Comparison

subpar pool vs Heck Deck

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

Head to head
About

subpar pool

Engage in a unique pocket billiards experience across procedurally generated levels. Strategize your shots, adapt to unpredictable physics, and customize challenges with a deck of cards for endless replayability. Immerse yourself in a vibrant world with a charming art style and a relaxing soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated levels
  • Card-based challenge customization
  • Four distinct worlds
  • Thousands of gameplay combinations
  • Bite-sized play sessions
  • One-handed play
Features
Read full description

Dive into each procedurally generated level, consisting of a series of tables filled with balls you must pocket within a set number of shots. Escape into the fantastically vibrant world, while strategizing the best plan to pocket your balls. Watch your plan inevitably combust as you adapt your next move to skillfully take home the win. Progress in the game and create your course choosing cards from a deck to tailor the challenges to your desired game experience and playstyle. Want to feel stressed to the max? Take part in the Fast Run, which limits the time you have to aim. Want a level with portals? Subpar Pool has you covered. Or want to see what happens when you play Subpar Pool with glass balls as they roll and collide? There’s thousands of ways to combine the dynamic cards to create a unique playthrough experience, every time. Immerse yourself in the charming, lively world of Subpar Pool while you find out if you can master the unpredictability of ever-changing balls colliding in this satisfying and mesmerizing mashup experience. Features: • Four different worlds, each with its own set of constraints and challenges • Procedurally generated tables and 18 different cards with more than 14,000 ways to combine for an always fresh gameplay experience • A compact game experience designed for bite-sized play sessions (or longer if you prefer!) • A stunning, vibrant french-inspired art style that transports you into the enchanting world • Plays comfortably with one hand • A soothing, mini-golf funk soundtrack to get you in the spirited mood • Created by grapefrukt games, the dev behind beloved and acclaimed games holedown, twofold inc & rymdkapsel

About

Heck Deck

Experience a unique blend of bullet hell action and strategic card gameplay. Navigate through five distinct stages, each with its own challenges, enemies, and bosses. Collect and strategically use dozens of cards, managing your health as you progress through this hand-drawn world.

Highlights
  • Bullet hell card gameplay
  • 5 unique stages with distinct music and enemies
  • Dozens of attack and spell cards
  • Card purchase system
  • Hand-drawn art style
  • Over 30 enemies and bosses
Features
Read full description

Heck Deck is a bullet hell card game where all the bullets are cards and time only progresses as you move. Explore 5 stages full of unique enemies and bosses, discover dozens of cards, and visit shops to buy and sell cards for health! Throughout 5 different stages, Heck Deck will challenge your precision and dexterity during the bullet hell phases and your strategy when using your cards. Each card you pick up will cost you at least one life point, so you will have to be careful about which ones you pick on your way. The abstract and minimalist world of Heck Deck is created with a cute hand-drawn art style. Each level of the game has its own universe, its own music, its own set of enemies, and of course, its own boss. Heck Deck main features: • 5 different levels with their own music • A cute hand-drawn art style • One unique setting for each level • Dozens of attacks and spells for the player • Over 30 enemies and bosses • A card purchase system via the shop The strategy created by the use of cards mixed with the dexterity required during the bullet hell phases makes Heck Deck truly unique!

Screenshots

subpar pool4 screens
Heck Deck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: subpar pool at none against Heck Deck's shown. subpar pool also leads on chart position (#52 vs unranked). Heck Deck's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (129 vs 39). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence 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

subpar pool costs $4.99 and Heck Deck $2.99 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 — 4.6 for subpar pool against 4.7 for Heck Deck. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 129 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of subpar pool's written reviews are positive against 74% of Heck Deck's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

subpar pool ships an update every 2 weeks, Heck Deck weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
subpar pool versus Heck Deck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parametersubpar poolHeck Deck
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (39 ratings)4.7 (129 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better73.7% of reviews
Number of ratings39129 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#52 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.011
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwebbfarbror ABPlug In Digital

Customer experience

subpar pool

All ratings39 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral8.7%
Negative13.0%

Heck Deck

All ratings129 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.3%

In-app purchases

None

subpar pool

No in-app purchases

None

Heck Deck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is subpar pool free?
subpar pool costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heck Deck free?
Heck Deck costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, subpar pool or Heck Deck?
Heck Deck is rated higher. subpar pool averages 4.6 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Heck Deck averages 4.7 from 129 ratings.
Do subpar pool or Heck Deck have ads?
Heck Deck shows ads; subpar pool does not.
Which is updated more often, subpar pool or Heck Deck?
subpar pool ships an update every 2 weeks, and Heck Deck weekly. Most recently, subpar pool was updated on September 24, 2026 and Heck Deck on September 26, 2026.

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