Comparison

Nova Island vs Combo Master Arena

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

Combo Master Arena

Engage in fast-paced, tactical martial-arts card battles. Build your hand, anticipate opponents, and execute combos to win. Play solo, challenge friends, or compete in real-time multiplayer matches.

Highlights
  • Tactical card battles
  • Solo AI challenges
  • Turn-by-turn friend duels
  • Real-time multiplayer matches
  • Card collection and deck building
  • Combo chaining mechanics
Features
Read full description

Combo Master Arena is a fast, tactical martial-arts card battle. Build your hand, read your opponent, and land the perfect strike — block, counter, and chain combos to empty your hand before they empty theirs. PLAY YOUR WAY • Solo — climb the ladder against AI senseis, each tougher than the last • Challenge — duel a friend turn-by-turn, anytime; we'll ping you when it's your move • Live Match — real-time showdowns for 2–6 players MASTER THE CARDS • Strikes, blocks, counters, and game-changing Wild cards • Collect Rare and Super-Rare cards to sharpen your deck • Pull off multi-hit combos and turn the tables in a single turn BUILT FOR REAL PLAY • No account or login required — jump straight in • Invite anyone with a tap, a code, or a QR scan • Rematch instantly and keep the rivalry going One purchase, no ads, no subscriptions — just the game. Expand your deck anytime with optional premium cards. Step into the arena. Tournaments (new in 1.2.0, under Play Online) are optional online multiplayer - like Challenge and Live Match, they need a second device to fully test. Play Solo covers all gameplay for single-device review.

Screenshots

Nova Island4 screens
Combo Master Arena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Combo Master Arena at 5.0 against Nova Island's 4.3. Combo Master Arena also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Nova Island's advantage is ratings volume (236 vs 4) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Nova Island sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Combo Master Arena sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Combo Master Arena holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Island has 236 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 100% of Combo Master Arena's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, Combo Master Arena daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Nova Island versus Combo Master Arena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova IslandCombo Master Arena
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (236 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings236 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size262 MB88 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperThirteen Games, LLCPhilip Hayes

Customer experience

Nova Island

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

Combo Master Arena

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Combo Master Arena

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
10 purchases

Combo Master Arena

One-time10
  • Fake Karate Moves$1.99
  • Pizza Party$1.99
  • Grand Master Sighting$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Get Over Here$1.99
  • Nunchuck Ninja$1.99
  • Awe Snap$1.99
  • Train Harder$1.99
  • Ancient Wisdom$1.99
  • No Mercy$1.99
  • Gotham Smash$1.99

Questions

Is Nova Island free?
Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Combo Master Arena free?
Combo Master Arena is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nova Island or Combo Master Arena?
Combo Master Arena is rated higher. Nova Island averages 4.3 out of 5 from 236 ratings, while Combo Master Arena averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Nova Island or Combo Master Arena have ads?
Neither Nova Island nor Combo Master Arena shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nova Island or Combo Master Arena?
Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, and Combo Master Arena daily. Most recently, Nova Island was updated on November 3, 2026 and Combo Master Arena on October 31, 2026.

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