Comparison

Aeon's End vs Paperback Vol. 2

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

Head to head
About

Aeon's End

Engage in a cooperative deck-building game where mages defend the last city against a relentless onslaught. Utilize unique mechanics like randomized turn order and no deck shuffling to strategize your way to victory. Protect Gravehold from the Nameless and ensure humanity's survival.

Highlights
  • Cooperative deck-building
  • Randomized turn order
  • No deck shuffling
  • Multiple win/loss conditions
  • Unique breach mages
  • Varied Nemesis opponents
Features
Read full description

Randomized turn order, no shuffling, and multiple win and loss conditions make this a deck-building experience like no other! “This is not the end of the world. That already happened. This is what is left: us, Gravehold, and the Nameless. For generations we have taken refuge in an ancient and haunted place. It has taken our mages an aeon to hone their craft, but they are ready... and they are lethal. The breaches, the very conduits through which the Nameless travel, have become our weapon.” - Yaleesa Rhykk, Gravehold survivor The situation is bleak. The final city - Gravehold - needs the power of the breach mages to hold back the Nameless. Join the fight, and maybe… just maybe, Gravehold will live to see another dawn. Aeon’s End is a deck-building game where 1-4 mages fight cooperatively to defeat a Nameless nemesis. You begin with a starting deck of 10 cards. Each turn you play gems to gain aether, buy new gems and relics, learn new spells, and increase your casting potential by opening breaches. You can also play relics to give yourself or your allies a boost. Then prep spells to your breaches to be ready to cast them on your next turn. What makes Aeon’s End unique is how it uses randomness. Unlike other deck-building games, you do not shuffle your deck when it runs out. The order in which you discard is preserved, so plan your discards carefully to set yourself up for later. At the start of each round, the turn order deck is shuffled to determine the order of play. Will the nemesis go twice in a row, pushing back the mages’ defense? Will the mages get 4 turns in a row to set up for the coming onslaught? It can be hard to know what’s coming next when you are deep in the melee! The breach mages of Aeon’s End are not just fighting for their own survival, but the survival of all of humanity. If the city of Gravehold is ever reduced to 0 life, the mages have lost and humanity is but a memory. Protect the city at all costs! * What is included * 8 Breach Mages: • Adelheim • Brama • Jian • Kadir • Lash • Mist • Phaedraxa • Xaxos Each Mage has a unique starting card and an ability that can be charged to use in the fight. For example, Kadir has a gem that heals any mage, and an ability to let any mage prep a lot of spells. Xaxos has a spell that reveals the top card of the turn order deck and an ability that helps allies charge their abilities. You build your deck with player cards from the market. 3 gems, 2 relics, and 4 spells allow you to grow your powers to hold back the nemesis. The market is constructed from 27 unique gems, relics, and spells. Either take a randomly generated market, or build the perfect one yourself during setup. 4 Nameless Nemeses: • Carapace Queen • Crooked Mask • Prince of Gluttons • Rageborne Each Nemesis plays differently with unique mechanics to keep even the most powerful breach mages on their toes. Rageborne lays on the damage in a frontal assault using its Strike Deck, whereas the Prince of Gluttons fights more of a war of attrition, devouring player cards from the market. Aside from their unique mechanics, the Nemesis deck is created before each game from a combination of basic and nemesis-specific cards. You may encounter the same Nemesis many times, but it will never attack you in exactly the same way twice. Expand your gameplay options with In App Purchase: • Promo Pack 1 includes mage Xae from One Deck Dungeon, along with 3 digital exclusive player cards and 3 basic nemesis cards. • The Nameless includes 2 nemeses, 1 mage, and 7 player cards. • The Depths includes 1 nemesis, 3 mages, and 8 player cards. • The New Age more than doubles the content in the core game, and introduces the Expedition system! The last of humanity need your protection! Pick up the mantle, focus your breaches, and beat back the Nameless - We’re all counting on you! Aeon's End is an officially licensed product of “Aeon's End” from Indie Boards and Cards and Action Phase Games.

