Comparison

Scribattle vs Deadlock

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

Head to head
About

Scribattle

Defend your planet from alien invaders in this fast-paced arcade game. Utilize unique touch controls to defeat waves of enemies across 50 challenging levels. Enjoy a hand-drawn art style and compete with friends.

Highlights
  • Unique touch-screen controls
  • Hand-drawn art style
  • Multiple enemy types
  • 50 levels of action
  • Social gaming integration
  • Warrior shields
  • Resume game option
Features
Read full description

Scribattle is a fast-paced game where you must help your stick-man warriors defend their planet from a hostile Scri invasion. Use touch controls to defeat wave after wave of attackers, pushing your fingers to the limit! - Unique touch-screen controls, including multi-touch support - Hand-drawn look that is "beyond retro", taking you back to the days of pen and paper - 4 types of enemy creatures, each with unique attacks and strengths - 50 levels of blistering action - Integrated with the Yoo-Mee social gaming platform. Challenge your friends and win virtual coins! See http://yoo-mee.com for details. - Shields to give warriors temporary relief from attacks - Option to resume your last game where you left it (in case you're interrupted by a phone call, etc) - Option to begin a new game starting with the highest level you've ever completed - The entire set of levels repeats after completion, but tougher each time around, for unlimited play - Four difficulty settings, to match every gamer's ability If you enjoy games like Stick Wars, Space Invaders, Missile Command, and SketchFighter, you should take a look at Scribattle! *** NUMBER 1 IN ARCADE GAMES WORLDWIDE, 3/31/2010 *** WHAT THE REVIEWERS ARE SAYING: *** "The hardest game ever...it's really f***in tough...really cool doodlings...I give it 4 stars." - iPhoneSlutz "The graphics in this game are brilliant, it’s as if you drew a game on a sheet of graphing paper and it came to life. For addictive gameplay and great graphics, this game gets 4 stars.” - iPhoneAppCodes "If you are a sci-fi enthusiast, this iphone application is for you" - GosuBlogger.com "When it comes to our iPhone games, we love ‘em fast and we love ‘em kooky. Scribattle keeps us happy on both fronts" [App of the day!] - AppSeekr.com "so cool! Fantastically fun idea! [...] a game that makes you want to keep playing" - omiphone.se *** A BRIEF NOTE ON GAME CONTROLS: *** Based on comments we've received, some people don't seem to understand how this game works right away. Here are the basics: To make your warriors shoot, touch one of them and quickly "stroke" your finger in the direction you want to shoot. Don't forget multi-touch! Using several fingers, you can shoot using two or three warriors all at the same time. Pause the game by tapping in the score area at the top of the screen. Some players have observed that your warriors die easily, and can't seem to protect themselves from enemy fire. In fact, you can activate a warrior's shield by pressing and holding a finger on him. The shield stops all bullets, but won't protect you from the dreaded Noodly Appendage. Note that there are now four different play modes, with and without shields, and with and without the Noodly Appendage. Find your own preferred level of challenge!

About

Deadlock

Engage in intense 3D online multiplayer battles as a dualstick shooter. Compete in daily and weekly tournaments to earn unlock points and customize your arsenal with over 30 weapons and armor pieces. Practice offline in survival or bot matches before joining global arenas.

Highlights
  • 3D online multiplayer action
  • Daily and weekly tournaments
  • Over 30 weapons and armor
  • Offline practice modes
  • Multiple gameplay modes
  • Ranked progression system
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

