Comparison

The Great Palermo vs DESERTOPIA

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

Head to head
About

The Great Palermo

An interactive ballad exploring the street food, folklore, and culture of Palermo, Sicily. Discover 19 secrets through a visual novel experience with a unique soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Interactive ballad format
  • Exploration of Palermo's culture
  • Street food and folklore themes
  • Visual novel gameplay
  • 19 secrets to discover
Features
Read full description

"The Great Palermo - A Tale of Food and Transformation" is an interactive ballad about street food, folklore and culture of the city of Palermo, Sicily. Explore the places and play with the stories, from Donna Florio's iris to Saint Rosalia's babbaluci: 19 secrets to discover in a visual novel by We Are Müesli in collaboration with CLAC. Soundtrack by Almendra Music, mobile development by My Appy.

About

DESERTOPIA

Transform a barren desert island into a thriving habitat at your own pace. Care for the island, restore wildlife, and make choices that influence its development. Enjoy a therapeutic idle simulator with beautiful art and evolving music.

Highlights
  • Storybook-style art
  • 100+ animals and 25+ terrain types
  • Weather and water evaporation mechanics
  • Multi-layered, evolving music
  • Interactive events influencing island development
  • Collect trash to clean the environment
Features
Read full description

///// Achievements ///// ・2018 Tokyo Game Show | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Indie Megabooth Selection ・2017 IMGA Global | Nominee ・2017 IMGA SEA | Nominee ・App Store Earth Day 2018, 2019, 2020 | Featured “A simple game with a deep meaning.” — INSIDE “Experience the role humans play in the ecosystem, and understand that we cannot take whatever we want from Mother Nature without repercussion. Learn how to cherish valuable resources.” — App Store Feature ///// Introduction ///// Desertopia is a relaxing and therapeutic idle simulator where you can spend just 5–10 minutes a day transforming a barren desert island into a vibrant, thriving habitat — all at your own pace. Your goal is to care for the island and help restore its wildlife. Occasionally, you’ll need to pick up floating trash to keep the environment clean. You’ll also make decisions about events triggered by human activity. Will you allow a tour group to visit the island? Should you build a resort? Every choice you make will directly influence how the island develops. ///// Features ///// ・Storybook-style art: Simply watching the animals roam the island can feel therapeutic on its own. ・100+ animals: Desertopia features over 100 unique creatures and 25+ terrain types. More than 15 legendary species may appear under special conditions — some only during festivals and holidays! ・Weather and water evaporation: Water evaporation is a unique gameplay mechanic. You’ll need to summon rain regularly to maintain livable conditions for your wildlife. If neglected, the island will gradually revert to a barren desert. ・Multi-layered music: Enjoy rich, evolving background music that shifts depending on the area and the animals inhabiting it. ・Events: Cruise ships bring visitors and special events to the island, each with both benefits and drawbacks. How your island evolves is entirely up to you. //////////////////// This game contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premium items with real-world currency (or with virtual coins and other in-game currencies purchasable using real-world money), where players do not know in advance which specific items they will receive (e.g., loot boxes, item packs, or mystery rewards). Terms of Use: https://gamtropy.com/term-of-use-en/ Privacy Policy: https://gamtropy.com/privacy-policy-en/ © 2017 Gamtropy Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

The Great Palermo4 screens
DESERTOPIA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Great Palermo at 5.0 against DESERTOPIA's 4.5. The Great Palermo also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). DESERTOPIA's advantage is ratings volume (287 vs 1). On price 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

Both are free to download. DESERTOPIA sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Great Palermo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Great Palermo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DESERTOPIA has 287 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Great Palermo versus DESERTOPIA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Great PalermoDESERTOPIA
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (287 ratings)
Positive reviews—45.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1287 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB218 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMy AppyGamtropy Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

The Great Palermo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

DESERTOPIA

All ratings287 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive45.6%
Neutral17.5%
Negative36.8%

Bugs and requests

The Great Palermo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

DESERTOPIA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to exit tutorial or instructions screen
  • Disappearing wetlands and other lost progress
  • Compatibility issues on certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More in-depth tutorial and gameplay explanations
  • Ability to reset or restart progress
  • Faster ways to earn resources and unlock new areas

In-app purchases

None

The Great Palermo

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

DESERTOPIA

One-time10
  • Gem Pack I$0.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 1$1.99
  • Gem Pack II$4.99
Show 7 more
  • NewbiePack$4.99
  • Coral reef$4.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 2$4.99
  • Gem Pack III$9.99
  • Unlock Ancient Island$9.99
  • Cat Pack 1$9.99
  • Gem Pack IV$19.99

Questions

Is The Great Palermo free?
The Great Palermo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Great Palermo or DESERTOPIA?
The Great Palermo is rated higher. The Great Palermo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 from 287 ratings.
Do The Great Palermo or DESERTOPIA have ads?
DESERTOPIA shows ads; The Great Palermo does not.

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