Dad's Monster House vs ExploreGames
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dad's Monster House
Embark on a narrative-driven adventure to uncover a father's secret. Solve intricate puzzles, encounter unique monsters, and navigate a story exploring themes of love, ambition, and redemption. The black-and-white art style and immersive sound design enhance the emotional journey.
- Narrative-driven story
- Puzzle solving
- Item collection
- Black-and-white art style
- Immersive sound design
- Emotional themes
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Dad's Monster House tells the story of Carlos' journey after he receives a distress call from his father, pleading for him to return to his old home and rescue his dad. As he continues exploring the house, Carlos encounters many terrifying yet 'cute' monsters. As he solves the puzzles before him, he draws ever closer to the truth... Freud once said: "Love and work, work and love...that's all there is." But what of the pain, the struggles that arise when we're forced to choose between our ambitions and love? In dealing with such conundrums, we’ve all likely hurt those we hold dearest to us. For it's often in the darkness that we feel most safe. With Dad's Monster House, I wish to provide those kinds of heartrending memories a chance at redemption. I dedicate it to scientists, to my childhood dreams; to those I love, and to faded memories. I hope that within you'll find the greatest of answers, be they for your love, for science, or dreams. [Gameplay] A sudden call in the deep of night has you return to a house you haven't visited for many a year. You must unravel one puzzle after another: to from within scenes intertwined with memories find clues and get to the bottom of your father's secret. The choice of whether to redeem or ultimately end this sad story lies in your hands. [Features] Instead of going for bright and vivid colors, I have opted for a black-and-white art style. The fragmented narration, plentiful puzzles, and delicate sound designs create an immersive experience where you as the player get to truly feel the ups and downs of the protagonist's emotions. Continue to unravel the story as you collect more items...
ExploreGames
Engaging games designed to boost a child's cognitive skills like memory, pattern recognition, and logic. Offers various themes and educational approaches to make learning enjoyable and effective.
- Brain power development
- Memory enhancement
- Pattern recognition games
- Logic skill building
- Curiosity fostering
- Themed game worlds
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Grow brain power, curiosity, and resilience with ExploreGames! Make learning fun through games that develop your child’s memory, pattern recognition, logic, and knowledge. Choose from your favorite themes: Bugs, Cars and Trucks, Into Space, Magical Creatures, and Under the Sea Complement your schools’ curriculum with proven, effective foundations drawn from the best of Common Core and Montessori methods.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ExploreGames at none against Dad's Monster House's 1. ExploreGames also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Dad's Monster House's advantage is ratings volume (156 vs 5) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Dad's Monster House sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ExploreGames asks for nothing beyond the download.
ExploreGames holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dad's Monster House has 156 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Dad's Monster House's written reviews are positive against 100% of ExploreGames's.
Dad's Monster House ships an update every 2 months, ExploreGames every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.
| Parameter | Dad's Monster House | ExploreGames |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (156 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 156 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2.3 GB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | COTTONGAME Network Technology Co., Ltd. | Nelson Don Lai |
Customer experience
Dad's Monster House
ExploreGames
Bugs and requests
Dad's Monster House
Reported bugs
7 issues- Buttons on signs not working
- Game won't reopen after closing
- Game crashes on iPad
- Game crashes when entering elevator
- Game crashes after clicking 'new game'
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- Unable to cook fish or dig treasure
- Screen cuts off on iPhone 12
Requested features
9 requests- Progress sharing between Apple devices
- Add Thai language support
- Teleportation feature on the map
- Interactive map with clickable locations
- In-game hints
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- Ability to skip between scenes
- Optional music and sounds
- Camera function for clues
- More character interaction/side quests
ExploreGames
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Dad's Monster House
- Purchase game$1.99
ExploreGames
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Dad's Monster House free?
Is ExploreGames free?
Which has better reviews, Dad's Monster House or ExploreGames?
Do Dad's Monster House or ExploreGames have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dad's Monster House or ExploreGames?
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