Comparison

Nemesis vs Spell Runners

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

Head to head
About

Nemesis

Engage in a thrilling 3D space shooter set in the year 3000. Battle for resources in a new star system across various game modes, including campaign and death-match. Supports VR headsets and external controllers for an immersive experience.

Highlights
  • Campaign and Death-Match modes
  • Single-player and multiplayer over WiFi
  • VR headset support
  • Gamepad support
  • Nine unlockable ships
  • Ten unlockable environments
  • 25 different power-ups
Features
Read full description

What is Nemesis? Nemesis is a theoretical brown dwarf star in orbit around our own sun, which may even have its own planetary system. Nemesis is also a 3D space shooter for the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. (Want to try before you buy? Check out Nemesis Lite, also available in the app store.) The year is 3000... humanity has extended it's domain to the farthest reaches of the solar system. The new frontier is Nemesis, a star system rich with resources. Unfortunately, no one seems to agree on who owns this new frontier. Fight for your claim in this brave new world against ruthless enemies! Gameplay modes now include a campaign mode which can be played single-player or with a friend over wifi; and a death-match mode which can be played single-player or with up to 3 friends over wifi. VR headsets are now supported. While in VR mode, you can adjust: the screen size; vertical and horizontal position; the amount of parallax (that is, the space between your two virtual eyes); and whether or not your head movements are tracked. A VR headset and an external controller such as an extended gamepad are required. External controllers are also supported - both the standard profile (the one without thumbsticks) and the extended profile (the one with thumbsticks.) Our future is in your hands! Features: * Includes both a campaign mode and death-match mode, both of which can be played in single-player or multiplayer over wifi. * VR headset support. * Gamepad support (both the standard and extended profiles.) * Remote Control - control Nemesis 1.9 on tvOS or iOS via Nemesis 1.9 running on an iOS device. (Requires wifi.) * Beautiful graphics! * Intricately rendered explosion and smoke effects. * Nine unlockable ships and 10 unlockable environments. * Realistic physics. * Brutal AI. * 25 different power-ups, for all kinds of ways to smite your foes. * Listen to your own music while saving humanity. * Play in first person or third person modes. * Six different skill settings, from "practice" to "ace" in death-match; 5 skill settings in campaign. * User settable kill-limit in death-match mode. * Multi-player over wifi.

About

Spell Runners

Command numerous spell casters with a single finger in this retro action RPG shoot'em up. Enjoy hours of evolving gameplay across hundreds of levels, with multiple game-changing endings. Rebuild your town, farm, mine, and face epic bosses in this offline, free-to-play adventure.

Highlights
  • Single-finger spell caster control
  • Hundreds of levels
  • Multiple game-changing endings
  • Offline play
  • Town building and resource management
  • Casual and Hard modes
Features
Read full description

Dive into this uniquely satisfying retro action RPG shoot'em up with multiple game-changing endings. You'll get hours of ever-evolving gameplay through hundreds of levels in just minutes per session. With a single finger, command up to 24 spell casters at once. Navigate through dangerous terrain and face formidable enemies in a spectacular display of magical warfare. Spell Runners is fun to look at and even more fun to play. Install and check it out today! * Offline Play + Free to Play: Looking for free-to-play off-line games to play on a long car ride? You can play the full game without connecting to the internet. * Spellbound Combat: Witness screen-filling magical mayhem as you venture through hundreds of levels of escalating danger. * Loot & Conquer: Earn gems to enhance your spells and coins to recruit mystical allies. The more you slay, the mightier you become! * Vibrant Town Building: Beyond the battle, rebuild your town to engage in farming, mining, and hidden quests. Face dragons and relish the thrill of victory. * Diverse Outcomes: Overpower hordes of enemies and epic bosses to unlock multiple game-altering endings. * Casual or Hardcore: Dive into an easy-going adventure or challenge yourself in the Hard mode, catering to bullet hell shoot 'em up enthusiasts. An epic RPG shoot'em up awaits you. Join the magical warfare now and let the epic journey begin!

Screenshots

Nemesis4 screens
Spell Runners4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Spell Runners at Free against Nemesis's $1.99. Spell Runners also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Nemesis's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Spell Runners is free to download; Nemesis costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Spell Runners holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Nemesis's written reviews are positive against 100% of Spell Runners's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nemesis ships an update every 3 months, Spell Runners weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Nemesis versus Spell Runners: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNemesisSpell Runners
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.212.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size319 MB268 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperDenizen Software, LLCDog Media Solutions LLC

Customer experience

Nemesis

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

Spell Runners

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Nemesis

No in-app purchases

None

Spell Runners

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nemesis free?
Nemesis costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spell Runners free?
Spell Runners is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nemesis or Spell Runners?
Spell Runners is rated higher. Nemesis averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Spell Runners averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Nemesis or Spell Runners have ads?
Spell Runners shows ads; Nemesis does not.
Which is updated more often, Nemesis or Spell Runners?
Nemesis ships an update every 3 months, and Spell Runners weekly. Most recently, Nemesis was updated on October 16, 2026 and Spell Runners on October 11, 2026.

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