Comparison

Afterplace vs Magic Research 2

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

Magic Research 2

Embark on a magical quest as a rookie wizard to find or create the Philosopher's Stone. Utilize over 120 spells, transmute hundreds of items, and lead a team of wizards in a semi-automated combat system. Explore dozens of areas, uncover secrets, and experience over 60 hours of gameplay.

Highlights
  • Over 120 distinct spells
  • Transmute over 250 items
  • Control a team of wizards
  • Semi-automated combat system
  • Explore dozens of areas
  • Discover secrets and storylines
  • Retirement bonuses for faster progress
Features
Read full description

Experience the long-awaited sequel to Magic Research! In Magic Research 2, you are a rookie wizard with a single ambition: to find or create the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary magical item that is said to be able to cure any illness. As you do so, you will learn more than you ever imagined about Magic and about the world around you. What kinds of adventures await you? * Use your arsenal of more than 120 distinct spells to make progress * Study the Elements! Learn new ways to use Magic in your path to mastery * Transmute (magically craft) over 250 different items to help you on your journey * Control a team of Wizards that will cast Spells for you * Enjoy a deep, semi-automated combat system as you make your way through dozens of areas to explore * Discover tons of secrets - many of which will change the way you play the game! * Encounter over a hundred distinct Storylines with powerful bonuses along your journey * Restart the game and make progress faster each time with retirement bonuses * Over 60 hours of addictive gameplay - with a clear ending! (Or perhaps more than one...?) * Optimized both for phones and tablet devices You do not need to have played Magic Research in order to enjoy Magic Research 2!

Screenshots

Afterplace4 screens
Magic Research 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Magic Research 2 at every 3 days against Afterplace's monthly. Magic Research 2 also leads on price ($4.69 vs $6.99). Afterplace's advantage is review sentiment (94% vs 82%) and ratings volume (627 vs 115). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Magic Research 2 $4.69 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Afterplace against 4.8 for Magic Research 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afterplace has 627 ratings behind it against 115, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Afterplace's written reviews are positive against 82% of Magic Research 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Afterplace ships an update monthly, Magic Research 2 every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Afterplace versus Magic Research 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAfterplaceMagic Research 2
Price$6.99$4.69 — better
Rating4.9 (627 ratings) — better4.8 (115 ratings)
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews — better82.1% of reviews
Number of ratings627 — better115
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#33#22 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size249 MB36 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperEvan KiceMatias Ezequiel Colotto

Customer experience

Afterplace

All ratings627 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews253 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.6%

Magic Research 2

All ratings115 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.3%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative8.9%

User reviews

Afterplace

From 627 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

Magic Research 2

From 115 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic sequel, better than the first
  • 👍 Incredible sense of progression
  • 💡 Fun build types, best in genre
  • 👍 Incremental masterclass, gold standard
  • 👍 True semi-idle masterpiece

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Extremely complicated, tedious timers
  • 🐛 UI is absolutely atrocious
  • 🐛 Time pieces cap out at 100k
  • 🐛 UI issues, not easy to navigate
  • 🐛 Sorting doesn't sort exactly as wanted

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

Magic Research 2

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App instantly crashes on open
  • Game crashes on startup
  • App started rapidly pushing buttons on its own
  • Overheating phone
  • Lags and gets choppy in the late game
Show 1 more
  • Compendium doesn't unlock for bosses unless already beat

Requested features

9 requests
  • DLC or sequel news
  • macOS version
  • Better automation and convenience features
  • Tweak familiar search time down
  • Release the next one
Show 4 more
  • More Please
  • Auto fight boss button
  • Compendium unlocks bosses before beating them
  • Less dialogue and descriptions, more functional text

In-app purchases

None

Afterplace

No in-app purchases

None

Magic Research 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Afterplace free?
Afterplace costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic Research 2 free?
Magic Research 2 costs $4.69, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Afterplace or Magic Research 2?
Afterplace is rated higher. Afterplace averages 4.9 out of 5 from 627 ratings, while Magic Research 2 averages 4.8 from 115 ratings.
Do Afterplace or Magic Research 2 have ads?
Neither Afterplace nor Magic Research 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Afterplace or Magic Research 2?
Afterplace ships an update monthly, and Magic Research 2 every 3 days. Most recently, Afterplace was updated on October 18, 2026 and Magic Research 2 on October 16, 2026.
Which is more popular, Afterplace or Magic Research 2?
Afterplace currently peaks at #33 in the App Store charts, and Magic Research 2 at #22. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons