Hell and Back vs XLarn
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hell and Back
Embark on a sci-fi roguelike RPG adventure to close a portal to hell on Mars. Fight, loot, and upgrade your gear in turn-based combat, recruiting mercenaries and making critical decisions to survive.
- Procedural and handcrafted levels
- Weapon and armor upgrades
- Mercenary recruitment
- Challenging quests and bosses
- Deep RPG progression
- Turn-based combat
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A sci‑fi roguelike RPG where you descend into hell to close the portal. A portal to hell has opened on Mars Base - and you’re the only one left to stop it. Fight, loot, upgrade, and survive in a turn‑based roguelike RPG where every run is different! - Procedural + handcrafted levels for endless replayability - Upgrade weapons and armor using power cells - Recruit mercenaries to build you squad - Challenging quests and bosses that evolve as you progress in this dungeon crawler - Deep RPG progression with stat points and gear builds - Classic roguelike tension - every decision matters - Turn based RPG action Do you have what it takes to descend into hell and come back alive?
XLarn
Embark on a perilous quest into Demonic Temples to find a life-saving elixir for your daughter. Navigate randomized caves, develop your skills, and utilize village resources to overcome monsters and reach your goal.
- Deep dungeon exploration
- Skill development
- Village resource management
- Randomized caves
- Prebuilt cave levels
- 99 difficulty levels
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Deep down in the Earth, Demonic Temples await you. The countdown will begin as you make your way in search of the only hope your daughter has for recovery. She has fallen gravely sick and the villagers all say that her only chance is an elixir found somewhere in the deepest temples underground. A home to demons and other unknown horrific monsters, these “Demonic Temples” can only be accessed through a dead volcano. You must first navigate through an intricate cave system, developing yourself and your skills as you go. Unknown dangers are sure to already be awaiting you there. Use the resources of your village to help you on your mission. Shop at the stores, visit the school or the bank. They all have something to offer. You will need all of the resources that you can find to successfully explore past the caves and reach the medicine down below. The Demonic Temples will have no mercy, so prepare yourself on the way. 99 Levels of difficulty And there is new stuff to find on every difficulty. Randomized Caves Each time you play will be different. Prebuilt Caves More than 100 prebuilt caves.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: XLarn at 100% against Hell and Back's 25%. XLarn also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). Hell and Back's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Hell and Back is free to download; XLarn costs $3.99 up front. Hell and Back sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. XLarn asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hell and Back ships an update every 7 months, XLarn every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hell and Back | XLarn |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Brandon Stecklein | David-Christian Felix Weibke |
Customer experience
Hell and Back
XLarn
In-app purchases
Hell and Back
- 100 Ape Coins$0.99
- Hell and Back Full Upgrade$1.99
XLarn
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Hell and Back free?
Is XLarn free?
Do Hell and Back or XLarn have ads?
Which is updated more often, Hell and Back or XLarn?
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