Frotz vs DEVICE 6
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Frotz
Experience classic text-based adventure games on your mobile device. Relive the golden age of interactive fiction with hundreds of free titles, supporting various game formats. Perfect for those who enjoy reading, thinking, and typing their way through immersive stories.
- Play hundreds of free interactive fiction games
- Supports Z-Machine, glulx, and TADS formats
- Relive classic text adventures
- Modern interface with high-resolution fonts
- Play on iPhone and iPad
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[*Warning* Playing Frotz involves reading, thinking, and typing. If you just want to blow stuff up, this is not the app for you!] Burned out on all the new-fangled graphics and dazzling eye candy on your shiny new iPhone or iPad? Nostalgic for a simpler time? Then take advantage of those crisp high-resolution fonts to relive the glory days of the Great Underground Empire, or play any of hundreds of great works from the Interactive Fiction archive. Frotz lets you play hundreds of free works of Interactive Fiction (a.k.a. text adventure games) on your iPhone or iPad. Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format (which was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity), as well as glulx and TADS formats. In the past couple of decades, text adventures have experienced a renaissance of sorts due to the efforts of a diverse Internet community of talented interactive fiction writers and fans. Many of these games are written using the same engine that powered Infocom's titles, thanks to the Inform compiler and authoring system created by Graham Nelson. NOTE! If you have suggestions for improving Frotz or encounter bugs, please go to the support link and report them. Frotz for iOS - Interactive Fiction at Your Fingertips
DEVICE 6
A surreal thriller where text serves as your map and narrator. Immerse yourself in an intriguing mystery of technology and neuroscience by reading, listening, and exploring three-dimensional photographs to solve puzzles and uncover secrets.
- Text-based navigation and narration
- Interactive puzzles
- 3D photographic elements
- Intriguing mystery narrative
- Exploration of technology and neuroscience themes
- Unique blend of game and literature conventions
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** Winner of Apple Design Award 2014 ** A surreal thriller in which the written word is your map, as well as your narrator. DEVICE 6 plays with the conventions of games and literature, entwines story with geography and blends puzzle and novella, to draw players into an intriguing mystery of technology and neuroscience. Anna wakes up in a castle on a remote island, with little recollection of how she got there. All she remembers is an unusually unpleasant doll. Why are there two identical castles on the island? Who is the mysterious man in the bowler hat? And above all, what is the purpose of the tests Anna is put through? Read, listen and peek into three-dimensional photographs to solve the bizarre mysteries of DEVICE 6. "DEVICE 6 is designed to linger in the mind long after the last code has been cracked and the last sentence read. Spy stories - even traditional ones - often haunt their readers' dreams once they've been completed. It's only appropriate, really. Is that a final full-stop or a microdot? Is this the end of the affair or an invitation to go deeper?" Eurogamer - 9/10 "In using its text both as narrative and as geography – and through its impressively restrained use of illustration and sound – it generates an almost unrivalled sense of place. It isn’t embarrassed to allow Device 6 to be a game when it needs to be, and yet it knows precisely when to let the story take over. The result is a sharp, striking mystery that is at once provocative, extraordinarily stylish and altogether essential" EDGE - 9/10 "In turning a text adventure into a world map, Simogo has resurrected a long-dead genre with style and confidence. Great presentation and brilliant puzzles complete a stellar package" Pocketgamer – 9/10 "Ever exceeding expectations, the developer has followed up one of 2013′s highlights with another title that can be classed as such. With a compelling story that keeps you guessing, and a pin-point utilisation of the platform, Device 6 is an accomplishment in games design, mobile or otherwise" God is a Geek - 9/10 "DEVICE 6 not only explores the boundaries of narrative storytelling, it also demonstrates the creative potential of touchscreen gaming" Appspy – 5/5 "Simogo’s doing something few others are doing, and it’s wonderful that someone is both providing great experiences and testing the limits of interactive media" 148apps - 5/5 "An ingenious slice of puzzling adventure that's as imaginative as it is stylish" Modojo - 4.5/5
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Frotz at Free against DEVICE 6's $3.99. Frotz also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 21 months). DEVICE 6's advantage is chart position (#84 vs unranked) and ratings volume (882 vs 251). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Frotz is free to download; DEVICE 6 costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Frotz holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 882 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Frotz's written reviews are positive against 81% of DEVICE 6's.
Frotz ships an update every 5 months, DEVICE 6 every 21 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Frotz | DEVICE 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (251 ratings) — better | 4.5 (882 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.8% of reviews — better | 81.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 251 | 882 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 21 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #84 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 760 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Craig Smith | Simogo AB |
Customer experience
Frotz
DEVICE 6
User reviews
Frotz
From 251 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent performance
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Vast library of interactive fiction
- 🚀 Seamless game importing
- 👍 Helpful auto-complete and note-taking features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 🔧 Limited customization options
- 🔧 Lack of map/note-taking tools for some games
- 🔧 Difficulty browsing and downloading new games
DEVICE 6
From 882 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Unique and immersive experience
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and sound design
- 🤯 Clever and challenging puzzles
- 📚 Engaging and mysterious story
- 💡 Innovative use of mobile device features
Room to improve
- 🕰️ Short gameplay length
- 🤔 Confusing or unclear puzzles
- 🙉 Lack of accessibility for hearing-impaired users
- 💰 Expensive for the amount of content
Bugs and requests
Frotz
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes when trying to resume certain saved games
- Inconsistent behavior when deleting or importing games
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for more modern interactive fiction formats
- Implement cloud sync and cross-device save support
- Improve game library management and discovery
- Add more customization options for text display
DEVICE 6
Reported bugs
2 issues- Sound not working on some devices
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Longer or more expansive story
- Difficulty settings or hints for puzzles
- Accessibility options like subtitles
- More games or sequels in a similar style
In-app purchases
Frotz
No in-app purchases
DEVICE 6
No in-app purchases









