# Machinal Instinct vs Shooty Quest

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.

Both are free to download. Machinal Instinct sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Shooty Quest sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Machinal Instinct | Shooty Quest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (706 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/machinal-instinct/id1438524773/reviews) | **[4.8 (455 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shooty-quest/id1534167195/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **706** | 455 |
| Positive reviews | 51.4% of reviews | **94.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 337 MB | 167 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Pomelo Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/899606172) | [CARLOS EUSEBIO JIMENEZ CORREA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1709712997) |

## What reviewers say

### Machinal Instinct

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/machinal-instinct/id1438524773)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gems x80 pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gems x500 pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Gems x1,200 pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Gems x2,500 pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Gems x6,500 pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Gems x14,000 pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup
- Freezing at loading screens
- Matchmaking issues
- Inconsistent performance

**Requested features**

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


### Shooty Quest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shooty-quest/id1534167195)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Will of Bacon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bunch of coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Double Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Vault of Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Infinite lives | $2.99 | one-time |
| Bag of coins | $2.99 | one-time |
| Deadly arrow | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gold chest | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Game | $4.99 | one-time |
| Alfador's fortune | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❤️ 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 November 2, 2026 and Shooty Quest on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*