Comparison

Hero Emblems II vs Puzzle Craft 2

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

Head to head
About

Hero Emblems II

Embark on an epic adventure combining match-3 puzzles with classic JRPG elements. Lead a team of heroic warriors, unleash powerful skills through strategic emblem matching, and explore a world filled with magic, monsters, and ancient mysteries.

Highlights
  • Match-3 emblem battles
  • Traditional JRPG exploration
  • Unique hero skills and backstories
  • Equipment customization
  • Food consumption system for buffs
  • Japanese character voice acting
Features
Read full description

A new evolution of match-3, combat, and adventure! Hero Emblems II is a JRPG that combines elements of side-scrollers and match-3 games. Players control members of the Night Chasers, a group of heroic warriors, as they embark on an adventure to save their lands from an evil threat. [Game Features] ◆ Thrilling match-3 battle experiences Match three Emblems to clear them from the board and make your heroes attack. Clear four or more to generate Magic Emblems, allowing your heroes to unleash powerful skills. Perform combos to launch even more powerful attacks and vanquish your enemies! ◆ Traditional JRPG experience In a world of magic and swordplay, players will control members of the Night Chasers as they embark on an adventure together. Enter deep caves, explore ancient ruins, unlock treasure chests, fight against ferocious monsters, upgrade your equipment in town, and gain new information from villagers in the local taverns. A exciting RPG experience is waiting for you in Hero Emblems II! ◆ Substitute Heroes Each Hero possesses their own unique skills and backstory. There's Zack, the Human Warrior; Lucien, the Marten Knight; Sid, the Felinian Black Mage; Abner the Bard, and many more! Lead your favorite heroes into battle! ◆ Thrilling Japanese character voices in battles Personalized character voices make combat a thrilling, intense and fun experience! ◆ More equipment Enemies attack with a wide range of debuffs such as Poison, Ignition, Petrification or Curses. To fight against these tough opponents, you will need to choose your Heroes' weapons and armor carefully, and make good use of accessories to resist enemy debuffs and boost your Heroes' abilities! ◆'Food Consumption System' for Enhancing Battle Power A hero's adventure is always brimming with all sorts of challenges. Vicious monsters boast tremendous strength and always catch people off guard with their varied attack styles. Now, heroes can boost their abilities by indulging in delightful delicacies, allowing them to thwart monster attacks with a more refreshing rhythm! ◆One-time payment, IAP-free, and ad-free A New Chapter in the Night Chasers' History A long time ago, there was a mercenary group known as the Night Chasers. Instead of making money, these heroic warriors went around helping those in need. During the war, they helped a great many people who were suffering under tyranny and injustice. However, in the ensuing age of peace, the Night Chasers were no longer needed, and were forced to disband. Years later, four young people - Zack, Lucien, Sid, and Odelia - decided to carry on their legacy, forming the new Night Chasers. One day, Zack and his party save an Elven girl named Dolores. Suffering from amnesia, Dolores cannot remember why she has ventured so far from the Elven Kingdom – only that she has been sent on an urgent quest. Concerned for her well-being, the Night Chasers take her into their fold, leading them to discover an ancient and terrible threat to the kingdom... ** Recommend to use iPhone 6/iPad min4/iPad Air2/iPad 5th Gen./iPad Pro or later devices for better experiences.**

About

Puzzle Craft 2

Embark on a grand puzzle adventure to build and manage a magical empire. Match tiles to gather resources, craft tools, and develop settlements into thriving towns. Explore islands and seas to discover new lands, treasures, and challenges.

Highlights
  • Match tiles to gather resources
  • Craft tools and build settlements
  • Explore islands and seas
  • Discover new species and resources
  • Manage an entire empire
  • Complete hundreds of quests
Features
Read full description

The ultimate puzzle adventure is back! Shore up and build your empire on a legendary, magical new land in Puzzle Craft 2. Farm crops, excavate mines, scour the seas and transform emerging settlements into bustling towns for your workers. With an entire empire at your fingertips, there’s always something to do! Mine, craft, build! – match tiles, collect valuable resources, craft tools and build up your towns. Use your influence and magical runes to control weather, summon villagers and more! Land, air and sea – discover new species and resources as you explore this magical island. Venture out to sea in search of more supplies and discover long lost treasures. Rule them all! – journey across a massive empire, rule over many settlements at once and grow a mighty empire in the biggest Puzzle Craft yet! Puzzle Craft 2 features: • Rule over an entire empire in the ultimate puzzle adventure sequel • Match tiles to farm, mine, scavenge, craft and build settlements into bustling cities for your workers • Explore the seas in search of resources and lost treasures • Over 40 puzzles to unlock and discover new resources waiting to be crafted into useful tools • Hundreds of quests, challenges, treasures, trophies and more to find and complete

