Comparison

Runes vs Grim Tales 24

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

Head to head
About

Runes

Uncover the secrets of a mysterious town by searching intricately illustrated scenes for hidden objects and solving puzzles. Follow a detective through a captivating storyline with unique challenges and unlock magical artifacts as you progress. Play at your own pace with optional hints.

Highlights
  • Search hand-painted scenes for hidden objects
  • Spot subtle differences
  • Solve puzzles and brain teasers
  • Follow a twisting storyline
  • Collect magical artifacts
  • Play at your own pace with hints
Features
Read full description

Something strange is happening in Enchanted Crossroads. Doors that weren't there yesterday. Whispers in empty rooms. A rune etched into a mirror that no one remembers hanging. When Detective Greystone calls for your help, it becomes clear — this charming little town is hiding more than it shows. Search hand-painted scenes for hidden objects, spot subtle differences, and solve puzzles that guard the town's oldest secrets. Each clue you find pulls you deeper into a mystery woven through 15+ beautifully illustrated chapters. But the closer you look, the more questions arise. Who — or what — is watching from the crossroads? WHAT AWAITS YOU A Mystery Worth Solving Follow Detective Greystone through a twisting storyline filled with enchanted characters, buried secrets, and revelations you won't see coming. A World Rich in Detail Wander through 15+ stunning hand-crafted scenes — from moonlit gardens to forgotten libraries — each hiding objects, differences, and surprises. Puzzles That Reward Curiosity Hidden object searches, spot-the-difference challenges, and clever brain teasers — 4+ unique puzzle types keep every chapter fresh. Your Collection Grows Complete quests to unlock rare magical artifacts and build a personal trove of enchanted items. Play at Your Own Pace No timers. No pressure. Helpful hints are always within reach whenever you need a gentle nudge. Optional in-app purchases are available, but you can complete the full story without spending anything. The crossroads are calling. Will you answer?

About

Grim Tales 24

Embark on a mystery detective adventure to find a missing daughter and husband. Solve puzzles, search for hidden objects, and uncover the truth behind a family's disappearance. Explore new worlds and face a looming threat in this engaging hidden object game.

Highlights
  • Hidden object scenes
  • Puzzle solving
  • Mini-games
  • Detective gameplay
  • Story-driven mystery
  • Bonus chapter
Features
Read full description

Help Anna Gray find her daughter and husband after disappearing on Thanksgiving Day! Play the hidden object game, solve puzzles, find lost items and enjoy mystery detective! ________________________________________________________________________ Will you manage to solve the mystery of Grim Tales 24: All Shades of Black? Immerse yourself in a mystery detective game and solve puzzles. Be a detective, search and find all the hidden objects and find out the solution to the Gray family's disappearance! Note that this is a free trial version of the hidden objects game. You can get the full walkthrough by means of an in-app purchase. Dorian, Anna and Alice go to the Crimson Hollow mansion to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Suddenly, during the festive dinner, Dorian crumbles into dust, and Alice disappears in front of Anna's eyes. Moreover, Anna discovers that Dorian’s portrait has gone missing. Where did the portrait go? What happened to Alice and Dorian? How will helping Anna affect Anastasia Grim? Find out all this in an exciting hidden object adventure! FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO DORIAN AND ALICE Travel back in time, solve puzzles and mini-games, find clues, explore hidden object scenes and find out why Dorian and Alice Gray disappeared and who is responsible for their disappearance. FIND OUT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE AND DORIAN Anna continues searching for clues connected with the disappearance of Dorian and Alice. She gets on the trail of the artist who painted Dorian's portrait, but someone insistently doesn't want Anna to be able to return her loved ones. Will Anna Gray be able to save her family and defeat a new evil? FIND OUT WHAT THE PAINTED WORLD IS HIDING IN THE BONUS CHAPTER! Play as Anna Gray and find out what happened to the artist who painted Dorian's portrait. Travel to the past and new worlds. Face a new threat looming over Anna's future and prove yourself. Grim Tales 24: All Shades of Black is a hidden object game where you need to seek and find missing objects like Sherlock. Be a detective and find out why Anna's family disappeared at the party in this mystery detective game! Enjoy replayable HOPs and mini-games, exclusive wallpapers, soundtrack, concept art, and more! Zoom in on the scenes to help search and find all hidden objects, and use hints if you get stuck. Discover more from Elephant Games! Elephant Games is a developer of hidden object games and mystery detective games. Check out our game library at: http://elephant-games.com/games/ Join us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elephant_games/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elephantgames Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elephant_games Privacy Policy: https://elephant-games.com/privacy/ Terms and Conditions: https://elephant-games.com/terms/

Screenshots

Runes4 screens
Grim Tales 244 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Grim Tales 24 at none against Runes's shown. Grim Tales 24 also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Runes's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 69%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Runes sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Grim Tales 24 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Grim Tales 24 holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 577 and 423 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Runes's written reviews are positive against 69% of Grim Tales 24's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Runes ships an update every 6 weeks, Grim Tales 24 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Runes versus Grim Tales 24: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRunesGrim Tales 24
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (577 ratings)4.8 (423 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better69.2% of reviews
Number of ratings577 — better423
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size186 MB969 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperCrisp App StudioElephant Games AR LLC

Customer experience

Runes

All ratings577 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative9.5%

Grim Tales 24

All ratings423 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral2.4%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative23.1%

User reviews

Runes

From 577 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great graphics
  • 🧠 Exercises the brain
  • 🤩 Fun to play
  • 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing gameplay
  • 🔍 Interesting hidden object puzzles

Room to improve

  • 💰 Energy/ads require purchases
  • 🕰️ Too many interruptions
  • 🌃 Dark and blurry scenes
  • 🤔 Unclear progression/navigation

Grim Tales 24

From 423 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable and lengthy gameplay
  • 🖼️ Gorgeous graphics and visuals
  • 💡 Magical inventory tools and creative tasks
  • 🧩 Terrific variety of HO scenes and puzzles
  • 🤩 Addictive thrill ride of unusual tasks

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Touchscreen sensitivity issues
  • 💸 Paywall at certain points
  • ⚫ Black screen when trying to purchase
  • 🔒 Won't restore previous purchases
  • 🚫 Hint button stopped working

Bugs and requests

Runes

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Energy recharge issues
  • Purchase rejections

Requested features

2 requests
  • Restart option
  • Clearer level progression

Grim Tales 24

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Game won't open
  • Too many bugs and glitches
  • Black screen when trying to purchase
  • Won't restore previous purchase
  • Hint button stopped working
Show 2 more
  • Cannot get past a certain point without spending money
  • Game dies at Facebook screen and cannot exit

Requested features

2 requests
  • Bring back snarky Richard
  • More Grim Tales games

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Runes

One-time7
  • Instant Hint$0.99
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Bag with Gems$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Infinity Energy + No Ads$2.99
  • Сhest with Gems$2.99
  • Master Pack Special$3.99
  • Master Pack: All-included$7.99
1 purchases

Grim Tales 24

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Version$6.99

Questions

Is Runes free?
Runes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grim Tales 24 free?
Grim Tales 24 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Runes or Grim Tales 24?
Grim Tales 24 is rated higher. Runes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 577 ratings, while Grim Tales 24 averages 4.8 from 423 ratings.
Do Runes or Grim Tales 24 have ads?
Runes shows ads; Grim Tales 24 does not.
Which is updated more often, Runes or Grim Tales 24?
Runes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Grim Tales 24 every 3 months. Most recently, Runes was updated on October 18, 2026 and Grim Tales 24 on October 17, 2026.

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