Comparison

Return to Monkey Island vs Howl

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

Head to head
About

Return to Monkey Island

Embark on a thrilling pirate adventure, continuing the legendary story of Guybrush Threepwood. Solve clever puzzles, explore new and familiar islands, and engage in witty dialogue as you seek the fabled Secret of Monkey Island. Experience classic point-and-click gameplay with modern twists.

Highlights
  • Classic point-and-click gameplay
  • Engaging narrative and character interactions
  • Puzzle solving and exploration
  • Modernized adventure game controls
  • New and familiar island exploration
  • Context-sensitive interactions and reactive dialogue
Features
Read full description

Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’. Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory. Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling Bringing classic point and click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze. Embark on Archipelago Adventures Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrr Muda to make allies and enemies alike. Created by a Legendary Crew The new chapter in the Monkey Island series marks the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by game co-writer Dave Grossman, art director Rex Crowle (Knights & Bikes, Tearaway) and composers Peter McConnell, Michael Land, and Clint Bajakian (Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge).

About

Howl

Engage in turn-based tactical combat within a dark fairy-tale world threatened by a mysterious plague. Play as a deaf heroine who can foresee enemy moves, utilizing unique arrows and skills to defeat beasts. Explore beautifully illustrated environments and uncover secrets.

Highlights
  • Turn-based tactical combat
  • Foretell enemy moves
  • Variety of arrow types
  • Unlockable skills and upgrades
  • Living ink art style
  • Multiple chapters and levels
  • Save villagers
Features
Read full description

This game is free to download and play for a limited number of levels and time. Do you like the game? Then you can easily unlock the full version through the in App purchase! Howl is a turn-based puzzle/tactical folktale set in the Middle Ages, where a mysterious "howling plague" ravages the land. Any who hear the beasts’ howls turn into feral, hungering beasts themselves – further spreading the curse through their own howls. The Heroine of this tale was born deaf, giving her a unique protection against this curse. Play as a daring combat Prophet with the ability to foretell your enemies’ moves. Plan up to six steps ahead to outmaneuver your enemies. Fire a variety of arrows, such as exploding, lightning, or piercing shots, and use skills like Smoke Bombs and Shadow Step’s Invisibility to kill any beasts who stand in your way. Each type of beast offers its own challenges, with some approaching fast, while others taking more powerful hits or attacking from afar. Howl's visuals are created through "living ink", a flowing art style that paints the story as you play. Carve your way through a dark, fairy-tale world made up of obscure yet magical places where you fight to rid the lands of the howling plague. Howl features a total of 5 chapters, including the free Heart of Rot update, each with a distinct visual atmosphere scored by soothing music. Access to this update is FREE for anyone who has bought the Howl base game. You can access this update chapter from the Chapter 3 map at any point after reaching Chapter 3 of the main story. This update features its own chapter map, new enemies, a new boss level, new environment mechanics, the new Lightning Shot skill (which, once unlocked, can be used in the main game!), and an NPC who fights by your side in later levels. Features • Foretell the actions of your enemies in turn-based puzzle/tactics combat. • Play through 60 levels across 4 chapters, plus 18 new levels in the free update chapter! • Beautifully illustrated in a unique, living ink art style. • Outsmart the different wolf species, from fast predators to enormous pack leaders. • Unlock and upgrade new skills like Shadow Step, Exploding Shot, and more. • Save villagers from the claws – and howls – of the wolves. • Plot your route on the world map to uncover new skills and secret paths.

Screenshots

Return to Monkey Island4 screens
Howl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Howl at every 3 weeks against Return to Monkey Island's every 5 months. Howl also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 60%) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Return to Monkey Island sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Howl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 — 4.3 for Return to Monkey Island against 4.2 for Howl. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 177 and 65 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Return to Monkey Island's written reviews are positive against 78% of Howl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Return to Monkey Island ships an update every 5 months, Howl every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Return to Monkey Island versus Howl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReturn to Monkey IslandHowl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (177 ratings) — better4.2 (65 ratings)
Positive reviews59.6% of reviews78.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings177 — better65
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3.4 GB477 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperDevolver Digital, Inc.astragon Entertainment GmbH

Customer experience

Return to Monkey Island

All ratings171 ratings
Positive80.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews225 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral9.8%
Negative30.7%

Howl

All ratings63 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative17.2%

User reviews

Return to Monkey Island

From 177 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fantastic nostalgia trip
  • 👍 Smooth gameplay and controls
  • 🎨 Beautiful art style and visuals
  • 🎶 Excellent music and voice acting
  • 💡 Clever puzzles and challenges

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sound issues on some devices
  • 🤔 Ending may disappoint some fans
  • 💰 High price point for mobile game
  • 🤖 Lack of cloud save functionality

Howl

From 65 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful art style and visual design
  • 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
  • 🧩 Engaging turn-based strategy gameplay
  • 🎯 Creative puzzle mechanics with multiple solutions
  • 📖 Compelling story and atmosphere

Room to improve

  • 🐛 UI elements covering action cards on left screen edge
  • 📱 Text too small on mobile devices
  • 🌍 Limited language localization options
  • ⏱️ Game length feels short for the price
  • 💾 Save progress issues and data loss

Bugs and requests

Return to Monkey Island

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game prompting to repurchase after previous purchase
  • Difficulty with touch controls in certain situations

Requested features

3 requests
  • Restore purchase option for previous owners
  • Bring back the original Monkey Island games on iOS
  • Add support for more languages

Howl

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Arrow card hidden by sidebar UI on left screen edge
  • Text bubbles blocking enemy action information
  • Save data not persisting after app closure
  • UI elements too small to read on iPhone
  • Tooltip descriptions not displaying correctly
Show 3 more
  • Hover mechanics don't work on iPad
  • Specific level completion issues (Tower chapter)
  • Yellow completion symbol blends with map background

Requested features

10 requests
  • Movable text bubbles to prevent obstruction
  • Character gender/pronoun customization
  • More levels and expanded content
  • Language localization (Vietnamese, German, etc.)
  • UI scaling for smaller phones
Show 5 more
  • Ability to select language for voice acting
  • More detailed story development
  • 3D graphics enhancement
  • Clearer level count visibility upfront
  • Improved tooltip system for mobile

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Return to Monkey Island

One-time1
  • Buy the full game!$9.99
1 purchases

Howl

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Return to Monkey Island free?
Return to Monkey Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Return to Monkey Island or Howl?
Return to Monkey Island is rated higher. Return to Monkey Island averages 4.3 out of 5 from 177 ratings, while Howl averages 4.2 from 65 ratings.
Do Return to Monkey Island or Howl have ads?
Neither Return to Monkey Island nor Howl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Return to Monkey Island or Howl?
Return to Monkey Island ships an update every 5 months, and Howl every 3 weeks. Most recently, Return to Monkey Island was updated on November 3, 2026 and Howl on November 8, 2026.

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