# Hell and Back vs Ember Knight

The clearest difference is ads: Ember Knight at none against Hell and Back's shown. Ember Knight also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hell and Back sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Ember Knight sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hell and Back ships an update every 7 months, Ember Knight every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hell and Back | Ember Knight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hell-and-back/id1474841566/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7** | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 45 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Brandon Stecklein](https://appshunter.io/developer/498894252) | [Bruno BOIRIE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885660190) |

## What reviewers say

### Hell and Back

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hell-and-back/id1474841566)

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.

**Highlights:** Procedural and handcrafted levels, Weapon and armor upgrades, Mercenary recruitment, Challenging quests and bosses, Deep RPG progression, Turn-based combat

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Ape Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hell and Back Full Upgrade | $1.99 | one-time |


### Ember Knight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-knight/id6788129762)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 50 Sun Shards | $0.99 | one-time |
| 300 Sun Shards | $3.99 | one-time |
| 700 Sun Shards | $8.99 | one-time |
| 2000 Sun Shards | $22.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hell and Back free?

Hell and Back is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ember Knight free?

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

### Do Hell and Back or Ember Knight have ads?

Hell and Back shows ads; Ember Knight does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hell and Back or Ember Knight?

Hell and Back ships an update every 7 months, and Ember Knight every 2 months. Most recently, Hell and Back was updated on October 1, 2026 and Ember Knight on September 30, 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.*