Screenshots

Hero Emblems II4 screens
Puzzle Craft 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Puzzle Craft 2 at Free against Hero Emblems II's $6.99. Puzzle Craft 2 also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (478 vs 156). Hero Emblems II's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, device support and iOS requirement 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

Puzzle Craft 2 is free to download; Hero Emblems II costs $6.99 up front. Puzzle Craft 2 sells 15 one-off in-app purchases. Hero Emblems II asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Puzzle Craft 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 156 and 478 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Hero Emblems II's written reviews are positive against 54% of Puzzle Craft 2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hero Emblems II ships an update every 3 weeks, Puzzle Craft 2 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Hero Emblems II versus Puzzle Craft 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHero Emblems IIPuzzle Craft 2
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (156 ratings)4.5 (478 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.8% of reviews — better54.3% of reviews
Number of ratings156478 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.310.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size544 MB102 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHeatPot Games Ltd.ArsThanea

Customer experience

Hero Emblems II

All ratings156 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive62.8%
Neutral11.7%
Negative25.6%

Puzzle Craft 2

All ratings474 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.4%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews116 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral12.9%
Negative32.8%

User reviews

Hero Emblems II

From 156 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent match-3 gameplay mechanics
  • 💰 No pay-to-win or microtransactions
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and animations
  • 🎵 Great music and character voice acting
  • 📖 Engaging story with RPG elements

Room to improve

  • ⚔️ Severe difficulty spikes and boss balancing issues
  • ⏳ Excessive grinding required for progression
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and soft crashes
  • 🌍 Poor English localization and translation quality
  • 📋 Lack of quest journal or quest tracking system

Puzzle Craft 2

From 478 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Unique and fun mechanics
  • 💡 Customization options
  • ❤️ Nostalgic for original Puzzle Craft

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Progression heavily paywalled
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • ⏱️ Overwhelming grind and tedious progression
  • 💰 In-app purchases feel predatory

Bugs and requests

Hero Emblems II

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Game crashes during final boss battles
  • Soft crashes and emblem dropping errors
  • iCloud sync not working properly after reinstall
  • Location markers disappearing after quest completion
  • Touchscreen input not working on one side of map
Show 6 more
  • Elf character joining prevents map movement
  • Five-star gems unable to convert with adjacent gems
  • Visual glitches and display errors
  • iPad home bar black border display issue
  • iPad orientation support missing
  • Game freezing and crashing randomly

Requested features

11 requests
  • Enemy level indicators for dungeon difficulty assessment
  • Quest journal and quest tracking system
  • Endgame endless mode for post-story gameplay
  • Easy or casual difficulty mode
  • Game+ or New Game+ mode
Show 6 more
  • Multiplayer PvP battle mode
  • Korean language support
  • Better iCloud sync functionality
  • Difficulty balancing adjustments
  • More distinct puzzle board icons
  • Faster map navigation speed

Puzzle Craft 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Buttons and menus causing crashes
  • Save data loss and reset issues
  • Compatibility problems on newer devices
  • Quests and progression systems bugged

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add new towns and regions to explore
  • Improve save data migration between devices
  • Reduce grind and unlock requirements
  • Optimize performance and stability

In-app purchases

None

Hero Emblems II

No in-app purchases

15 purchases

Puzzle Craft 2

One-time15
  • Special Bundle 1$0.99
  • Special Bundle 2$1.99
  • Small Pack of Runes$2.99
Show 12 more
  • Special Bundle 3$2.99
  • Additional Workers$2.99
  • Higher Tool Limit$4.99
  • Pack of Runes$5.99
  • Special Bundle 6$5.99
  • Faster Bonuses$5.99
  • More Challenges$5.99
  • Big Pack of Runes$9.99
  • Special Bundle 10$9.99
  • Great Pack of Runes$19.99
  • Huge Pack of Runes$44.99
  • Mega Pack of Runes$99.99

Questions

Is Hero Emblems II free?
Hero Emblems II costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Puzzle Craft 2 free?
Puzzle Craft 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hero Emblems II or Puzzle Craft 2?
Puzzle Craft 2 is rated higher. Hero Emblems II averages 4.3 out of 5 from 156 ratings, while Puzzle Craft 2 averages 4.5 from 478 ratings.
Do Hero Emblems II or Puzzle Craft 2 have ads?
Puzzle Craft 2 shows ads; Hero Emblems II does not.
Which is updated more often, Hero Emblems II or Puzzle Craft 2?
Hero Emblems II ships an update every 3 weeks, and Puzzle Craft 2 every 6 days. Most recently, Hero Emblems II was updated on October 26, 2026 and Puzzle Craft 2 on October 24, 2026.

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