Comparison

ICEY vs Elderand

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

Head to head
About

ICEY

This is a 2D side-scrolling action game with a meta-narrative twist. Players fight against a narrator's control to uncover the truth about the world and their character's purpose. Features fast-paced combat, combo systems, and challenging cyborg bosses.

Highlights
  • 2D side-scrolling action
  • Meta-narrative gameplay
  • Fast-paced combat
  • Unleash incredible combos
  • Fight massive cyborg bosses
  • MFi controller support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

ICEY is a 2D side-scrolling action game. As you follow the narrator's omnipresent voice, you will see through ICEY's eyes and learn the truth about her world. “Alright, you caught me! This ISN'T really just a simple 2D action game, and you WON'T be seeing through ICEY's eyes... NOR will you learn the truth about her world." says the narrator. “ICEY is a Meta game in disguise. The narrator will constantly urge you in one direction, but you must ask, "Why? Why am I following his directions? Why can't I learn the truth about this world and ICEY's purpose here?" Fight against his tyranny, and uncover what's really going on for yourself! In fact, you can become ICEY, and let loose the shackles of your own identity. You are ICEY, and ICEY is you... if you want it that way. Feel free to keep hold of your own self, if you wish. Now Is the Time For You to Discover the Truth. [FEATURES] Fast-paced Combat: Crush enemies in the palm of your hand. Attack! Dodge! Counterattack! Do not hesitate. This is the only way to survive! Incredible Combos: With simple controls, amazing combos are easy to unleash, even for beginners. Every skill is special in its own way. Master your favorites and create your own fighting style! Massive Cyborg Bosses: Can you withstand the onslaught of attacks from terrifying cyborg bosses? Every boss unleashes flurries of different attacks. It's up to you to find their weak spots and tear them apart! [Awards] -Nominated, Tokyo Game Show 2016 DENGEKI PlayStation Best Indie Game -Official Selection, 2016 Gamescom Indie Arena Booth -Most Promising Game 2nd Prize, Taipei Game Show 2016 -Official Selection, Casual Connect Asia 2016 -Official Selection, IGF China 2015 -Best Technology Award, Indieplay 2015 Operating system iOS: version 8.0 or higher Recommended configuration RAM: 2 GB or more Storage: 1.2 GB (iOS) Tips - As gameplay smoothness and reliability are affected by screen resolution and the number of applications running in the background, you can adjust the image quality option to achieve balance between image, smoothness and power consumption. - Added MFi controller support Languages Supported: *English *Francais *Español *简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) *繁体中文 (Traditional Chinese) Facebook: /ICEYtheGame Twitter:@ICEYtheGame Service Email: ICEY@xindong.com 2017 X.D. Network Inc. All rights reserved.

About

Elderand

Embark on a brutal, skill-based action platformer in a Lovecraftian world. Wield diverse weapons and customize your character with RPG elements to battle terrifying creatures and explore a dark, hand-drawn pixel environment. Collect loot to upgrade your arsenal and uncover the land's secrets.

Highlights
  • Skill-based combat
  • Metroidvania exploration
  • Lovecraftian horror themes
  • RPG character customization
  • Diverse weapon arsenal
  • Hand-drawn pixel art
  • Loot collection and crafting
Features
Read full description

Become the hero of an epic quest in Elderand, a metroidvania that will test your will and skill. Heads will literally roll in this gruesome, retro-inspired action platformer, where only the strong will survive in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures. Through the darkness and madness, promised glory awaits. Wield a variety of killing instruments and abilities to test your metal against towering, bone-chilling bosses. Explore a twisted Lovecraftian world shrouded in darkness and madness. RPG elements allow you to customize your battle experience to your liking, from your character’s appearance to skills, stats, and weapons. Slay or be slain as you collect glory and treasure in this nightmarish 2D world. Glory and riches await those who can spill the required blood and guts to collect it. KEY FEATURES: •Wield an arsenal of killing devices, including whips, swords, daggers, axes, bows, and more. From a magical staff that shoots bursts of energy to a giant sword, different weapons have different stats and capabilities, so find the ones that you enjoy battling beasts with the most! •Satisfying Metroidvania-style exploration meets terrifying Lovecraftian creatures in this detailed hand-drawn pixel world with glorious gothic aesthetics and handcrafted level design. •RPG elements let you customize your experience to best suit your play style, from your character’s appearance to their skills, stats, and weapons. Collect loot from exploration and fallen enemies and then use it to upgrade your weapons via crafting. •Travel to the many corners of this perilous land, such as an inviting village with merchants, a forest, a temple prison, floating islands, a cursed Cathedral, and the hellscape that is Elderand itself. •More than 60 different enemy types and around a dozen bosses for your slaying pleasure. •Collect lost letters and other correspondence from the poor souls who came before you to learn more about the darkness taking hold of this grim land.

Screenshots

ICEY4 screens
Elderand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Elderand at weekly against ICEY's every 3 months. ICEY's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and price ($1.99 vs $6.99). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ICEY costs $1.99 and Elderand $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ICEY holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ICEY has 209 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of ICEY's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ICEY ships an update every 3 months, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
ICEY versus Elderand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterICEYElderand
Price$1.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.6 (209 ratings) — better4.2 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better73.7% of reviews
Number of ratings209 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#180 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB818 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperX.D. Network Inc.Plug In Digital

Customer experience

ICEY

All ratings209 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral0.5%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative13.6%

Elderand

All ratings36 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative18.4%

Bugs and requests

ICEY

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Texture issues and pink squares on some devices
  • Controller support not fully functional

Requested features

3 requests
  • Cloud save support
  • Customizable controls and button mapping
  • More content and gameplay modes

Elderand

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ICEY

No in-app purchases

None

Elderand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ICEY free?
ICEY costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elderand free?
Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ICEY or Elderand?
ICEY is rated higher. ICEY averages 4.6 out of 5 from 209 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.
Do ICEY or Elderand have ads?
Neither ICEY nor Elderand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ICEY or Elderand?
ICEY ships an update every 3 months, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, ICEY was updated on September 28, 2026 and Elderand on September 26, 2026.

Other comparisons