About

Paperback Vol. 2

This is a novel deck-building game where players craft words to create clever combos and become bestselling authors. It features new cards, modes, art, and advanced AI for challenging gameplay or cooperative play with friends.

Highlights
  • Deck-building word game mechanics
  • New cards and abilities
  • Cooperative mode with friends or AI
  • Advanced AI opponents
  • New art and interface
  • Mini-expansions
Features
Read full description

Paperback the game is back! Paige Turner has been cranking out novels of all genres and has a new set of tricks. Follow her journey to become a bestselling author! Paperback, the deckbuilding word game fuses smart wordsmithing with clever combos. Based on the bestselling card game, it returns with Vol 2! Try out the new cards, new modes and new art. The advanced computer players can challenge the best players or work alongside you in cooperative mode. Cooperative mode - play with friends even play alongside the AI New massive card set - as you play, you’ll unlock new cards and abilities. Advanced AI - can find the best words faster and challenge the best players. New Art and interface New mini-expansions - spacebar, dyslexic and alternate starting wilds. New kitchy novels to finish!

Screenshots

Aeon's End4 screens
Paperback Vol. 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Aeon's End at 70% against Paperback Vol. 2's 26%. Aeon's End also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.5) and iOS requirement (13.7 vs 15.0). Paperback Vol. 2's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $12.99) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). On ratings volume, ads, chart position and device support 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

Aeon's End costs $12.99 and Paperback Vol. 2 $4.99 up front. Aeon's End sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Paperback Vol. 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aeon's End holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 47 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Aeon's End's written reviews are positive against 26% of Paperback Vol. 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aeon's End ships an update every 2 months, Paperback Vol. 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Aeon's End versus Paperback Vol. 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAeon's EndPaperback Vol. 2
Price$12.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.2 (44 ratings) — better3.5 (47 ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better26.4% of reviews
Number of ratings4447 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#81#56 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.7 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size413 MB146 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperHandelabra Studio LLCFowers Games Inc.

Customer experience

Aeon's End

All ratings44 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative27.5%

Paperback Vol. 2

All ratings47 ratings
Positive48.9%
Neutral27.7%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive26.4%
Neutral34.0%
Negative39.6%

Bugs and requests

Aeon's End

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Paperback Vol. 2

Reported bugs

23 issues
  • App is buggy
  • Cards not working as expected
  • Points miscalculated
  • Words not in dictionary
  • AI uses invalid words
Show 18 more
  • App icon shows false notifications
  • Double value card bug
  • Green Look at 3 cards dialog bug
  • App freezes after scoring
  • Cannot buy cards after scoring
  • Game freezes during AI turn
  • Push notifications not working
  • Card effects not always working
  • Triple-letter score bug
  • Account not verified error
  • Cannot start new PvP games
  • Online not working
  • Game won't deal second hand
  • Animations move at snail's pace
  • Computer players lock up
  • Computer players make suboptimal choices
  • Double score adjacency bonus not working
  • Confirmation email not received

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to use original fonts/graphics
  • Full rules explanation
  • Card collection feature
  • Option to have all cards available

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Aeon's End

One-time4
  • Promo Pack 1$0.99
  • The Nameless$2.49
  • The Depths$2.49
Show 1 more
  • The New Age$4.95
None

Paperback Vol. 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Aeon's End free?
Aeon's End costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Paperback Vol. 2 free?
Paperback Vol. 2 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Aeon's End or Paperback Vol. 2?
Aeon's End is rated higher. Aeon's End averages 4.2 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Paperback Vol. 2 averages 3.5 from 47 ratings.
Do Aeon's End or Paperback Vol. 2 have ads?
Neither Aeon's End nor Paperback Vol. 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aeon's End or Paperback Vol. 2?
Aeon's End ships an update every 2 months, and Paperback Vol. 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Aeon's End was updated on September 28, 2026 and Paperback Vol. 2 on September 26, 2026.
Which is more popular, Aeon's End or Paperback Vol. 2?
Aeon's End currently peaks at #81 in the App Store charts, and Paperback Vol. 2 at #56. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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