Castlevania vs Shattered Pixel Dungeon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Castlevania
Experience a classic action RPG on mobile. Explore a vast castle, battle unique enemies, and uncover secrets as Alucard. This port features updated controls and achievements.
- Direct port of the console classic
- Play as Alucard
- Jump, dash, and slash combat
- Vast castle exploration
- Game controller compatibility
- New continue feature
- Unlockable achievements
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The iconic game from the beloved Castlevania series finally comes to mobile. This direct port of the classic console action RPG lets you jump, dash and slash your way through Dracula’s vast castle as Alucard while encountering a unique array of enemies and characters along the way. Rediscover the world of Castlevania with one of its original groundbreaking games and renowned music and graphics. □Features Fully compatible with game controllers New continue feature Unlock achievements with hard-fought battle milestones Available in 6 languages: English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
Embark on a challenging roguelike dungeon crawl with six unique heroes. Explore procedurally generated levels, collect hundreds of items, and battle diverse enemies and bosses. Master unique hero mechanics and unlock powerful abilities to survive the depths.
- Six unique heroes with distinct playstyles
- Procedurally generated dungeons and randomized enemies
- Hundreds of items to collect, upgrade, and craft
- Talent trees and subclass progression for heroes
- Challenging bosses and optional achievements
- Regular content updates
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Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a traditional roguelike dungeon crawler RPG that's simple to get into but hard to master! Every game is a unique challenge, with six different heroes, randomized levels and enemies, and hundreds of items to collect and use. ShatteredPD is also updated with new content roughly every three months, so there's always something new. ◀ Choose Your Hero ▶ Each of ShatteredPD's six playable heroes has their own unique mechanics and gameplay style. Cut down foes as the durable Warrior or deadly Duelist, fry your enemies as the arcane Mage or divine Cleric, or use terrain to your advantage as the stealthy Rogue or the markswoman Huntress! As you progress through the dungeon you'll earn points to spend on talents, choose a subclass, and gain powerful lategame abilities. You can turn the Duelist into a dual-wielding Champion, the Cleric into a righteous Paladin, the Huntress into a precise Sniper, or explore loads of other possibilities! ◀ Explore the Dungeon ▶ ShatteredPD's dungeon is procedurally generated with random layouts, room types, items, traps, and enemies. In each game you'll find equipment and collect or craft consumable items to power you up or help you out in a pinch. There is a huge variety to what you might see from run to run and region to region. As you progress through the dungeon you'll find equipment that can be enchanted, upgraded, and augmented as you outfit your hero. Set foes ablaze with an enchanted weapon, wade through enemies with upgraded armor, or gain powerful damage, defensive, or utility benefits from one of the many magical wands, rings, artifacts, or trinkets. ◀ Succeed or Die Trying ▶ The Dungeon is filled with enemies, traps, hazards, and bosses intent on ending your run! Battle hostile wildlife in the sewers and caves, mad thieves and guards in the prison, occult servants in the fallen dwarven city, and maybe something even worse further down... All these hazards can make the game quite tough, but don't be discouraged! You probably won't win on your first try, but there are many tricks and strategies to discover and learn on the path to getting your first win. Afterward, there are optional challenges and achivements if you want to put your skills to the test! ◀ Over A Decade in the Making ▶ Shattered Pixel Dungeon is an open source game based on the source code of Pixel Dungeon by Watabou (first released in late 2012). It started in 2014 as a project to rebalance Pixel Dungeon but has steadily grown into its own game over the last 10 years! Features Include: • 6 Heroes, each with 2 subclasses, 3 endgame abilities, and over 25 talents. • Over 300 items including equipment, consumables, and items crafted via alchemy. • 5 dungeon regions, 26 floors, over 100 room types, and trillions of possible floor layouts. • Over 60 regular enemy types, 30 traps, and 10 bosses to test your skills. • An in-game catalog to fill in, with just over 500 entries. • 9 stackable challenges and over 100 achievements for completionists. • Interface modes for large and small screens, and support for multiple input types. • Updates roughly every 3 months with new content, fixes, and improvements. • Support for many languages thanks to the game's dedicated communities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shattered Pixel Dungeon at 4.9 against Castlevania's 3.9. Shattered Pixel Dungeon also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 54%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 29 months). Castlevania's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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
Castlevania costs $2.99 and Shattered Pixel Dungeon $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 4.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Castlevania's written reviews are positive against 93% of Shattered Pixel Dungeon's.
Castlevania ships an update every 29 months, Shattered Pixel Dungeon fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.
| Parameter | Castlevania | Shattered Pixel Dungeon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 3.9 (1.8K ratings) | 4.9 (4.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | 92.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | 4.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #15 | #11 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 326 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | KONAMI | Evan Debenham |
Customer experience
Castlevania
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
User reviews
Castlevania
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Faithful port of a classic game
- 🎮 Works well with controllers
- 💰 Great value for the price
Room to improve
- 🎮 Unresponsive touch controls
- 🔍 Small action buttons
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (clock room issue, save system issues)
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
From 4.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Endless replayability
- 👍 Polished and well-designed
- 🎨 Excellent pixel art and aesthetics
- 💡 Innovative mechanics and depth
- 🕹️ Challenging yet rewarding gameplay
Room to improve
- 🤯 Extremely challenging and punishing
- 🕰️ Runs can feel too long
- 🤖 Overpowered enemy mechanics (e.g. evasion)
Bugs and requests
Castlevania
Reported bugs
3 issues- Clock room not functioning properly
- Save system issues (not saving, losing progress)
- Audio issues (no sound, pitch/speed problems)
Requested features
4 requests- Customizable controls and button layout
- Original voice acting option
- Improved cutscene quality
- Cloud save support
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
Reported bugs
2 issues- Sound effects not working on iOS
- Occasional crashes or freezes
Requested features
3 requests- Permadeath optional mode
- Ability to continue progress across devices
- More character classes and customization options
In-app purchases
Castlevania
No in-app purchases
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Castlevania free?
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
Which has better reviews, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Do Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Which is more popular, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
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