# Hero Emblems II vs Puzzle Craft 2

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hero Emblems II | Puzzle Craft 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (156 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-emblems-ii/id1070462618/reviews) | **[4.5 (478 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puzzle-craft-2/id1526039892/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 156 | **478** |
| Positive reviews | **62.8% of reviews** | 54.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 544 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HeatPot Games Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/645797561) | [ArsThanea](https://appshunter.io/developer/935709094) |

## What reviewers say

### Hero Emblems II

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-emblems-ii/id1070462618)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚔️ 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Puzzle Craft 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/puzzle-craft-2/id1526039892)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special Bundle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Special Bundle 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Small Pack of Runes | $2.99 | one-time |
| Special Bundle 3 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Additional Workers | $2.99 | one-time |
| Higher Tool Limit | $4.99 | one-time |
| Pack of Runes | $5.99 | one-time |
| Special Bundle 6 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Faster Bonuses | $5.99 | one-time |
| More Challenges | $5.99 | one-time |
| Big Pack of Runes | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Bundle 10 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Great Pack of Runes | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Pack of Runes | $44.99 | one-time |
| Mega Pack of Runes | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


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