Comparison

Vay vs DRAGON QUEST IV

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

Head to head
About

Vay

Embark on an epic quest to rescue your kidnapped fiancée and save your kingdom from destructive war machines. This cult classic RPG offers a compelling story, challenging gameplay, and numerous improvements for a modern experience.

Highlights
  • Compelling and engrossing story
  • User selectable difficulty
  • Animated cutscenes with audio
  • Auto-save feature
  • Over 100 enemies and bosses
  • Expansive areas to explore
  • Updated music
Features
Read full description

The 16-bit cult classic RPG from 1994 returns with tons of improvements! When your peaceful kingdom is attacked on your wedding day and your wife-to-be is kidnapped, it falls to you to journey across the world and stop the terrible machines of war that threaten to lay waste to it. FEATURES: User selectable difficulty makes this title great for both beginners and RPG veterans Compelling and engrossing story Nearly ten minutes of animated cutscenes with English and Japanese audio Auto-save feature allows you to play in small increments Over 100 enemies and a dozen challenging bosses Over 90 expansive areas to explore Updated music that loops seamlessly Bluetooth controller support Achievements Absolutely no microtransactions Please note that as of version 2.2, this game requires an A9 or better processor.

About

DRAGON QUEST IV

Embark on an epic adventure across five unique chapters, each following a different cast of characters. This standalone mobile game offers over 40 hours of gameplay, allowing you to experience the full story without further purchases or downloads.

Highlights
  • Five unique character chapters
  • Over 40 hours of gameplay
  • Party Talk feature
  • 360-degree camera rotation
  • Wagon Quest for party management
  • AI controlled battles
  • In-game casino
Currently charting
Read full description

******************** Dragon Quest IV, the first instalment in the Zenithian Trilogy, is now out on mobile devices! This epic adventure, unfolding over five unique chapters, each focusing on a different cast of characters, can now be enjoyed on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad! Experience the full epic game with over 40 hours of gameplay in one standalone package! Download it once, and there’s nothing else to buy, and nothing else to download! *In-game text is available in English only. ******************** ◆ Story In the far-flung corners of the world, our heroes’ stories are about to unfold... Chapter 1: Ragnar McRyan and the Case of the Missing Children Starring Ragnar McRyan, noble knight of bonnie Burland. Chapter 2: Alena and the Journey to the Tourney Starring Tsarevna Alena, tomboy princess, Kiryl the priest, her devoted follower, and Borya, the cantankerous conjurer who has watched over Alena since childhood. Chapter 3: Torneko and the Extravagant Excavation Starring Torneko Taloon, a weapon merchant chasing his lifelong dream. Chapter 4: Meena and Maya and the Mahabala Mystery Starring a pair of gifted sisters —Maya, the most alluring dancer in the entire world, and her fortune-telling sibling Meena—who will stop at nothing to avenge their father’s death. Chapter 5: The Chosen Starring a youthful hero destined to deliver the world from disaster. At long last, the Chosen Ones, inseparably bound together by the thread of fate, set off to face their ultimate enemy! ◆ Game Features ・Party Talk Chat with your loyal companions any time you like during your adventure! They’ll tell you all kinds of interesting things, depending on where you are in the story, and what heroic feats you have accomplished! ・360-Degree Views Rotate your viewpoint in towns and villages through a full 360 degrees to make sure you don’t miss a thing! ・Wagon Quest! Once you have the wagon, you can take a team of up to ten companions around with you on your adventure, and swap them in and out of your party at will! ・AI Battles Tired of giving orders? Your faithful companions can be instructed to fight automatically! Use the various tactics at your disposal to see off even the toughest enemies with ease! ・The Casino The old series favourite is back! Will you make a killing at the casino? Try your luck at three fantastic games: slot machines, poker and monster battles! ・Chapter 6? Experience an extra chapter past the ending and explore a challenging bonus dungeon. -------------------- [Supported Operating Systems] iOS11.0 and above. [Supported Devices] iPhone 5S/iPod touch (6th Generation)/iPad (5th Generation) and above.

