Drawn Down vs The Darkside Detective
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Drawn Down
A tech noir adventure set in 2036 London, where a composite artist must rescue his kidnapped brother. Navigate a world of crime, police robots, and a global syndicate.
- Engaging story and sci-fi world
- Fully voiced characters
- Original soundtrack
- Pixel art graphics
- Composite art mini-game
- Developer commentary
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It's 2036 and technology continues to spiral out of control. London's criminals find new ways to stay ahead of the police, but with the imminent introduction of the Damocles Armoured Fighting Robot to the police, what new scheme will they come up with next? Nathan Jordan is a composite artist who works as a consultant for the police, his quiet life is about to be shattered when his missing brother suddenly reappears in his life. Unfortunately his brother is being held hostage. Compelled by guilt from his past, Nathan will stop at nothing to get his brother back. With the police, a global crime organisation called The Syndicate, and the mysterious art thief known as The Wolf all in Nathan's path, the situation is looking grim. Features: Engaging story and rich sci-fi world Memorable characters fully voiced Original soundtrack by Jonathan Rock Glorious pixel art, but a modern adventure Composite art mini-game Developer commentary
The Darkside Detective
Investigate bizarre and dangerous cases in Twin Lakes City as a paranormal detective. Solve mysteries involving tentacles, zombies, and occult phenomena. This comedic serial adventure features bite-sized cases and witty puzzles.
- 9 paranormal micro cases
- Comedic serial adventure
- Point-and-click investigation
- High definition pixels
- Original music score
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Grab your trench coat, tune your sixth sense and join the Darkside Division as they investigate the outright bizarre, the downright dangerous and the confusing cases of Twin Lakes. Flesh-hungry tentacles, mafian zombies, and the occasional missing sock are no match for The Darkside Detective. "Where cultists crawl, where demons dwell, where the occult… occults? *ahem* That's where you’ll find Detective Francis McQueen, the lead investigator of the criminally underfunded Darkside Division. When evil darkens the doorsteps of Twin Lakes City – hell, even when it just loiters around shop fronts or hangs out in shady alleyways – he’s there, ready to investigate the cases that nobody else will. He is The Darkside Detective. ----- The COMPLETE SEASON ONE collection of this multi award-winning comedic serial adventure sees Detective McQueen and his sidekick, Officer Patrick Dooley, investigating cases plaguing Twin Lakes and its colorful citizens. Point at everything in sight, click around mysterious and eerie locations, and use your wits (or borrow a friend’s) to lay these cases to rest! Feature List • 9 paranormal bite-sized micro cases to investigate around Twin Lakes City, including a Christmas Spectacular Special • At least three jokes • Cutting edge, high definition pixels • One free curse-removal, up to and including mid-level witch hexes • Music from Ben Prunty, the audiomancer behind gems such as Into the Breach, Subnautica, and FTL
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: The Darkside Detective at 4.9 against Drawn Down's 4.5. The Darkside Detective also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#124 vs unranked). Drawn Down's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $6.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Drawn Down costs $2.99 and The Darkside Detective $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Darkside Detective holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 48 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Drawn Down's written reviews are positive against 77% of The Darkside Detective's.
Drawn Down ships an update every 3 months, The Darkside Detective every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Drawn Down | The Darkside Detective |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (22 ratings) | 4.9 (48 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 76.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 48 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #124 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 280 MB | 992 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Studio Hazy | Akupara Games, LLC |
Customer experience
Drawn Down
The Darkside Detective
In-app purchases
Drawn Down
No in-app purchases
The Darkside Detective
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Drawn Down free?
Is The Darkside Detective free?
Which has better reviews, Drawn Down or The Darkside Detective?
Do Drawn Down or The Darkside Detective have ads?
Which is updated more often, Drawn Down or The Darkside Detective?
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