Kittens Game vs Magic Research 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kittens Game
Manage a growing village of kittens in this text-based simulation game. Gather resources, research technologies, and expand your settlement. This old-school experience is free of ads and micro-transactions.
- Village simulation
- Resource management
- Technology research
- Text-based gameplay
- Kitten management
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Kittens Game is a village simulation text game. You manage a village of kittens as they acquire resources and unlock new technologies. This is an old school game and a product of many years of love and hard labor. It does not have any ads or micro-transactions.
Magic Research 2
Embark on a magical quest as a rookie wizard to find or create the Philosopher's Stone. Utilize over 120 spells, transmute hundreds of items, and lead a team of wizards in a semi-automated combat system. Explore dozens of areas, uncover secrets, and experience over 60 hours of gameplay.
- Over 120 distinct spells
- Transmute over 250 items
- Control a team of wizards
- Semi-automated combat system
- Explore dozens of areas
- Discover secrets and storylines
- Retirement bonuses for faster progress
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Experience the long-awaited sequel to Magic Research! In Magic Research 2, you are a rookie wizard with a single ambition: to find or create the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary magical item that is said to be able to cure any illness. As you do so, you will learn more than you ever imagined about Magic and about the world around you. What kinds of adventures await you? * Use your arsenal of more than 120 distinct spells to make progress * Study the Elements! Learn new ways to use Magic in your path to mastery * Transmute (magically craft) over 250 different items to help you on your journey * Control a team of Wizards that will cast Spells for you * Enjoy a deep, semi-automated combat system as you make your way through dozens of areas to explore * Discover tons of secrets - many of which will change the way you play the game! * Encounter over a hundred distinct Storylines with powerful bonuses along your journey * Restart the game and make progress faster each time with retirement bonuses * Over 60 hours of addictive gameplay - with a clear ending! (Or perhaps more than one...?) * Optimized both for phones and tablet devices You do not need to have played Magic Research in order to enjoy Magic Research 2!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Magic Research 2 at every 3 days against Kittens Game's every 4 months. Magic Research 2 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (82% vs 68%). Kittens Game's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.69) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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
Kittens Game costs $2.99 and Magic Research 2 $4.69 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Magic Research 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 322 and 115 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Kittens Game's written reviews are positive against 82% of Magic Research 2's.
Kittens Game ships an update every 4 months, Magic Research 2 every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Kittens Game | Magic Research 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.69 |
| Rating | 4.5 (322 ratings) | 4.8 (115 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.9% of reviews | 82.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 322 — better | 115 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #85 | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Dmitrii Popov | Matias Ezequiel Colotto |
Customer experience
Kittens Game
Magic Research 2
User reviews
Kittens Game
From 322 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Captivating gameplay
- 👍 Engrossing incremental game
- 💡 Impressive depth and complexity
- 🚀 Rewarding progression
- 👍 Minimal UI, focus on gameplay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy UI, screen jumping
- 🐛 Inconsistent save/load behavior
- 🐛 Compatibility issues on newer devices
- 🐛 Broken or underperforming features
- 🔋 Slow progression can be tedious
Magic Research 2
From 115 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic sequel, better than the first
- 👍 Incredible sense of progression
- 💡 Fun build types, best in genre
- 👍 Incremental masterclass, gold standard
- 👍 True semi-idle masterpiece
Room to improve
- 🐛 Extremely complicated, tedious timers
- 🐛 UI is absolutely atrocious
- 🐛 Time pieces cap out at 100k
- 🐛 UI issues, not easy to navigate
- 🐛 Sorting doesn't sort exactly as wanted
Bugs and requests
Kittens Game
Reported bugs
4 issues- Disappearing buttons and UI elements
- Progress loss or reset when switching apps
- Broken or non-functional features (e.g. solar farms)
- Compatibility issues on iPhone X and newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- Bulk crafting/upgrading options
- Ability to disable pollution mechanics
- Better UI optimization for larger screens
- Vibration/notification support for events
- More detailed analytics and tracking
Magic Research 2
Reported bugs
6 issues- App instantly crashes on open
- Game crashes on startup
- App started rapidly pushing buttons on its own
- Overheating phone
- Lags and gets choppy in the late game
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Compendium doesn't unlock for bosses unless already beat
Requested features
9 requests- DLC or sequel news
- macOS version
- Better automation and convenience features
- Tweak familiar search time down
- Release the next one
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- More Please
- Auto fight boss button
- Compendium unlocks bosses before beating them
- Less dialogue and descriptions, more functional text
In-app purchases
Kittens Game
No in-app purchases
Magic Research 2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Kittens Game free?
Is Magic Research 2 free?
Which has better reviews, Kittens Game or Magic Research 2?
Do Kittens Game or Magic Research 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kittens Game or Magic Research 2?
Which is more popular, Kittens Game or Magic Research 2?
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