Comparison

Nova Island vs Crunchyroll

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

Head to head
About

Nova Island

Engage in strategic card battles with cute anime-inspired characters. Collect friends, powers, and skins while competing in PvP matches or embarking on an adventure. Build decks and master unique playstyles.

Highlights
  • Collectible card battles
  • Strategic deck building
  • PvP and PvE modes
  • Character collection
  • Cosmetic customization
  • Daily challenges
  • Draft mode
Features
Read full description

Discover friends and card duels in this exciting strategic adventure game! Nova Island is an anime inspired card game with cute characters, amazing strategy, and an engaging adventure!  And totally ad free! Looking for a unique collectible card game that combines strategy & chance? On Nova Island, you can take on challenges, play quick matches with friends, or compete against players from around the world to climb the leaderboard. Play cards to gain strength, deal damage, plan ahead, and disrupt opponents in ways they’ll never see coming. It’s fun! Try it out for free and discover its complete strategic freedom! Alert!  A new Nova Researcher has arrived on the island!  With your help and the various Pros by your side, collect all of the Friends, Powers, and customizable Skins found on this colorful island.  Go out on an adventure of a lifetime and see all of the fun in store for you! Quick PvP Matches in Every Mode Compete in fast online Ranked Matches versus players around the world.  Try out your strategic thinking in a unique single-player experience with new themes popping in the Daily Challenges. The Best of Your Favorite TCG and CCG Experiences Train your skills with the Turbo Chaos Draft Challenge against players around the world in a fast-paced draft mode. Challenge yourself with a PVE singleplayer journey around the island and tricky limited time game modes. Level up on Research Road and collect over 100 cards and over 1500 cosmetics, including: - 8 Pros, each with a thematic soundtrack and unique playstyle. - Over 70 Friends with cute animations, sound effects, and custom skins to change their look! So get in there and build your deck with strategy and style! Pick Your Prize or Try Your Luck: Use your winning Tokens on the Vending Machines to collect rewards, level up your favorite strategies, and unlock new cards. You’ll learn more about Nova Island, the Pros and Friends inhabiting the districts, and the challenges that await you as you explore! We have a growing community who love to chat! Discuss tips and tricks with some real Nova Island Pros!  Join in for all fun things NOVA ISLAND! Discord: https://play.novaisland.com/discord Need SUPPORT? Visit our Website: https://novaisland.com or Email us: hello@thirteengames.com Just some important legal information: PRIVACY POLICY: https://novaisland.com/privacy-policy TERMS OF SERVICE: https://novaisland.com/terms-of-service

About

Crunchyroll

A turn-based strategy RPG where you pilot giant mechas in an elite tournament. Explore a city, manage your mecha, and uncover a story of past choices and fate.

Highlights
  • Turn-based mecha battles
  • Explore Rain City
  • Mecha customization and repair
  • Intuitive touch and controller support
  • Multiple supported languages
  • Story-driven RPG elements
Read full description

Available exclusively for Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate Fan Members. Wolfstride is a role-playing game about three former partners-in-crime coming to a turning point in their lives. When they inherit a junkyard mecha called Cowboy, they reunite to enter the planet’s most elite mecha competition: the Ultimate Golden God Tournament. Each member of the team lends their unique experience as they prepare to outwit the best mecha opponents from around the world. Between dog-mechanic Duque, mecha pilot Knife Leopard, and jack-of-all-trades Dominic Shade, the core crew’s got just about everything covered. That is… until their simple mission to make money unfolds into a deep, slow-burning exploration of their complex lives, the dark choices of their past, and their inevitable fate. - Take the role of exiled former Yakuza, Dominic Shade and explore every quirky corner of Rain City to discover a kaleidoscope of characters! - Enter the arena to fight it out in giant robots one on one. The turn-based battle system rewards preparation and strategy. - The hangar is Duque's domain, your grumpy old mechanic. Repairing damage between battles is just the beginning. Swap out parts, install upgrades, and add new weapons. - Has intuitive touch screen controls as well as full support for game controllers. - Supported Languages: English (Voiced in English), Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese. ———— Crunchyroll Premium members enjoy an ad-free experience, with full access to Crunchyroll's library of over 1,300 unique titles and 46,000 episodes, including simulcast series that premiere shortly after premiering in Japan. In addition, membership offers special benefits including offline viewing access, discount code to Crunchyroll Store, Crunchyroll Game Vault access, streaming simultaneously on multiple devices, and more! Privacy Policy: https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/privacy Terms: https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/terms/

Screenshots

Nova Island4 screens
Crunchyroll4 screens

Verdict

The call

Nova Island and Crunchyroll both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 33% of Crunchyroll's. Nova Island also leads on ratings volume (236 vs 8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Crunchyroll's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ads 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. Nova Island sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Crunchyroll sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $13.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Nova Island against 4.4 for Crunchyroll. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Island has 236 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 33% of Crunchyroll's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, Crunchyroll every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Nova Island versus Crunchyroll: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova IslandCrunchyroll
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (236 ratings)4.4 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.4% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings236 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size262 MB2.4 GB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperThirteen Games, LLCCrunchyroll, LLC

Customer experience

Nova Island

All ratings237 ratings
Positive79.3%
Neutral7.2%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral16.7%
Negative22.9%

Crunchyroll

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

Nova Island

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Soft-locking tutorial
  • Inconsistent performance on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Offline mode or paid full version
  • Ability to play with friends
  • More character/card customization options
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding experience

Crunchyroll

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Nova Island

One-time9
  • Artillery Pack$0.99
  • 75 Island Credits2 variants$1.99
  • Circuit Boiz Pack$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Daily Login Bonus$3.99
  • 575 Island Credits$4.99
  • Welcome Party Bundle$4.99
  • 225 Island Credits$4.99
  • 1175 Island Credits$9.99
  • 2400 Island Credits$19.99
1 purchases

Crunchyroll

Subscriptions1
  • Mega Fan [Monthly]7 Days trial$13.991 Month

Questions

Is Nova Island free?
Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crunchyroll free?
Crunchyroll is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nova Island or Crunchyroll?
Crunchyroll is rated higher. Nova Island averages 4.3 out of 5 from 236 ratings, while Crunchyroll averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.
Do Nova Island or Crunchyroll have ads?
Neither Nova Island nor Crunchyroll shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nova Island or Crunchyroll?
Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, and Crunchyroll every 2 months. Most recently, Nova Island was updated on November 3, 2026 and Crunchyroll on November 3, 2026.

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