Ностальгия СССР vs POOLS™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ностальгия СССР
A puzzle game designed to evoke nostalgia for those who grew up in the Soviet era. It features elements reminiscent of childhood and youth, offering a journey back to familiar times.
- Nostalgic puzzle gameplay
- Evokes memories of Soviet childhood
- Themes of youth and past experiences
- Immersive nostalgic atmosphere
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Игра-головоломка для тех, чьё детство прошло с мороженым за 16 копеек, с проволочными рогатками, тетрадками-песенниками, кедами с мячиком, а юношество - в турпоходах и стройотрядах под Визбора и Токарева. Всё про вас? Значит ставьте игру и погружайтесь в приятную ностальгию!
POOLS™
This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.
- Slow, reflective exploration
- Atmospheric and immersive environments
- Inspired by liminal spaces
- Unfolding narrative through exploration
- Six distinct chapters
- Unique sound design
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Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ностальгия СССР at 5.0 against POOLS™'s 4.5. Ностальгия СССР also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). POOLS™'s advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 55%) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Ностальгия СССР sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Ностальгия СССР holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POOLS™ has 1.8K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Ностальгия СССР's written reviews are positive against 80% of POOLS™'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Ностальгия СССР ships an update every 5 days, POOLS™ monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ностальгия СССР | POOLS™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 4.5 (1.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | 79.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 1.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 222 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | AYTEYLZ EOOD | Tensori |
Customer experience
Ностальгия СССР
POOLS™
Bugs and requests
Ностальгия СССР
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
POOLS™
Reported bugs
2 issues- Unable to move on iPad Pro
- Glitches reported
Requested features
3 requests- Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
- Add a multiplayer mode
- Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)
In-app purchases
Ностальгия СССР
- Малая куча серполотов$0.99
- Отключение рекламы$0.99
- Средняя куча серполотов$1.99
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- Большая куча серполотов$2.99
POOLS™
- POOLS: Full Game$9.99
Questions
Is Ностальгия СССР free?
Is POOLS™ free?
Which has better reviews, Ностальгия СССР or POOLS™?
Do Ностальгия СССР or POOLS™ have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ностальгия СССР or POOLS™?
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