Comparison

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR vs Heroes of the Dark

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

Head to head
About

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

Experience the original "Fist of the North Star" manga story in this mobile game debut. Recreate iconic scenes with high-quality graphics and CG cutscenes. Master brutal attacks and build your dream team of legendary fighters.

Highlights
  • Original manga story recreation
  • High-quality character art
  • Full CG cutscenes
  • Brutal combo attacks
  • Largest playable character roster
  • Build a dream team
Read full description

Hokuto Shinken. Once feared as the most deadly martial art ever to exist, its secrets were believed to have been lost... Until now! It's up to you to ReVIVE the LEGENDS of Hokuto Shinken! Internationally renown manga “Fist of the North Star” makes its English-language mobile game debut! ■Experience the original FotNS story. FotNS LEGENDS ReVIVE recreates the story of the original best-selling manga in painstaking detail right from the very first chapter. Whether you're new to the series or an old school fan, FotNS LEGENDS ReVIVE offers a way to experience the story like never before! ■High-Quality Graphics. FotNS LEGENDS ReVIVE features all-new character art redone from scratch under the watchful eye of original manga artist Tetsuo Hara. Some of the series' most iconic scenes have also been reproduced in full CG cutscenes! ■Epic action at your fingertips. Perform brutal attacks with just a flick of your finger. Time your taps right to string together devastating combos. ■Largest playable character roster of any Fist of the North Star game ever. Play not only as famous Fighters from the Hokuto and Nanto schools, but as popular supporting characters as well, such as Heart and many more. Take on some of the strongest opponents from the manga using your own original dream team of fighters! Hokuto Shinken. Once feared as the most deadly martial art ever to exist, its secrets were believed to have been lost... Only you can ReVIVE legendary fighters and master the art of Hokuto Shinken! [System Requirements] RAM 4GB and above *Unavailable for iOS 15.0 and below *Please understand that there may be cases where this service may not work despite meeting the above system requirements based on your usage environment. [Privacy Policy] https://social.sega.com/legals/shd-pp-en/ [Terms of Use] https://social.sega.com/legals/shd-tou-en/

About

Heroes of the Dark

Assemble a team of supernatural heroes from warring factions in a dark fantasy RPG. Engage in tactical 5v5 battles, explore dungeons, and upgrade your gothic mansion. Unite factions to face a common threat.

Highlights
  • Collect supernatural monsters
  • Tactical 5v5 RPG battles
  • Recruit and train heroes
  • Explore dark fantasy world
  • Upgrade gothic mansion
  • Real-time RPG adventure
  • Multiplayer challenges
Read full description

In an age of dark fantasy, Heroes from the three great factions face off in an endless struggle for power and survival. Whose power will you embrace: the mystic Vampires, the brutal Werewolves, or the cunning Humans? Heroes of the Dark (HotD) is an RPG game set in a grim Victorian world full of forsaken lands, arcane mysteries, and vile monsters. To survive, you must recruit, equip, and train Heroes from each faction, for only one who can master their combined might will prevail in 5v5 RPG battles and prevent the rise of a grim fate from befalling the land of Tenebris. **A DARK TALE TO CHALLENGE YOUR HEROES** Long ago, a great war ended with the moon shattering in the heavens. Its shards rained upon the world, granting the Werewolves untold strength. Thus empowered, the Werewolves drove the Vampires from the land and across the sea to Tenebris. In time, the outcast Vampires rebuilt their society by subjugating the local Humans to their will. But over the years, the Humans forged secret technologies to overthrow their undead masters… and just as the first uprisings began, the Werewolves arrived once more on the Vampires’ doorstep. Now, as the carnage has reached its peak, a different threat has emerged, one capable of obliterating all three factions from the world. The only hope for any of them is to somehow unite the factions and destroy a legendary weapon hidden within an ancient tower. **TACTICAL 5V5 COMBAT WITH IMMORTAL HEROES** As you journey across Tenebris, dozens of immortal Heroes from all three factions will join your cause. Each has their own unique combat style and skills, like Kha’alil the Werewolf Tank, Lucretia the Vampire Assassin, or Altinay the Human Support. Assembling an effective role-playing team takes more than throwing your strongest Heroes together. You must make the most of their physical, magical, and support skills, discover powerful synergies, and devise a battle plan that can unleash unspeakable devastation upon any foe! **A REAL-TIME RPG ADVENTURE** The action never stops in HotD! Day and night, your might grows as Heroes train to level up and explore dungeons to find mighty relics. You can send them on a quest now and check back later to see what weapons, armor, and treasures they’ve unearthed. And when the going gets tough, the tough call on friends and allies to help defeat even the most massive foe. **EXPLORE YOUR EPIC MAGIC MANSION** Your epic adventure begins from within a gothic mansion filled with dark magic waiting to be unlocked. As your power grows, you will unlock rooms, allowing you to unite more Heroes of darkness to your cause and granting you additional powers to bestow upon your champions. **FIND FRIENDS AND CHALLENGE RIVALS IN A MULTIPLAYER ADVENTURE** As you team up with other HotD players, you can challenge rival teams to 5v5 showdowns where only the most skilled and well equipped players can win! Great rewards await those who claim victory, but only one can claim the ultimate power: “The Heart of Tenebris.” Heroes of the Dark is available in 12 different languages: English, Русский, Español, Deutsch, Français, Português, Italiano, العربية , 한국어, 简体中文, 繁體中文 and 日本語. _____________________________________________ Visit our official site at http://gmlft.co/website_EN Check out the blog at http://gmlft.co/central Don't forget to follow us on social media: Facebook: http://gmlft.co/SNS_FB_EN Twitter: http://gmlft.co/SNS_TW_EN Instagram: http://gmlft.co/GL_SNS_IG YouTube: http://gmlft.co/GL_SNS_YT This app allows you to purchase virtual items within the app and may contain third-party advertisements that may redirect you to a third-party site. Terms of Use: http://www.gameloft.com/en/conditions-of-use Privacy Policy: http://www.gameloft.com/en/privacy-notice End-User License Agreement: http://www.gameloft.com/en/eula

