Comparison

Niffelheim vs Elderand

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

Head to head
About

Niffelheim

Embark on an immersive survival adventure in an open world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft weapons, build and defend your base against monster hordes, and explore dangerous dungeons for treasures. Forge your path to Valhalla in this offline RPG.

Highlights
  • Open world exploration
  • Crafting and blacksmithing
  • Base building and tower defense
  • Dungeon crawling
  • Monster combat
  • Resource gathering
  • Offline gameplay
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Niffelheim - an open world of Vikings filled with dangers and challenges. Prepare yourself for an immersive survival game with crafting and tower defense, mining, and base building mechanics, where your skills will be tested against horror monsters and black magic. Play an epic journey of exploration, mine into deep dungeons that hold both dangers and treasures. Niffelheim is an exceptional single-player 2D offline action RPG game without ads and in-apps purchases, with tower defense and crafts elements that will push your experience, shaping you into a true Norse mythic hero. Craftsman and blacksmith The rules of survival and craft games are pivotal in Nifelheim. Gather resources such as wood and ore to create weapons, bows and arrows, potions, and essential equipment to be good hunter of monster. Explore new drawings unlock magic and trade for an advantage in your fight for survival. Castle building and defense Build towers to create your castle, expand your base building, and reinforce walls to defend your kingdom against enemies attacks and skeletons hordes. Use various materials like wood and stone to create an impregnable fortress that defends you from Hell`s minions who like a zombies will atack your shelter. Adventure and dungeon Explore the dangerous world of survival RPG games, filled with adventures and horror. Enjoy fight against monsters, including undead and giants, trolls and yotuns, animals, and spiders - who will try to hinder your progress. Mine into dungeons to discover valuable last artifacts and chests, resources, and ores that help you craft the armor and weapons to fight against enemies and skeletons who like a zombie will atack your base. Reach to Valhalla Embark on a quest to collect the pieces of the portal leading to Asgard, unlocking the secrets of the gods' lands, rebirth the dragons. Overcome trials that test your sruvival and strength skills, confronting Death Priests and their undead minions. Travel through the Norse mythology underworld, exploring abandoned tombs and dungeons, completing NPC`s quests and reading the stories, fighting monsters and enemies, and seeking treasures and artifacts to aid you in your battle against the enemies of Asgard. Forge and craftman Equip yourself with powerful weapons and armor crafted in the workshops. Use resources found during gathering and exploration to create various types of equipment for hunting. Upgrade your gear to become stronger and better protected in battles against Hell`s minions. Dishes and mushrooms Food is crucial for survival in this Norse-themed role playing game. Collect mushrooms, berries, and other plant products to create dishes that boost your health. Test your luck and become a legendary Viking in the cold land of Niffelheim. Choose your path in this exciting sandbox game, where each day brings new challenges and adventures. Complete daily tasks and quests immerse yourself in an open world teeming with monsters, mysteries, and magic, and become a true hero. Prepare to fight for your life and protect your base from the dangers of this horror world. Good luck, in best Vikings simulator! Complete the final trial, prove your worth to the gods, and open the portal to Asgard. Become part of the epic legends that speak of the great Heroes of Valhalla. Niffelheim is an RPG where Viking sirvival depends on your skill and bravery. Build your kingdom, get resources, and craft the world. Explore dangerous dungeons, battle monsters, and Hell`s minions, unlock the secrets of magic and trading, and immerse yourself in the fantasy land of Vikings and land of God Hell. Pass all quests of NPC`s, collect all the pieces of the portal, open the door to Asgard city, and become a legend worthy of Valhalla. Lets don`t starve Vikings in this mythical survival game!

About

Elderand

Embark on a brutal, skill-based action platformer in a Lovecraftian world. Wield diverse weapons and customize your character with RPG elements to battle terrifying creatures and explore a dark, hand-drawn pixel environment. Collect loot to upgrade your arsenal and uncover the land's secrets.

