# Magic Brick Wars vs Nova Island

The clearest difference is monetization model: Nova Island at free with in-app purchases against Magic Brick Wars's subscription. Nova Island also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Magic Brick Wars's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (4.8K vs 237). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Magic Brick Wars sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Nova Island sells 66 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Magic Brick Wars holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Magic Brick Wars has 4.8K ratings behind it against 237, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Magic Brick Wars's written reviews are positive against 60% of Nova Island's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Magic Brick Wars ships an update fortnightly, Nova Island every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Magic Brick Wars | Nova Island |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-brick-wars/id1330800318/reviews)** | [4.3 (237 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.8K** | 237 |
| Positive reviews | 55.8% of reviews | **60.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 383 MB | 262 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Halfbrick](https://appshunter.io/developer/356994313) | [Thirteen Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526357113) |

## What reviewers say

### Magic Brick Wars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-brick-wars/id1330800318)

Engage in real-time PvP battles in a magical world, deploying characters from popular games. Build powerful decks, strategize to outwit opponents, and collect rare loot to unlock new cards and defenses. Enjoy an ad-free, premium gaming experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time PvP battles, Build and upgrade card decks, Collect rare loot and unlock cards, Deploy unique characters and defenses, Strategic gameplay and quick thinking, Ad-free and no in-app purchases (premium version)

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Halfbrick+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
- 🎨 Colorful and engaging visuals
- 🤝 Competitive multiplayer experience
- 👍 Unique brick-placement mechanic
- 💎 Rewarding progression system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ Slow matchmaking and long load times
- 🔄 Unbalanced matchmaking and trophy system
- 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win elements
- 🤔 Lack of tutorial and unclear gameplay mechanics

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes during loading and matchmaking
- Inconsistent performance on older devices
- Inability to claim rewards from Jetpack Joyride
- Progression data loss after updates

**Requested features**

- More diverse character and card selection
- Improved guild and social features
- Customization options for player profiles
- Offline/single-player game modes
- Better tutorial and onboarding process


### Nova Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111)

Engage in strategic card battles with cute anime-inspired characters. Collect friends, powers, and skins while competing in PvP matches or embarking on an adventure. Build decks and master unique playstyles.

**Highlights:** Collectible card battles, Strategic deck building, PvP and PvE modes, Character collection, Cosmetic customization, Daily challenges, Draft mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (66)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 90 Island Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Researcher’s Starter Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Emotes Bundle1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Juice Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Max Halloween Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Artillery Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Doodle Branehart Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| 75 Island Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Power Outage Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Researcher's Starter Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Rerun Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sprynk Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hackmaster Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Escape Pod Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Novas Special BF | $1.99 | one-time |
| Food Emote Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Legendary Skin | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cannonball Level Up | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mage Rerun | $2.99 | one-time |
| Oddball Filthy Clean Skin | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Level Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| New Season Novium Special | $2.99 | one-time |
| Greenhouse Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Daily Login Bonus | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rainbow Gemma Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gemma Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| EOY Winter Skins 2024 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Sparki | $3.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Giving Tree | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Kitten | $3.99 | one-time |
| Arcade Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ghost Blazer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Candy Weade | $3.99 | one-time |
| Frankenjazzy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 575 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| ULTIMATE Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bloom King BC Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80s Sparki | $4.99 | one-time |
| Observatory Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 225 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Intranet Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Activation Starter Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| One Cent and IP | $6.99 | one-time |
| Khrys and Flutter | $6.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Cats | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1175 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle 5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack C | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hooligan Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack B | $9.99 | one-time |
| 480 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ancient 9 Skins | $14.99 | one-time |
| EOY Credits Special 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2400 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Boost Pack C | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1020 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2155 Island Credits | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Unique gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Appealing art style and animations
- 💰 Completely free-to-play, no pay-to-win
- 🕹️ Engaging strategic depth
- 🌟 Underrated and deserves more attention

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎲 Excessive reliance on RNG
- 🔁 Repetitive and swingy gameplay
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy unlock system
- ⚖️ Unbalanced card/character power levels
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and connectivity issues

**Reported bugs**

- Soft-locking tutorial
- Inconsistent performance on some devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode or paid full version
- Ability to play with friends
- More character/card customization options
- Improved tutorial and onboarding experience


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Magic Brick Wars free?

Magic Brick Wars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Nova Island free?

Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Magic Brick Wars or Nova Island?

Magic Brick Wars is rated higher. Magic Brick Wars averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Nova Island averages 4.3 from 237 ratings.

### Do Magic Brick Wars or Nova Island have ads?

Neither Magic Brick Wars nor Nova Island shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Magic Brick Wars or Nova Island?

Magic Brick Wars ships an update fortnightly, and Nova Island every 3 weeks. Most recently, Magic Brick Wars was updated on October 26, 2026 and Nova Island on October 22, 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.*