Comparison

The Aether vs Simple NPC

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

Head to head
About

The Aether

Shape a mortal civilization to worship you and increase your divine power. Influence their lives, engage with other deities, and battle for supremacy in this text-based fantasy adventure. Your choices determine the fate of your followers and your own godhood.

Highlights
  • Create custom mortal races
  • Guide mortal civilization
  • Steal power from other beings
  • Engage in divine politics
  • Battle other gods
  • Complete impactful quests
Features
Read full description

Create a mortal race to worship you and grow your strength. Guide them in their daily lives and help them grow. The power you collect will grow your mind and body. Dabble in the affairs of other gods or seek to destroy them and steal their power. "The Aether: Life as a God" is a 60,000 word interactive fantasy novel by Alex Ryan, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. • Create a custom mortal race. • Engage in mortal affairs. • Travel the Aether and steal power from lesser beings. • Dabble in political affairs at The Court of Gods. • Battle other gods in epic one one one conflicts. • Complete unique quests and events with impactful outcomes.

About

Simple NPC

Instantly create detailed fantasy characters with unique names, appearances, motivations, and secrets. Offers millions of name combinations and billions of appearance possibilities for game masters and storytellers.

Highlights
  • Millions of name combinations
  • Billions of unique appearances
  • Complete NPC generation in one tap
  • Lock fields and randomize others
  • Save and return to NPCs
  • Exclude unwanted races/professions
Features
Read full description

Simple NPC generates fully realized fantasy characters in a single tap. With over 1 million possible names drawn from 7,000+ handcrafted entries across 17 races, and billions of unique appearance combinations across professions, ages, and social classes — no two sessions at the table need the same face twice. Built for game masters, worldbuilders, novelists, and anyone who needs a believable person to appear at the inn, guard the gate, or sell something suspicious at the market. Every NPC comes with a complete physical description — height, build, skin, eyes, hair, clothing, and a telling detail that makes them feel like someone who existed before you walked in. Add a profession, social class, age, and race, and the generator produces a character grounded in those specifics. A destitute elder orc scribe reads differently than a wealthy young halfling merchant. The details reflect who they actually are. What Simple NPC generates: — Physical appearance: build, face, skin, eyes, hair, and clothing — A notable detail: a scar, tattoo, piece of jewelry, profession item, or behavioral tell — A motivation: what they want right now, in this moment — An rare secret: a reveal that changes everything Races included free: Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling, Half-Orc, Tiefling, Dragonborn Pack 1 — Expanded Races & Professions ($1.99): Orc, Goblin, Kobold, Lizardfolk, Cinderborn, Stoneborn, Tideborn, Galeborn — plus 10 additional professions, including Noble, Spy, Bard, Hedge Witch, and Cartographer Full Access ($4.99): Every current pack plus every future pack released — one price, forever Features: — Over 1 million possible name combinations — 7,000+ handcrafted name entries across 17 races — Billions of unique NPC appearances — Generate a complete NPC in one tap — Lock any field and randomize the rest — Exclude races or professions you don't use — Save NPCs and return to them later — Quick archetypes for common NPC types — Designed for dark and light mode — No ads. No subscriptions. No account required. Built by Two One Nine, LLC · crookedtavern.com

Screenshots

The Aether4 screens
Simple NPC3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Simple NPC at Free against The Aether's $3.99. Simple NPC also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and ads (none vs shown). The Aether's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (93 vs 1). On 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

Simple NPC is free to download; The Aether costs $3.99 up front. Simple NPC sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. The Aether asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple NPC holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Aether has 93 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
The Aether versus Simple NPC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe AetherSimple NPC
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (93 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings93 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB14 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperHosted Games LLCBenjamin Van Allen

Customer experience

The Aether

All ratings93 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral8.6%
Negative9.7%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative14.6%

Simple NPC

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

Bugs and requests

The Aether

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Choices not remembered
  • Game crashes
  • Spelling mistakes
  • Some choices don't matter enough
  • Buggy with updates creating crashes
Show 2 more
  • Possible bug with other court gods being alive after Titan defeat
  • Bug riddled with no payoff

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add more content/extend the game
  • Make a sequel
  • More choices that impact the story
  • Allow continued play after finishing
  • Add Demi-god children or god children
Show 9 more
  • Focus more on the people/mortals
  • Make the game infinite or longer
  • Add more prayers to answer
  • Expand the universe of Aether
  • Include a love interest or nemesis
  • Add more features and functionality
  • Make the game cheaper for a potential sequel
  • Add more to the story like choosing prophets and making a holy book
  • Add more interactive elements

Simple NPC

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

The Aether

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Simple NPC

One-time2
  • Pack 1$1.99
  • Full Access$4.99

Questions

Is The Aether free?
The Aether costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Simple NPC free?
Simple NPC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Aether or Simple NPC?
Simple NPC is rated higher. The Aether averages 4.3 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while Simple NPC averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do The Aether or Simple NPC have ads?
The Aether shows ads; Simple NPC does not.

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