Comparison

Pawnbarian vs Spell & Stone

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

Head to head
About

Pawnbarian

Engage in a turn-based puzzle roguelike inspired by chess. Use a deck of chess pieces to battle monsters on a small dungeon board, strategically outmaneuvering enemies. Enjoy quick, challenging sessions with emergent tactical situations and character progression.

Highlights
  • Deck of chess pieces for combat
  • Chess mechanics for gameplay
  • Turn-based tactical situations
  • Card upgrades with treasure
  • Quick 15-30 minute runs
  • Infinite post-run Gauntlet
  • Multiple characters and dungeons
Features
Read full description

Chess-inspired puzzle roguelike. Demo - single IAP unlocks full game. The demo is ad-free. It contains a single character and dungeon. Pawnbarian is a turn-based puzzle roguelike with bite-sized, but challenging sessions. Play cards to control your hero like a chess piece on a tiny dungeon board, outmaneuver enemies with their assortment of tricky abilities, and become the mightiest warrior of the Chesslands! Features - Use a deck of chess pieces to hack and slash through hordes of monsters. - Pick up the basics instantly if you're familiar with chess, or learn in minutes if you aren't. - Carefully plan your moves to navigate challenging, emergent tactical situations. - Spend treasure to upgrade your cards with additional powers. - Blitz through quick 15-30 minute runs - or die trying. - Take on the infinite post-run Gauntlet to see how long you can survive. - Pick from 6 characters to conquer 3 dungeons, all requiring an unique approach. - Progress through Chains, a series of extra difficulty modifiers. Not Features - No permanent upgrades, and not much that needs unlocking. The progress and satisfaction come from your growing mastery of the game's elegant systems! - No complex and varied builds. The shops provide a few key decisions, but the bulk of the roguelike depth lies in how you approach the emergent combat puzzles!

About

Spell & Stone

Defend against monster waves using wizardly powers in this semi-idle strategy game. Build and upgrade a deck of 17 unique spells to overcome 40 challenging levels and defeat distinct monsters and bosses. Combine spells for powerful effects and plan your strategy for each battle.

Highlights
  • Semi-idle strategy gameplay
  • Deck building with 17 unique spells
  • Spell upgrade paths
  • 40 challenging levels
  • 17 distinct monsters and bosses
  • Spell combination for enhanced effects
Read full description

Spell & Stone is a "semi-idle strategy and spectacle" game where you defend against relentless waves of monsters using your wizardly powers. Build a deck from 17 unique spells, each with its own upgrade path, and deploy them strategically across 40 challenging levels. As you defeat enemies, collect new spells and combine them to unlock even more powerful effects for future battles. With 17 distinct monsters and bosses to face, each level demands careful planning and smart decision-making. I am committed to keeping this game ad and micro-transaction free!

Screenshots

Pawnbarian4 screens
Spell & Stone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Spell & Stone at none against Pawnbarian's 1. Spell & Stone also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Pawnbarian's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Pawnbarian sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Spell & Stone asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pawnbarian versus Spell & Stone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPawnbarianSpell & Stone
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (353 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews83.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings353 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB113 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperJan WojteckiJOSHUA B CARTER

Customer experience

Pawnbarian

All ratings353 ratings
Positive81.6%
Neutral3.7%
Negative14.7%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative13.5%

Spell & Stone

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Pawnbarian

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unexpected attacks during player turns
  • Glitches with Apple Pencil input

Requested features

5 requests
  • More levels and dungeons
  • Additional character classes
  • Difficulty settings
  • Achievements/progression system
  • Controller support

Spell & Stone

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pawnbarian

One-time1
  • Full Game$4.99
None

Spell & Stone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pawnbarian free?
Pawnbarian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Spell & Stone free?
Spell & Stone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pawnbarian or Spell & Stone have ads?
Neither Pawnbarian nor Spell & Stone shows ads.

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