# Bastion vs Sparklite

Bastion and Sparklite both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Sparklite's written reviews are positive against 59% of Bastion's. Bastion's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.1). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bastion sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sparklite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 Bastion against 4.7 for Sparklite. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.5K and 588 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Bastion's written reviews are positive against 80% of Sparklite's.

Bastion ships an update every 3 months, Sparklite every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bastion | Sparklite |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bastion/id1467063160/reviews) | **[4.7 (588 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparklite/id1553922886/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | 588 |
| Positive reviews | 59.1% of reviews | **79.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.3 GB | 1.4 GB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Supergiant Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/542504796) | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) |

## What reviewers say

### Bastion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bastion/id1467063160)

Explore a beautifully hand-painted world shattered by catastrophe. Wield upgradeable weapons in action-packed combat, with a reactive narrator guiding you through a deep story. Unlock new challenges and continue your adventure in New Game Plus mode.

**Highlights:** Hand-painted artwork, Original music score, Reactive narration, Intuitive touch controls, Upgradeable weapons, New Game Plus mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bastion - Full Game | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent gameplay and story
- 👍 Captivating narration and soundtrack
- 🎨 Beautiful art style and visuals
- 💰 Worth the one-time purchase

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and performance issues
- 🔁 Forced to repurchase after previous purchase
- 🎮 Subpar controller support
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- In-app purchase not unlocking full game
- Inability to restore previous purchases
- Frequent frame rate drops and stuttering

**Requested features**

- Ability to remap controls
- Option to disable on-screen controls when using controller
- Improved save system and auto-save functionality


### Sparklite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sparklite/id1553922886)

Embark on a roguelite action-adventure in a vibrant, procedurally generated world. Battle foes with a variety of gadgets and weapons, explore diverse environments, and harness a unique resource to overcome challenges and save the land from a greedy baron. The game offers a free trial before unlocking the full experience.

**Highlights:** Procedurally generated world exploration, Top-down action combat, Gadget and weapon invention, Titan boss battles, World-building and NPC interaction, Pixel art aesthetic and original soundtrack

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Game | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game with good story
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 💡 Interesting mechanics
- 👍 Charming pixel art
- 👍 Engaging story and characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔧 Controls can be finicky or unresponsive
- 🔧 Difficulty spikes in certain areas
- 🔧 Limited customization options
- 🔧 Short overall length

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to progress past certain points
- Inconsistent controller support
- Graphical glitches in certain areas
- Save data loss or corruption

**Requested features**

- Add support for more languages
- Improve button/control customization
- Expand endgame content and replayability
- Optimize performance on older devices
- Add cloud save support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bastion free?

Bastion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sparklite free?

Sparklite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bastion or Sparklite?

Sparklite is rated higher. Bastion averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Sparklite averages 4.7 from 588 ratings.

### Do Bastion or Sparklite have ads?

Neither Bastion nor Sparklite shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bastion or Sparklite?

Bastion ships an update every 3 months, and Sparklite every 2 months. Most recently, Bastion was updated on September 17, 2026 and Sparklite on September 22, 2026.

---

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