Highlights
  • Skill-based combat
  • Metroidvania exploration
  • Lovecraftian horror themes
  • RPG character customization
  • Diverse weapon arsenal
  • Hand-drawn pixel art
  • Loot collection and crafting
Features
Read full description

Become the hero of an epic quest in Elderand, a metroidvania that will test your will and skill. Heads will literally roll in this gruesome, retro-inspired action platformer, where only the strong will survive in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures. Through the darkness and madness, promised glory awaits. Wield a variety of killing instruments and abilities to test your metal against towering, bone-chilling bosses. Explore a twisted Lovecraftian world shrouded in darkness and madness. RPG elements allow you to customize your battle experience to your liking, from your character’s appearance to skills, stats, and weapons. Slay or be slain as you collect glory and treasure in this nightmarish 2D world. Glory and riches await those who can spill the required blood and guts to collect it. KEY FEATURES: •Wield an arsenal of killing devices, including whips, swords, daggers, axes, bows, and more. From a magical staff that shoots bursts of energy to a giant sword, different weapons have different stats and capabilities, so find the ones that you enjoy battling beasts with the most! •Satisfying Metroidvania-style exploration meets terrifying Lovecraftian creatures in this detailed hand-drawn pixel world with glorious gothic aesthetics and handcrafted level design. •RPG elements let you customize your experience to best suit your play style, from your character’s appearance to their skills, stats, and weapons. Collect loot from exploration and fallen enemies and then use it to upgrade your weapons via crafting. •Travel to the many corners of this perilous land, such as an inviting village with merchants, a forest, a temple prison, floating islands, a cursed Cathedral, and the hellscape that is Elderand itself. •More than 60 different enemy types and around a dozen bosses for your slaying pleasure. •Collect lost letters and other correspondence from the poor souls who came before you to learn more about the darkness taking hold of this grim land.

Screenshots

Niffelheim4 screens
Elderand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Niffelheim at 4.6 against Elderand's 4.2. Niffelheim also leads on price ($4.99 vs $6.99). Elderand's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (74% vs 60%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

Niffelheim costs $4.99 and Elderand $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Niffelheim holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 89 and 36 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Niffelheim's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Niffelheim ships an update every 5 weeks, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Niffelheim versus Elderand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNiffelheimElderand
Price$4.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.6 (89 ratings) — better4.2 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews60.3% of reviews73.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings89 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size348 MB818 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperEllada Games LLCPlug In Digital

Customer experience

Niffelheim

All ratings89 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral2.2%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral11.8%
Negative27.9%

Elderand

All ratings36 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative18.4%

Bugs and requests

Niffelheim

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Elderand

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Permanent crashes
  • Character spawning underneath level
  • R button for subweapon not working on Steelseries Nimbus
  • Dash function not working
  • Game freezing for a moment
Show 6 more
  • Bosses getting stuck in attack animations
  • Campfire menu broken (cannot select options)
  • Lost save data after updates
  • D-pad moves on screen and becomes unusable
  • Joystick teleports to random spots
  • Virtual joystick bug with attack key

Requested features

7 requests
  • Full controller remapping for bindings
  • Multiplayer PvP 'Invasions' system
  • Cloud saves (iCloud)
  • Adjustable button layout and size
  • Ability to track materials acquired
Show 2 more
  • New game+ option
  • Boss replayability

In-app purchases

None

Niffelheim

No in-app purchases

None

Elderand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Niffelheim free?
Niffelheim costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elderand free?
Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Niffelheim or Elderand?
Niffelheim is rated higher. Niffelheim averages 4.6 out of 5 from 89 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.
Do Niffelheim or Elderand have ads?
Neither Niffelheim nor Elderand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Niffelheim or Elderand?
Niffelheim ships an update every 5 weeks, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Niffelheim was updated on October 13, 2026 and Elderand on October 14, 2026.

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