From Crescent Moon, makers of the hit titles Aralon: Sword and Shadow and Gears, comes a new breed of Multiplayer game. Step into the world of DEADLOCK, the most Epic 3d online dualstick shooter on the App Store! Join in on the action and play against thousands of other players in online matches. Compete in daily and weekly tournaments to win unlock points. Over 30 different weapons, armor, and attachments - including different pistols, rifles, machine guns, grenades, scopes,and flashbangs! Practice your shooting skills before entering in online matches by playing Survival Mode and Bot Matches offline! System Requirements: Game Center, iOS 4.1 or higher, iPhone 3GS and up, iPad 1 or iPad 2 Features: - Gorgeous 3d Graphics - Up to 8 player online multiplayer action. - Over 30 weapons including assault rifles, sub machine guns, grenades and more. - Robust loadout system including multiple weapon attachments, and armor. - 3 Gameplay modes at launch including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture & Hold - 30 ranks to earn with rewards for each rank you earn. - Asynchronous Online Tournaments – automatically be entered into new tournaments running every day and every week to win unlock points which can be used to unlock new weapons and items. - Gamecenter integration for tournaments and achievements, character stat tracking. - Character synchronization between multiple devices (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) - 7 Maps Like Facebook.com/CrescentMoonGames and follow @cm_games on Twitter for more great games and deals!

Screenshots

Scribattle4 screens
Deadlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Scribattle at 5.0 against Deadlock's 4.3. Scribattle also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4). Deadlock's advantage is ratings volume (4K vs 3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price 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. Deadlock sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Scribattle asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scribattle holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deadlock has 4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Scribattle's written reviews are positive against 65% of Deadlock's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scribattle ships an update every 3 months, Deadlock monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Scribattle versus Deadlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScribattleDeadlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.3 (4K ratings)
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews65.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings34K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS174.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB77 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperRebisoftCrescent Moon Games LLC

Customer experience

Scribattle

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral8.3%
Negative37.5%

Deadlock

All ratings3,972 ratings
Positive81.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews423 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral11.8%
Negative23.2%

User reviews

Scribattle

From 3 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple yet challenging gameplay
  • 💡 Innovative graphical concept
  • 😄 Hours of fun
  • 🏆 Great for tournaments
  • ✨ Smooth and fluid animation

Room to improve

  • 👎 Horrible controls
  • 😠 Frustrating difficulty
  • 💸 Overpriced for value
  • 📉 Game speed too high
  • 💥 Frequent crashes

Deadlock

From 4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Fun and addictive
  • 🔥 Awesome gameplay
  • 💯 Best shooter on iOS
  • 🎮 Unique controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔌 Connection issues
  • ⏱️ Slow matchmaking
  • 🤖 Unbalanced matchmaking
  • 💰 Difficult to earn unlock points

Bugs and requests

Scribattle

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Multiplayer not working after update
  • Connection problems
  • OK button not responding
  • Full version won't let user play
  • Crashes frequently
Show 5 more
  • Barely readable error messages
  • Crashes when clicking game mode
  • Won't work on iOS 4
  • Quits out all the time
  • Crashes after opening on iOS 4.0

Requested features

9 requests
  • Fix multiplayer issues
  • Add different difficulty levels
  • Provide instructions for tournaments/silver coins
  • Add more ways to get silver coins
  • Make controls easier
Show 4 more
  • Allow tilting for movement
  • Change shooting to tapping
  • Add power-ups
  • Allow blocking noodle without shooting

Deadlock

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unable to log in
  • Losing connection during matches
  • Unlock points not registering properly
  • Crashes on loading screens
  • Laggy performance

Requested features

5 requests
  • More maps and game modes
  • Easier way to earn unlock points
  • Offline progression
  • First-person mode
  • Ability to kick players from matches

In-app purchases

None

Scribattle

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Deadlock

One-time4
  • 4 Unlock Points$0.99
  • 16 Unlock Points$2.99
  • 40 Unlock Points$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 120 Unlock Points$9.99

Questions

Is Scribattle free?
Scribattle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Deadlock free?
Deadlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Scribattle or Deadlock?
Scribattle is rated higher. Scribattle averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Deadlock averages 4.3 from 4K ratings.
Do Scribattle or Deadlock have ads?
Neither Scribattle nor Deadlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scribattle or Deadlock?
Scribattle ships an update every 3 months, and Deadlock monthly. Most recently, Scribattle was updated on October 8, 2026 and Deadlock on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons