Hero Realms vs Cartographers
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hero Realms
Engage in strategic deckbuilding combat, recruit powerful champions, and level up your heroes. Enjoy PvP, co-op against AI bosses, or a single-player campaign. The free version offers core gameplay with optional expansions.
- Deckbuilding combat
- Recruit champions
- Hero leveling system
- Online PvP
- Cooperative play vs AI
- Single-player campaign
- Multiple character classes
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Become a hero! Choose your class, perform mighty actions, and recruit powerful champions to your cause as you grow in power. Awarded Origins Fan Favorite Best Card Game. From the makers of the award-winning Star Realms® Deckbuilding Game, Hero Realms® combines the fun of deckbuilding games with the interactivity of trading card game-style combat. As you play, use Gold to add new actions and champions to your deck. When played, those actions and champions generate powerful effects, give you additional gold, and attack your opponent and their champions. If you reduce your opponent's health to zero, you win! [Non-Collectible Deck Building Game] Hero Realms does not require you to collect new cards. You start every game with a basic deck, and will acquire cards from the shared center row to build up your deck and defeat your opponent. Victory rewards skill, and not your collection of rare cards! [Level Up Your Heroes] Create a hero from one of several classes (free players start with the Fighter and Wizard available). Level them up with new skills, abilities and equipment, and take them to battle in thrilling Online PVP. Hero Realms uses fair match making, only allowing matches between equal levelled heroes. However, if you feel daring, you can choose to engage in combat against higher levelled opponents for additional XP and bragging rights. [Cooperative Online Play] Hero Realms also features online co-operative play. Battle against challenging AI bosses with another human player as a partner. Free players have access to the Pirate Lord mission, with other co-op missions available with the Base Set purchase. [Single Player Campaign] For offline play, take on the Welcome to Thandar campaign. Fight your way through scripted, story-based chapters against varied AI opponents. [Free Version] Free players will get to experience: - Addictive Deckbuilding Game with Player VS Player Combat. - Play VS the AI - Play with the Fighter and Wizard character classes - Level-up your characters up to Level 3 - Play the first 3 missions in the Welcome to Thandar campaign - Play the Pirate Lord co-op mission Purchasing the Base Set will unlock the full Hero Realms experience: - Unlocks hard AI difficulty level - Unlocks the Cleric, Ranger, and Thief character classes - Level-up your characters to Level 12 - Unlocks the entire Welcome to Thandar campaign. - Unlocks the Necromancers, Inquisition, and Orc Riot co-op missions. Please note that Hero Realms purchases are not compatible with Family Sharing.
Cartographers
Become a royal cartographer tasked with mapping newly reclaimed lands for the Kingdom of Nalos. Fulfill royal edicts, strategically draw your territory, and outmaneuver rival outposts to gain the most reputation. Experience this tactical flip & write game digitally with multiple modes and global leaderboards.
- Map reclaimed northern lands
- Fulfill royal edicts
- Outmaneuver rival outposts
- Tactical flip & write gameplay
- Multiple game modes
- Global weekly highscorelists
- Collect achievements
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The official Flip & Write companion to the board game hit! Step into the shoes of a royal cartographer and surveyor commissioned by Queen Gimnax. Your mission: explore, stake out, and immortalize the wild northern lands on parchment. In this strategic card game, you decide how to shape your territory—but beware: you are not alone in the wilderness! An Epic Adventure in the Roll Player Universe Cartographers brings the fascinating mechanics of the modern board game directly to your smartphone. Experience the tactical Flip & Write principle that has thrilled critics and fans worldwide and was nominated for the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres (Connoisseur Game of the Year) in 2020. Strategy Through Ever-Changing Decrees At the heart of this board game are four royal decrees. These are recombined in every match, making each game a unique puzzle. You must constantly adapt your strategy to squeeze the maximum score out of your lands: Diverse Scoring: Earn fame through the Gloomy Wood by skillfully enclosing forest patches, or use the Golden Granary to place farm fields on valuable ruins. Tactical Placement: In the Magician's Valley, score points by placing water and farmland near mighty mountains. Every hamlet and settlement must be cleverly planned to meet the Queen’s shifting demands. Seasonal Cycle: Priorities change through Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Only those who plan ahead will be named Master Cartographer at the end of the year. The Gameplay is Simple Flip: Each round, a new card is revealed, showing you landscapes and shapes. Write: Skillfully place these areas on your map. Use the space optimally to fulfill the conditions of the decrees. Score: Collect