Screenshots

Vay4 screens
DRAGON QUEST IV4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DRAGON QUEST IV at 4.5 against Vay's 4.0. DRAGON QUEST IV also leads on chart position (#51 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). Vay's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 24 months) and price ($5.99 vs $8.99). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads 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

Vay costs $5.99 and DRAGON QUEST IV $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DRAGON QUEST IV holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 78 and 132 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Vay's written reviews are positive against 75% of DRAGON QUEST IV's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vay ships an update every 3 weeks, DRAGON QUEST IV every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Vay versus DRAGON QUEST IV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVayDRAGON QUEST IV
Price$5.99 — better$8.99
Rating4.0 (78 ratings)4.5 (132 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.4% of reviews74.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings78132 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 24 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#51 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size203 MB540 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperSoMoGa, Inc.SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Vay

All ratings78 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews403 reviews
Positive73.4%
Neutral12.9%
Negative13.6%

DRAGON QUEST IV

All ratings132 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral6.1%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive74.8%
Neutral7.2%
Negative18.0%

User reviews

Vay

From 78 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great classic RPG
  • 👍 Lots of gameplay content
  • 👍 Smooth controls and UI
  • 👍 Excellent value for money
  • 👍 Nostalgic experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🐛 Buggy cutscenes
  • 🔍 Lacking information on equipment
  • 🤔 Dated graphics and animations
  • 🤔 Repetitive music

DRAGON QUEST IV

From 132 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent classic JRPG gameplay and story
  • 📖 Engaging narrative with unique chapter structure
  • 🎵 Outstanding music and sound design
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and character animations
  • ⏱️ Substantial playtime (25-40 hours)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Cloud save system frequently fails to sync
  • 🎤 Cannot mute game audio independently
  • 🕹️ Hypersensitive/loose control pad
  • 📐 Confusing 3D camera angles
  • 🗣️ Poor translation with intentional accents

Bugs and requests

Vay

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes after using certain spells
  • Inability to access some areas due to glitches
  • Saved data loss after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add a virtual d-pad for movement
  • Improve equipment comparison at shops
  • Enhance cutscenes and animations
  • Provide more in-game hints and guidance

DRAGON QUEST IV

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Cloud save data fails to sync between devices
  • Save data completely lost after closing app
  • iCloud saves incompatible with iOS 15+
  • Game crashes mid-gameplay
  • Hoffman's place quest bug
Show 5 more
  • Kabuff ability damage calculation incorrect
  • Character accidentally enters wrong doors due to control sensitivity
  • Battle window obscures visuals on iPad
  • Music loops restart after battles
  • App installation fails on some devices

Requested features

12 requests
  • Controller support for iOS devices
  • Landscape mode option
  • Ability to mute game audio while keeping other apps
  • Drag-to-move control scheme
  • Difficulty settings/harder difficulty option
Show 7 more
  • Auto-save after boss battles and inn stays
  • Japanese language option
  • Spanish language localization
  • Vision Pro compatibility
  • Bundle pricing for DQ series
  • Dragon Quest VII English mobile release
  • Dragon Quest Monsters mobile version

In-app purchases

None

Vay

No in-app purchases

None

DRAGON QUEST IV

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vay free?
Vay costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is DRAGON QUEST IV free?
DRAGON QUEST IV costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vay or DRAGON QUEST IV?
DRAGON QUEST IV is rated higher. Vay averages 4.0 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while DRAGON QUEST IV averages 4.5 from 132 ratings.
Do Vay or DRAGON QUEST IV have ads?
Neither Vay nor DRAGON QUEST IV shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vay or DRAGON QUEST IV?
Vay ships an update every 3 weeks, and DRAGON QUEST IV every 24 months. Most recently, Vay was updated on October 26, 2026 and DRAGON QUEST IV on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons