Comparison

Swap Sword vs Howl

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Gem matching and coin collection
  • Strategic sword swapping
  • Customizable spell arsenal
  • World exploration with unique features
  • Score comparison with friends
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Swap Sword4 screens
Howl4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Swap Sword versus Howl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwap SwordHowl
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (87 ratings) — better4.2 (63 ratings)
Positive reviews68.8% of reviews78.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings87 — better63
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#174 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB477 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperAlec Thomsonastragon Entertainment GmbH

Customer experience

Swap Sword

All ratings87 ratings
Positive83.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative22.9%

Howl

All ratings63 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative17.2%

User reviews

Swap Sword

From 87 App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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
Show 7 more
  • 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 more
  • 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 more
  • 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

None

Swap Sword

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Howl

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Swap Sword free?
Swap Sword costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swap Sword or Howl?
Swap Sword is rated higher. Swap Sword averages 4.4 out of 5 from 87 ratings, while Howl averages 4.2 from 63 ratings.
Do Swap Sword or Howl have ads?
Neither Swap Sword nor Howl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Swap Sword or Howl?
Swap Sword ships an update every 11 days, and Howl every 3 weeks. Most recently, Swap Sword was updated on October 13, 2026 and Howl on October 15, 2026.

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