Screenshots

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR4 screens
Heroes of the Dark4 screens

Verdict

The call

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR and Heroes of the Dark both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of FIST OF THE NORTH STAR's written reviews are positive against 34% of Heroes of the Dark's. FIST OF THE NORTH STAR also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Heroes of the Dark's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. FIST OF THE NORTH STAR sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Heroes of the Dark sells 12 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 FIST OF THE NORTH STAR against 4.6 for Heroes of the Dark. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.9K and 3.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of FIST OF THE NORTH STAR's written reviews are positive against 34% of Heroes of the Dark's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR ships an update every 3 weeks, Heroes of the Dark every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR versus Heroes of the Dark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFIST OF THE NORTH STARHeroes of the Dark
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.9K ratings)4.6 (3.1K ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews — better34.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1.9K3.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2.1 GB1.4 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperSEGA CORPORATIONGameloft

Customer experience

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

All ratings1,850 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral7.2%
Negative22.9%

Heroes of the Dark

All ratings3,072 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive34.3%
Neutral13.9%
Negative51.8%

User reviews

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great graphics
  • 👍 Nostalgic for fans
  • 🕹️ Fun gameplay
  • 💰 Generous with free currency
  • 🎨 Captures the anime well

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Slow progression without spending
  • 🤯 Overwhelming menus and UI
  • 🔍 Limited character roster

Heroes of the Dark

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Engaging story and characters
  • 💎 Impressive graphics and visuals
  • 🎨 Unique vampire/gothic theme

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Overly aggressive monetization
  • 🕰️ Slow progression without spending
  • 🗣️ Toxic and unbalanced player community
  • 🧭 Lack of server/guild coordination options

Bugs and requests

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when trying to access certain content
  • Inability to change language
  • Networking/connection errors
  • Progression-blocking bugs

Requested features

5 requests
  • More crossover characters
  • Team/squad building system
  • Simplified UI and menus
  • Faster progression for F2P players
  • Improved stability and reduced crashes

Heroes of the Dark

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to complete tutorial tasks
  • Disappearing/lost purchased items
  • Inconsistent hero power scaling
  • Unreliable save/load functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search function for map coordinates
  • Improve guild communication tools
  • Implement more F2P-friendly progression
  • Introduce quality-of-life improvements

In-app purchases

11 purchases

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR

Subscriptions1
  • KING's Privilege (Monthly Sub)$3.991 Month
One-time10
  • Gems×60$0.99
  • Gems×180$3.99
  • Special Gem Pack A$3.99
Show 7 more
  • Gems×470$9.99
  • Special Gem Pack B$9.99
  • Gate of Shura Rank Up Pass$19.99
  • Gems×1205$24.99
  • Special Gem Pack C$24.99
  • Gems×1950$39.99
  • Gems×4070$79.99
12 purchases

Heroes of the Dark

One-time12
  • Builder's Deal$1.99
  • Resource Deal$1.99
  • Token Deal$2.99
Show 9 more
  • Dungeon Crawler$2.99
  • Master of Tenebris Pack$2.99
  • Builder Pack$4.99
  • Epic Offer$4.99
  • Hero Booster Pack$4.99
  • Challenger of Tenebris Pack$4.99
  • Special Offer$9.99
  • Builder Pack$19.99
  • Gold Hero Pack$19.99

Questions

Is FIST OF THE NORTH STAR free?
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Heroes of the Dark free?
Heroes of the Dark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR or Heroes of the Dark?
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR and Heroes of the Dark are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1.9K and 3.1K ratings respectively.
Do FIST OF THE NORTH STAR or Heroes of the Dark have ads?
Both FIST OF THE NORTH STAR and Heroes of the Dark show ads.
Which is updated more often, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR or Heroes of the Dark?
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR ships an update every 3 weeks, and Heroes of the Dark every 2 months. Most recently, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR was updated on September 23, 2026 and Heroes of the Dark on September 24, 2026.

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