# Return to Monkey Island vs Howl

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Return to Monkey Island | Howl |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (177 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/return-to-monkey-island/id1658628321/reviews)** | [4.2 (65 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howl/id6472719961/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **177** | 65 |
| Positive reviews | 59.6% of reviews | **78.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 3.4 GB | 477 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Devolver Digital, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/457410262) | [astragon Entertainment GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/433152241) |

## What reviewers say

### Return to Monkey Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/return-to-monkey-island/id1658628321)

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:** Game Controller support, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy the full game! | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Game prompting to repurchase after previous purchase
- Difficulty with touch controls in certain situations

**Requested features**

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


### Howl

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/howl/id6472719961)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Full Version | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*