# Recursion vs Aurora Hills

The clearest difference is rating: Aurora Hills at 4.9 against Recursion's 4.2. Aurora Hills also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 65%) and chart position (#43 vs unranked). Recursion's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Recursion costs $3.99 and Aurora Hills $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Aurora Hills holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aurora Hills has 590 ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Recursion's written reviews are positive against 95% of Aurora Hills's.

Recursion ships an update every 2 weeks, Aurora Hills every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Recursion | Aurora Hills |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.2 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293/reviews) | **[4.9 (590 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-hills-chapter-2/id6756991668/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 67 | **590** |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **95.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#43** |
| Size | 550 MB | 837 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Glitch Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/499866302) | [NovaSoft Interactive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1470338631) |

## What reviewers say

### Recursion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293)

Embark on a mind-bending puzzle adventure where you're trapped in a repeating time loop. Use your wits and a special device to solve mysteries, find clues, and shut down a machine before the loop resets. This compact mystery game offers challenging puzzles and a unique narrative.

**Highlights:** Time-loop mechanic, First-person point and click adventure, Mystery and puzzle solving, Clue finding, Hint system, Immersive soundtrack and sound effects

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics
- 😂 Lots of fun and laughter
- 👍 Great twist on game types
- 🧠 Mind-bending puzzles
- 🌟 High-quality games from developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive tasks and puzzles
- ⏳ Too much dying and restarting
- 😩 Tedious and frustrating experience
- ⏱️ Time loop/timer causes anxiety
- ⏳ Game feels too short

**Reported bugs**

- Lift doors in chapter 3 wouldn't open
- Wireless controller doesn't appear
- Game crashes on start-up
- Stuck in the elevator (potential bug)

**Requested features**

- Add a setting to remove the time loop
- Option to disable the timer
- Longer game duration
- Richer story content
- More variety in game environments (less industrial)


### Aurora Hills

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aurora-hills-chapter-2/id6756991668)

**Currently charting:** #43 Top Paid · Puzzle, #57 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Embark on a chilling point-and-click puzzle adventure as a park ranger investigating disappearances in a remote mountain community. Uncover dark secrets and solve intricate puzzles to find a missing colleague before nightfall.

**Highlights:** Point-and-click puzzle gameplay, Investigate mysterious disappearances, Explore remote national park, Solve challenging puzzles, Atmospheric soundtrack and sound effects, Hint system for difficult riddles, Color blind mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Recursion free?

Recursion costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Aurora Hills free?

Aurora Hills costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Recursion or Aurora Hills?

Aurora Hills is rated higher. Recursion averages 4.2 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Aurora Hills averages 4.9 from 590 ratings.

### Do Recursion or Aurora Hills have ads?

Neither Recursion nor Aurora Hills shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Recursion or Aurora Hills?

Recursion ships an update every 2 weeks, and Aurora Hills every 4 weeks. Most recently, Recursion was updated on September 20, 2026 and Aurora Hills on September 23, 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.*