Comparison

Afterplace vs The Longing Mobile

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

Head to head
About

Afterplace

Embark on an open-world adventure on your mobile device, exploring a vast landscape filled with hidden secrets, treasures, and quirky characters. Engage in combat, uncover mysteries, and forge your own path through a world without waypoints.

Highlights
  • Open world exploration
  • Hidden secrets and treasures
  • Combat with monsters
  • Interactive characters
  • No virtual buttons
  • Dynamic control adaptation
Features
Read full description

An open world adventure game filled with silly characters and terrible secrets. Afterplace is an adventurous indie game for mobile devices. It's a huge open world, full of hidden secrets, treasures, and creatures. You'll run around the woods, fight monsters, and talk to ostensibly shady characters! All from your pocket! Be warned though - you never know what the forest might be hiding, and not all trails are paved. Labyrinths and dungeons are tucked away in the most concealed nooks. There are no waypoints in Afterplace. You'll have to forge your own path. Afterplace has been designed from the ground up to be a fast, fluid, beautiful experience for mobile. There are no virtual buttons. You can move and attack by touching anywhere. You can tap objects directly to interact or attack, use two thumbs like a traditional controller, or control the game with a physical gamepad. The game will adapt dynamically to your play style. Pick up and set down the game at your own pace, it will always save your progress. Afterplace is made to feel like a full-fledged indie adventure game that fits in your pocket. About the Author: Afterplace is made by one person, Evan Kice. A former software engineer from Austin TX, Evan quit his job (to the dismay of his friends and family) and has been working full time on Afterplace since early 2019. The initial game released in December of 2022, but Evan plans on continuing to support and polish the game when he can!

About

The Longing Mobile

Embark on a unique adventure as a lonely servant waiting for your king's 400-day slumber to end. Explore vast caves, collect items, read classic literature, or brave dangerous outer regions. The choice is yours in this atmospheric idle game.

Highlights
  • Slow exploration of hand-drawn caves
  • Atmospheric Dungeon Synth soundtrack
  • Multiple endings
  • Hidden secrets
  • Time-based puzzles
  • Lonely protagonist
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

An unusual mix of adventure and idle game. In utter loneliness deep below the surface, it's your task to wait for the awakening of your king... for 400 days. Play as a lonely Shade, the last servant of a king who once ruled an underground kingdom. The king's powers have faded and he falls asleep for 400 days to regain his might. It is your duty to stay in the earthen palace until he awakens. As soon as you start, the game inevitably counts down the 400 days - even when you stop playing and exit the game. It is now up to you to decide what to do with your solitary existence beneath the soil. Don't stress yourself, you have plenty of time. Choose your playing style Start the game and simply come back after 400 days to see how it ends. You actually don't have to play the game at all. But the Shade will be even more lonely without you. Or explore the caves and collect items for your comfortable underground living room. Just send the Shade to take a stroll - the walking speed is slow, but luckily there is no need to hurry. Read tons of classic literature from Nietzsche to Moby Dick right in the game - or at least have the shade read them. After all, time goes by faster if you learn to keep your mind occupied. Ignore the king's commands and advance to the outer regions the cave. It will be a long and dangerous journey into darkness... Features • Slow exploration of a vast, hand-drawn cave. • Atmospheric Dungeon Synth soundtrack. • Various endings. • Lots of well hidden secrets. • Time-based puzzles. • A lonely but cute protagonist.

Screenshots

Afterplace4 screens
The Longing Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Afterplace at 4.9 against The Longing Mobile's 4.6. Afterplace also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (94% vs 80%). The Longing Mobile's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $6.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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

Afterplace costs $6.99 and The Longing Mobile $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Afterplace holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afterplace has 631 ratings behind it against 102, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Afterplace's written reviews are positive against 80% of The Longing Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Afterplace ships an update monthly, The Longing Mobile every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Afterplace versus The Longing Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterplaceThe Longing Mobile
Price$6.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.9 (631 ratings) — better4.6 (102 ratings)
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews — better79.6% of reviews
Number of ratings631 — better102
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#39 — better#89
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size249 MB528 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperEvan KiceApplication Systems Heidelberg Software GmbH

Customer experience

Afterplace

All ratings627 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews254 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.5%

The Longing Mobile

All ratings99 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral8.2%
Negative12.2%

User reviews

Afterplace

From 631 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Charming characters and dialogue
  • 🎨 Beautiful pixel art and visuals
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack
  • 💡 Unique story and world-building

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
  • 🔍 Lack of a map or quest log can lead to getting lost
  • 🔍 Some plot points not fully explained
  • 🔍 Limited weapon/item variety

The Longing Mobile

From 102 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Unique and creative game concept
  • 🧘 Relaxing and meditative gameplay experience
  • 💎 Beautiful graphics and atmospheric design
  • 🎵 Excellent soundtrack and audio design
  • 🎮 Engaging puzzle mechanics and riddles

Room to improve

  • 🐌 Very slow-paced gameplay (not for everyone)
  • ⏳ Requires extreme patience and long wait times
  • 🔤 Text size too small on mobile devices
  • 🔊 Sound/audio issues reported
  • 🎮 Limited gameplay variety after initial exploration

Bugs and requests

Afterplace

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Saves not loading properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Ability to restart or replay the game
  • More in-depth combat and progression systems

The Longing Mobile

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Opening sequence resets when changing screen brightness
  • Sound/audio not working (permanent mute)
  • Character gets stuck or walks in air
  • Screen freezes/hangs
  • Cannot descend to lower room levels
Show 5 more
  • Drawing function disabled with error symbol
  • Room decoration selection selects wrong items
  • Game Center notifications interrupt gameplay with WAIT screen
  • Save files don't synchronize between devices
  • Game reload takes several seconds on startup

Requested features

10 requests
  • Cloud save synchronization across devices (iPhone/iPad)
  • Widget to check game progress without opening app
  • Ability to restart game for new playthroughs
  • Text size adjustment option
  • Additional living room or room expansion
Show 5 more
  • Localization of books to other languages (French, Portuguese, Spanish, German)
  • Game Center save synchronization
  • Sound/mute toggle functionality improvements
  • More actions and surprises throughout gameplay
  • Additional locations to discover

In-app purchases

None

Afterplace

No in-app purchases

None

The Longing Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Afterplace free?
Afterplace costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Longing Mobile free?
The Longing Mobile costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Afterplace or The Longing Mobile?
Afterplace is rated higher. Afterplace averages 4.9 out of 5 from 631 ratings, while The Longing Mobile averages 4.6 from 102 ratings.
Do Afterplace or The Longing Mobile have ads?
Neither Afterplace nor The Longing Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Afterplace or The Longing Mobile?
Afterplace ships an update monthly, and The Longing Mobile every 4 months. Most recently, Afterplace was updated on October 29, 2026 and The Longing Mobile on October 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, Afterplace or The Longing Mobile?
Afterplace currently peaks at #39 in the App Store charts, and The Longing Mobile at #89. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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