Comparison

Machinal Instinct vs Shooty Quest

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Machinal Instinct

Engage in fast-paced mech battles in a global tournament where animal pilots command powerful machines. Customize your fighting style with various weapons and upgrade your mech with unlockable parts to climb the global leaderboard.

Highlights
  • Select from 6 mech pilots
  • Customize melee and ranged weapons
  • Win supply boxes for rewards
  • Unlock and combine upgradable mech parts
  • Battle in 3 different arenas
  • Climb the global leaderboard
Features
Read full description

Fight your way to the top of the food chain, and watch your enemies become the prey! Machinal Instinct is a fast-paced fighting game, set in a world where animals pilot powerful mechs to compete against each other in a worldwide tournament. Unleash your inner beast and reach the top of the global leaderboard! Features: * Select from 6 cute but fearless mech pilots!. * Customize your fighting style: ** 3 different types of melee weapons: ax, fist, or chain. ** 2 different types of ranged weapons: grenade or rocket. ** And more coming soon! * Win supply boxes and get rewards to pump up your mech. * Unlock and combine dozens of upgradable mech parts. * Play in 3 different astonishing battle arenas. * Fight, loot, upgrade and climb that leaderboard! Join more than 22 million players from all over the world who enjoy our games!

About

Shooty Quest

A skill-based retro arcade game where quick reflexes and strategic counter-attacks are key to survival. Master challenging levels by identifying enemy weaknesses and making precise decisions under pressure. Upgrade your gear and compete for high scores.

Highlights
  • Skill-driven arcade combat
  • Unique counter-based mechanics
  • 36 handcrafted levels
  • Permanent progression and upgrades
  • High score competition
Features
Read full description

Shooty Quest is a skill-based retro action game where reflexes matter more than power. From the center of the arena, you must quickly choose the correct arrow to counter each enemy — one mistake can cost you everything. Enemies attack from all directions, each with specific weaknesses. Success depends on fast decision-making, precise timing, and staying calm under pressure. This is a challenging but fair arcade action, designed for players who enjoy mastery and challenge. Game Features: - Skill-driven arcade combat with unique counter-based mechanics - 36 handcrafted levels with two different endings - Easy to learn, hard to master gameplay - Permanent progression: earn coins to upgrade your crossbow and equipment - Compete for high scores in the Colosseum

Screenshots

Machinal Instinct4 screens
Shooty Quest4 screens

Verdict

The call

Machinal Instinct and Shooty Quest both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Shooty Quest's written reviews are positive against 51% of Machinal Instinct's. Machinal Instinct's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Machinal Instinct sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Shooty Quest sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Machinal Instinct against 4.8 for Shooty Quest. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 706 and 455 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Machinal Instinct's written reviews are positive against 94% of Shooty Quest's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Machinal Instinct ships an update every 3 weeks, Shooty Quest every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Machinal Instinct versus Shooty Quest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMachinal InstinctShooty Quest
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (706 ratings)4.8 (455 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.4% of reviews94.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings706 — better455
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size337 MB167 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPomelo GamesCARLOS EUSEBIO JIMENEZ CORREA

Customer experience

Machinal Instinct

All ratings706 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews74 reviews
Positive51.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative39.2%

Shooty Quest

All ratings455 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative0.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%

User reviews

Machinal Instinct

From 706 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth animations
  • 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
  • 🕹️ Accessible controls
  • 💎 Great fighting game fundamentals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent attack targeting
  • 🔧 Buggy mechanics and controls
  • 🕰️ Short match duration
  • 🤖 Mostly playing against bots
  • 📺 Excessive ads and monetization

Shooty Quest

From 455 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Charming and cute art style
  • 👾 Engaging pixel art graphics
  • 🎮 Fun and addictive gameplay mechanics
  • ⚖️ Well-balanced difficulty curve
  • 🎵 Quality music and sound design

Room to improve

  • ❤️ Limited game length and levels
  • ⏳ Frustrating lives system with long cooldowns
  • 📺 Excessive ads tied to lives mechanic
  • 👴 Character design issues (old man appearance)
  • 😰 Can be stressful gameplay

Bugs and requests

Machinal Instinct

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Freezing at loading screens
  • Matchmaking issues
  • Inconsistent performance

Requested features

5 requests
  • Longer match duration
  • Real-time multiplayer mode
  • More character and weapon variety
  • Customizable controls
  • Additional game modes (e.g. endless, team battles)

Shooty Quest

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unlocked ending not triggering after collecting all 3-star levels
  • Missing creature discovery not properly implemented

Requested features

6 requests
  • More levels and challenges
  • Sequel or second part of the game
  • Alternative monetization to lives system
  • Better in-game tutorials and instructions
  • Additional creatures to discover
Show 1 more
  • More varied gameplay mechanics

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Machinal Instinct

One-time9
  • Gems x80 pack$0.99
  • Starter Pack$3.99
  • Gems x500 pack$4.99
Show 6 more
  • Starter Pack$5.99
  • Starter Pack$7.99
  • Gems x1,200 pack$9.99
  • Gems x2,500 pack$19.99
  • Gems x6,500 pack$49.99
  • Gems x14,000 pack$99.99
11 purchases

Shooty Quest

One-time11
  • Will of Bacon$0.99
  • Bunch of coins$0.99
  • Double Coins$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Vault of Coins$1.99
  • Infinite lives$2.99
  • Bag of coins$2.99
  • Treasure$3.99
  • Deadly arrow$3.99
  • Gold chest$3.99
  • Full Game$4.99
  • Alfador's fortune$4.99

Questions

Is Machinal Instinct free?
Machinal Instinct is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shooty Quest free?
Shooty Quest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Machinal Instinct or Shooty Quest?
Shooty Quest is rated higher. Machinal Instinct averages 4.6 out of 5 from 706 ratings, while Shooty Quest averages 4.8 from 455 ratings.
Do Machinal Instinct or Shooty Quest have ads?
Both Machinal Instinct and Shooty Quest show ads.
Which is updated more often, Machinal Instinct or Shooty Quest?
Machinal Instinct ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shooty Quest every 2 weeks. Most recently, Machinal Instinct was updated on October 29, 2026 and Shooty Quest on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons