NetHack vs Serania
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NetHack
Embark on a legendary dungeon-crawling adventure with this classic roguelike game. Explore vast levels, battle monsters, and uncover hidden secrets. Enjoy a faithful port with modern touch controls and graphical options.
- ASCII or graphics mode
- Touch-based movement and commands
- Gesture-based command system
- Pinch-to-zoom graphics
- Faithful NetHack experience
- Multiple tile sets
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One of the deepest, richest gameplay found in any game on any platform, NetHack is a cult classic since its release in 1987, and has since spawned many descendants (including Diablo). gandreas software now presents this classic for the iPhone/iPod Touch: - Playable in either "ASCII" mode, or graphics mode (just rotate the device to switch) - Obscure keyboard commands replaced with a simple taps for movement, or a handy command picker. - Commands can also be activated by a unique gesture based command - want to search for a secret door? Swipe across the top of the play area (all the gestures are shown on the command picker for easy reference) - Graphics can be zoomed in/out via pinch - Completely faithful NetHack experience (all the levels, monsters, potions, scrolls, etc...) - iPhone UI - standard scrolling lists, pickers, etc... - Multiple tiles sets, from the classic to the sublime - Never see a keyboard unless you are doing something like typing in a name! Can you retrieve the Amulet of Yendor and return to the surface?
Serania
Embark on a text-based role-playing adventure to uncover your past and escape pursuers. Make choices, explore a fantasy world, and engage in combat and skill development. The first part of the story is free to play.
- Engaging fantasy story with choices
- Explore a detailed story world
- Interact with characters
- Complete missions and improve skills
- Manage inventory and combat
- Uncover ancestral truth
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Escape the Blackblades and search for answers about your mysterious past in this new, fresh take on the text-based role playing genre. You can play the first 1/4 of the game for free. If the game is for you, you can buy access to the full story. FEATURES: * An engaging fantasy story, where you choose what to do * Freely explore the world of the story * Meet and interact with other characters * Go on missions, improve your skills, and fight deadly battles * Manage your inventory, use items, buy, sell or use in combat * Follow the clues and find out the truth about your ancestry! AWARDS: Best Narrative - Silver Winner NYX Game Awards 2021 Best Storytelling - Silver Winner NYX Game Awards 2021 PRESS: “... a stunningly well-written and enthralling text adventure.” - GameBookNews "Serania: Path of the Scion is a Must Play if You Like Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Books" - GameSpew "Serania – Path of the Scion excels as an engaging narrative experience that you can enjoy anytime, anywhere, with a streamlined interface that seamlessly integrates all aspects of the game naturally." - IndieHive
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Serania at 83% against NetHack's 25%. Serania also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.8). NetHack's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (1K vs 157). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Serania sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NetHack asks for nothing beyond the download.
Serania holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NetHack has 1K ratings behind it against 157, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of NetHack's written reviews are positive against 83% of Serania's.
| Parameter | NetHack | Serania |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (1K ratings) | 4.6 (157 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1K — better | 157 |
| Update frequency | — | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 2.2 — better | 9.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 110 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | gandreas software | Peter Ravnholt |
Customer experience
NetHack
Serania
User reviews
NetHack
From 1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great port of classic game
- 👍 Innovative gesture controls
- 💡 Multiple graphical tilesets
- 🚀 Responsive touch controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable save function
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 👎 Steep learning curve
Serania
From 157 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great story and narrative
- 👍 Immersive and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Excellent voiceover support
- 👍 Good value for money
- 👍 Innovative text-based adventure
Room to improve
- 😞 Combat mechanics are frustrating
- 😞 Combat is too luck-based
- 😞 Final boss is too difficult/impossible
- 😞 Limited choices feel arbitrary
- 😞 Story can feel contrived
Bugs and requests
NetHack
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on call/exit
- Unable to recover from crashes
- Freezes on character creation
- Compatibility problems with iPhone 6 and iOS 8+
Requested features
4 requests- Update to support latest iOS versions
- Add option to edit configuration files
- Implement multiple character support
- Improve stability and save functionality
Serania
Reported bugs
10 issues- Combat options disappear
- Enemies can dodge while 'paralyzed'
- Life doesn't fully restore upon leveling up
- Stuck in temple ruins without a boat option
- Final boss is impossible to hit/beat
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- Choices are arbitrary, leading to death and reverting to checkpoint
- Constant misses in combat, reliant on RNG
- Difficulty spikes significantly at the end
- Hint doesn't provide enough information for progression
- Continue button sometimes delayed with voiceover
Requested features
19 requests- Add a dodge button
- Add a defense button
- Add more combat options (e.g., quick thrust, sideways cut)
- Fix bug with disappearing combat options
- Make the next game free
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- Add more choices to the story
- Add a boat option for crossing the lake
- Create a Serania part two
- Allow revival in the story
- Add more sound effects for combat
- Expand the story after claiming the throne
- Add a freeplay or challenge mode after main story
- Add hidden areas with new enemies/weapons
- Implement New Game + with increased difficulty
- Add a gender option other than man and woman
- Loop music tracks and add more scene-specific music
- Add a map for better navigation
- Make the full story free
- Allow watching ads to progress instead of paying
In-app purchases
NetHack
No in-app purchases
Serania
- Access to the full story$3.99
