Comparison

Sparklite vs Highwater

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

Head to head
About

Sparklite

Embark on a roguelite action-adventure in a vibrant, procedurally generated world. Battle foes with a variety of gadgets and weapons, explore diverse environments, and harness a unique resource to overcome challenges and save the land from a greedy baron. The game offers a free trial before unlocking the full experience.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated world exploration
  • Top-down action combat
  • Gadget and weapon invention
  • Titan boss battles
  • World-building and NPC interaction
  • Pixel art aesthetic and original soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Try Sparklite for free up until the first Titan fight and unlock the full game for the whole adventure! Sparklite is an Action-Adventure roguelite set in a whimsical and ever-changing land. Gear up for Adventure and battle foes in top-down action using an arsenal of gadgets, guns, and gear. Explore dangerous corners of the procedurally generated world, take down titans of the mining industry, and harness the power Sparklite! Key Features • Explore the bright and colourful land of Geodia • Harness the Sparklite to fight monsters and titans • Befriend the locals and help build The Refuge • Invent your arsenal to solves puzzles, defeat enemies and become stronger • Save the environment from the greedy Baron • Enjoy intricate pixel art aesthetic and an original soundtrack by composer Dale North (Wizard of Legend) inspired by retro classics Carefully redesigned for mobile • Revamped interface • Game Center achievements • iCloud - Share your progress between iOS devices • Compatible with MFicontrollers If you experience any issue with Sparklite, please contact our customer support here: https://playdigious.helpshift.com/hc/en/8-sparklite/contact-us/. Please make sure to give us as much information as possible on your problem.

About

Highwater

Embark on a post-apocalyptic journey across a flooded Earth. Explore islands, recruit allies, and battle insurgents in a race against time to escape the planet. This story-driven adventure offers a unique blend of exploration and strategic combat.

Highlights
  • Story-driven 3D adventure
  • Explore urban islands
  • Turn-based combat with puzzle elements
  • Memorable characters
  • Original soundtrack
Read full description

Available exclusively for Netflix members. It's the end of the world. The ultra-rich might be headed to Mars. Explore a flooded planet, discover islands and find allies — can you escape in time? Amid a great climate catastrophe, the flooded region of Hightower has become a kind of safe zone between the two dry regions: the nearly entirely ravaged land of the War Zone, and the fortified city of Alphaville, where the obscenely wealthy live behind giant walls. Rumors that the rich are escaping to Mars abound. Travel a submerged world by boat as a humble survivor — pick up friends, battle insurgents and steal food — all while fighting to find out if the rumors are true. Can you make it onto the rocket in this atmospheric, story-driven adventure? Features: • Explore a rich, story-driven 3D adventure filled with memorable characters, including friends, foes and creatures • Discover beautiful urban islands and experience new elements of the story • Engage in turn-based combat with a puzzle-solving twist • An exclusive Highwater Pirate Radio soundtrack and original musical performances by in-game characters color an immersive experience! - Game by Demagog Studio and Rogue Games.

Screenshots

Sparklite4 screens
Highwater4 screens

Verdict

The call

Sparklite and Highwater both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Sparklite's written reviews are positive against 54% of Highwater's. Sparklite also leads on iOS requirement (13.1 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Sparklite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Highwater sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 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 — 4.7 for Sparklite against 4.7 for Highwater. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 588 and 481 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Sparklite's written reviews are positive against 54% of Highwater's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Sparklite versus Highwater: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparkliteHighwater
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (588 ratings)4.7 (481 ratings)
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews — better53.9% of reviews
Number of ratings588 — better481
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB2.1 GB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPlaydigiousNetflix, Inc.

Customer experience

Sparklite

All ratings588 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews221 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral6.8%
Negative13.6%

Highwater

All ratings481 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral4.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive53.9%
Neutral18.4%
Negative27.6%

User reviews

Sparklite

From 588 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun game with good story
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Interesting mechanics
  • 👍 Charming pixel art
  • 👍 Engaging story and characters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 🔧 Controls can be finicky or unresponsive
  • 🔧 Difficulty spikes in certain areas
  • 🔧 Limited customization options
  • 🔧 Short overall length

Highwater

From 481 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Excellent artwork and visual design
  • 🎵 Outstanding soundtrack and radio feature
  • 📖 Compelling and emotional story
  • ⚔️ Fun and strategic turn-based combat
  • 🎮 Engaging gameplay mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 💾 Save/load functionality problems
  • 🎵 Music on radio not customizable via settings
  • ⚔️ Combat difficulty spikes and balance issues
  • 🎁 Limited loot variety in exploration

Bugs and requests

Sparklite

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to progress past certain points
  • Inconsistent controller support
  • Graphical glitches in certain areas
  • Save data loss or corruption

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more languages
  • Improve button/control customization
  • Expand endgame content and replayability
  • Optimize performance on older devices
  • Add cloud save support

Highwater

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Audio issues on fresh app launch
  • Game freezing at specific story points (Alphaville)
  • Save file corruption and chapter loading failures
  • Character stuck in train yard after loading
  • Boat getting stuck/beached on non-interactive islands
Show 7 more
  • Boat docking and undocking mechanics failing
  • Character immobility after quest triggers
  • Green extraction zones not working properly
  • Health booster items not increasing health
  • Enemy AI getting stuck on their turn
  • Game not starting or loading initial screen
  • App support button redirecting to Netflix app instead of support

Requested features

10 requests
  • Music volume control separate from radio dialogue
  • Ability to pick up and equip enemy weapons
  • Boat upgrade system
  • Toggle for auto-play dialogue
  • Better tutorial or difficulty adjustment for early game
Show 5 more
  • Weapon/booster management during battles
  • View character attack descriptions outside of combat
  • More challenging combat encounters
  • Better navigation/compass system
  • Sequel or expanded content

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sparklite

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$6.99
1 purchases

Highwater

Subscriptions1
  • Netflix Standard Plan$19.991 Month

Questions

Is Sparklite free?
Sparklite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Highwater free?
Highwater is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sparklite or Highwater?
Sparklite and Highwater are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 588 and 481 ratings respectively.
Do Sparklite or Highwater have ads?
Neither Sparklite nor Highwater shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sparklite or Highwater?
Sparklite ships an update every 2 months, and Highwater every 2 months. Most recently, Sparklite was updated on September 22, 2026 and Highwater on September 23, 2026.

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