# Barbearian vs Elderand

The clearest difference is update cadence: Elderand at weekly against Barbearian's monthly. Elderand also leads on price ($6.99 vs $8.99). Barbearian's advantage is ratings volume (163 vs 36). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Barbearian costs $8.99 and Elderand $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Barbearian against 4.2 for Elderand. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 163 and 36 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Barbearian's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

Barbearian ships an update monthly, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Barbearian | Elderand |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **$6.99** |
| Rating | [4.2 (163 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbearian/id1351822099/reviews) | [4.2 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elderand/id6446288146/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **163** | 36 |
| Positive reviews | 66.9% of reviews | **73.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 163 MB | 818 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Kimmo Factor Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/491318781) | [Plug In Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/608306412) |

## What reviewers say

### Barbearian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barbearian/id1351822099)

Embark on a thrilling hack'n'slash adventure in a vibrant, hand-drawn world. Battle through over 100 levels, collect loot, and build an army to uncover the secrets of a strange new realm and find your way home.

**Highlights:** 100+ action-packed levels, Loot collection and weapon upgrades, Rescue prisoners and build an army, Colossal boss monster battles, Configurable controls with controller support, Cloud save support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Engaging hack-and-slash gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and animations
- ⚔️ Satisfying combat mechanics with varied weapons
- 🪖 Strategic army-building and minion management system
- 🎯 Well-designed difficulty scaling and adjustable settings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎮 Controls feel unresponsive and imprecise
- 📱 Movement joystick too small and difficult to use
- 💀 Punishing death penalty (lose 30% of loot)
- ⏱️ Slow character movement speed
- 💸 High price point ($8.99-$11) for content length

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes frequently during gameplay
- Movement joystick unresponsive on iPhone X and newer models
- Character moves in wrong direction or doesn't move at all
- Game freezes mid-stage causing progress loss
- Master class button doesn't appear on subsequent playthroughs

**Requested features**

- Cloud save/iCloud sync between iOS devices and Apple TV
- Pause button during gameplay
- Adjustable joystick size and position
- Multiplayer or co-op mode
- Additional levels and sequel content


### Elderand

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elderand/id6446288146)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game overall
- 🗺️ Deep lore and world-building
- 🎵 Amazing music and audio
- ⚔️ Challenging yet approachable combat
- 🎮 Excellent controller support (mostly)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game crashes frequently
- 🐛 Controls can be buggy and unresponsive
- 🐛 Dash function sometimes not working
- 🐛 Game freezes intermittently
- 🐛 Bosses getting stuck in animations

**Reported bugs**

- Permanent crashes
- Character spawning underneath level
- R button for subweapon not working on Steelseries Nimbus
- Dash function not working
- Game freezing for a moment

**Requested features**

- Full controller remapping for bindings
- Multiplayer PvP 'Invasions' system
- Cloud saves (iCloud)
- Adjustable button layout and size
- Ability to track materials acquired


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Barbearian free?

Barbearian costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Elderand free?

Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Barbearian or Elderand?

Barbearian and Elderand are both rated 4.2 out of 5 on the App Store, from 163 and 36 ratings respectively.

### Do Barbearian or Elderand have ads?

Neither Barbearian nor Elderand shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Barbearian or Elderand?

Barbearian ships an update monthly, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Barbearian was updated on October 13, 2026 and Elderand on October 14, 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.*