valuable reputation points, but watch out for monster ambushes! Monsters in the Borderlands A cartographer must be brave! The monsters never sleep. At regular intervals, you will encounter ambushes that thwart your plans. Monster fields will be discovered on your map—surround them quickly to minimize the damage to your reputation. Why You’ll Love "Cartographers": Official Adaptation: The faithful digital version of the popular board game by Thunderworks Games. Weekly Challenges: Compete with players from all over the world in global highscore lists. A new scenario awaits you every week! Three Game Modes: Choose between different difficulty levels and randomness factors—from relaxed puzzling to hardcore strategy. Achievements & Ranks: Collect achievements and rise from apprentice to legendary Royal Cartographer. Solo Fun & Competition: Perfect for a quick round in between or a deep strategic experience. Awards for the Original: 2020 – Kennerspiel des Jahres Nominee 2019 – Golden Geek Best Solo Board Game Nominee 2019 – Golden Geek Best Family Board Game Nominee 2019 – Cardboard Republic Socializer Laurel Nominee Are you ready to expand the borders of the realm? Grab your quill, draw your cards, and master the ultimate Flip & Write adventure. Whether you're a fan of board games, logic puzzles, or fantasy strategy, Cartographers offers tactical depth right in your pocket. Download the official app now and begin your journey through the northern lands!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Hero Realms at Free against Cartographers's $3.99. Hero Realms also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Cartographers's advantage is chart position (#69 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Hero Realms is free to download; Cartographers costs $3.99 up front. Hero Realms sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Cartographers sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Hero Realms holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 219 and 120 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Hero Realms's written reviews are positive against 36% of Cartographers's.
Hero Realms ships an update every 2 weeks, Cartographers every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hero Realms | Cartographers |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (219 ratings) — better | 3.4 (120 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.2% of reviews — better | 36.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 219 — better | 120 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #69 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 435 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | White Wizard Games | BrettspielWelt |
Customer experience
Hero Realms
Cartographers
User reviews
Hero Realms
From 219 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great game mechanics
- 🚀 Smooth and polished app
- 💡 Diverse game modes (PvP, co-op, campaign)
- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the physical card game
- 💡 Character progression and leveling system
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Lack of local multiplayer (pass-and-play)
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for additional content
- 🌐 Lack of language support (e.g., no French, Spanish)
- 🔍 Unclear tutorial and explanations of game mechanics
Cartographers
From 120 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 🚀 Great solo experience
- 💡 Helpful visual cues for gameplay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable app
- 🔒 Login and account issues
- 🔋 Performance and battery drain problems
- 👎 Lacking key features like multiplayer
Bugs and requests
Hero Realms
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when trying to play online
- Inability to access purchased content
- Freezing and black screen issues
- Incorrect character level progression
- Matchmaking problems and long wait times
Requested features
5 requests- Add more expansions and additional content
- Implement a friends list and social features
- Improve the campaign mode with more levels and challenges
- Add an option to check the contents of your deck before playing
- Implement a turn timer to prevent players from stalling
Cartographers
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game freezes and crashes
- Incorrect tile placement and scoring
- Inconsistent save/resume functionality
- Registration and login problems
Requested features
4 requests- Add online/local multiplayer modes
- Implement undo/rollback functionality
- Improve tutorial and in-game help
- Add support for expansions and new maps
In-app purchases
Hero Realms
- 80 Gems$0.99
- 200 gems$2.29
- Four Journeys Campaign$3.99
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- 500 Gems$4.99
- Hero Realms: Call to Arms$4.99
- Journeys Expansions$4.99
- Journeys Promo Expansion$4.99
- Dungeons Expansion$7.99
- 1200 Gems$9.99
- Hero Realms Base Set$9.99
- 2500 Gems$19.99
- 6500 Gems$49.99
- 14000 Gems$99.99
Cartographers
- Cartographers Heroes$1.99
Questions
Is Hero Realms free?
Is Cartographers free?
Which has better reviews, Hero Realms or Cartographers?
Do Hero Realms or Cartographers have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hero Realms or Cartographers?
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