sword! --- “This game is packed with the good stuff.” - App Advice “I’ve played this game more than any other this year. Please send help.” - Bennett Foddy, Creator of QWOP and Professor of Game Design at NYU.
Howl
Engage in turn-based tactical combat within a dark fairy-tale world threatened by a mysterious plague. Play as a deaf heroine who can foresee enemy moves, utilizing unique arrows and skills to defeat beasts. Explore beautifully illustrated environments and uncover secrets.
- Turn-based tactical combat
- Foretell enemy moves
- Variety of arrow types
- Unlockable skills and upgrades
- Living ink art style
- Multiple chapters and levels
- Save villagers
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This game is free to download and play for a limited number of levels and time. Do you like the game? Then you can easily unlock the full version through the in App purchase! Howl is a turn-based puzzle/tactical folktale set in the Middle Ages, where a mysterious "howling plague" ravages the land. Any who hear the beasts’ howls turn into feral, hungering beasts themselves – further spreading the curse through their own howls. The Heroine of this tale was born deaf, giving her a unique protection against this curse. Play as a daring combat Prophet with the ability to foretell your enemies’ moves. Plan up to six steps ahead to outmaneuver your enemies. Fire a variety of arrows, such as exploding, lightning, or piercing shots, and use skills like Smoke Bombs and Shadow Step’s Invisibility to kill any beasts who stand in your way. Each type of beast offers its own challenges, with some approaching fast, while others taking more powerful hits or attacking from afar. Howl's visuals are created through "living ink", a flowing art style that paints the story as you play. Carve your way through a dark, fairy-tale world made up of obscure yet magical places where you fight to rid the lands of the howling plague. Howl features a total of 5 chapters, including the free Heart of Rot update, each with a distinct visual atmosphere scored by soothing music. Access to this update is FREE for anyone who has bought the Howl base game. You can access this update chapter from the Chapter 3 map at any point after reaching Chapter 3 of the main story. This update features its own chapter map, new enemies, a new boss level, new environment mechanics, the new Lightning Shot skill (which, once unlocked, can be used in the main game!), and an NPC who fights by your side in later levels. Features • Foretell the actions of your enemies in turn-based puzzle/tactics combat. • Play through 60 levels across 4 chapters, plus 18 new levels in the free update chapter! • Beautifully illustrated in a unique, living ink art style. • Outsmart the different wolf species, from fast predators to enormous pack leaders. • Unlock and upgrade new skills like Shadow Step, Exploding Shot, and more. • Save villagers from the claws – and howls – of the wolves. • Plot your route on the world map to uncover new skills and secret paths.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Howl at Free against Swap Sword's $2.99. Howl also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 69%). Swap Sword's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support 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
Howl is free to download; Swap Sword costs $2.99 up front. Howl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Swap Sword asks for nothing beyond the download.
Swap Sword holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 87 and 63 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Swap Sword's written reviews are positive against 78% of Howl's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Swap Sword ships an update every 11 days, Howl every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swap Sword | Howl |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (87 ratings) — better | 4.2 (63 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.8% of reviews | 78.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 87 — better | 63 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #174 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 477 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Alec Thomson | astragon Entertainment GmbH |
Customer experience
Swap Sword
Howl
User reviews
Swap Sword
From 87 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Innovative match-3 twist
- 👍 User-friendly UI
- ✨ Beautiful pixel art
- 🤩 Addictive gameplay
- 🧠 Deep strategy
Room to improve
- 💰 Overpriced for content
- ⏳ Too short
- 🤷 Lacks replayability
- 😔 Frustrating grind
- 😕 Not rewarding
Howl
From 63 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful art style and visual design
- 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
- 🧩 Engaging turn-based strategy gameplay
- 🎯 Creative puzzle mechanics with multiple solutions
- 📖 Compelling story and atmosphere
Room to improve
- 🐛 UI elements covering action cards on left screen edge
- 📱 Text too small on mobile devices
- 🌍 Limited language localization options
- ⏱️ Game length feels short for the price
- 💾 Save progress issues and data loss
Bugs and requests
Swap Sword
Reported bugs
1 issue- Fire enemies not counting for matching
Requested features
12 requests- More levels
- More content
- Character progression
- Unlockable characters/levels
- Rewards for matching
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- Boosts or power-ups
- Endless mode
- Cosmetic upgrades
- Haptic feedback option
- Skip tutorials option
- More game modes
- Add updates
Howl
Reported bugs
8 issues- Arrow card hidden by sidebar UI on left screen edge
- Text bubbles blocking enemy action information
- Save data not persisting after app closure
- UI elements too small to read on iPhone
- Tooltip descriptions not displaying correctly
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Hover mechanics don't work on iPad
- Specific level completion issues (Tower chapter)
- Yellow completion symbol blends with map background
Requested features
10 requests- Movable text bubbles to prevent obstruction
- Character gender/pronoun customization
- More levels and expanded content
- Language localization (Vietnamese, German, etc.)
- UI scaling for smaller phones
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Ability to select language for voice acting
- More detailed story development
- 3D graphics enhancement
- Clearer level count visibility upfront
- Improved tooltip system for mobile
In-app purchases
Swap Sword
No in-app purchases
Howl
- Upgrade to Full Version$3.99









