Comparison

POWDER vs Brogue

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

Head to head
About

POWDER

Embark on a fast-paced, turn-based dungeon crawl inspired by classic roguelikes. This hack-and-slash adventure offers a polished and approachable experience for fans of the genre.

Highlights
  • Turn-based combat
  • Dungeon crawl gameplay
  • Hack-and-slash adventure
  • Roguelike tradition
  • Polished gameplay
Features
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POWDER is a fast-playing turn-based dungeon crawl in the roguelike-tradition. Years of polish have refined this hack-and-slash adventure into one of the most approachable examples of the roguelike genre.

About

Brogue

Embark on a challenging 26-level dungeon crawl to find the Amulet of Yendor. Master strategic gameplay with a focus on a smooth learning curve and intuitive design within a classic ASCII/Unicode aesthetic. Experience high fantasy with a variety of creatures and magical items.

Highlights
  • 26-level dungeon crawl
  • Strategic depth
  • Smooth learning curve
  • ASCII/Unicode display
  • High fantasy theme
  • Permadeath gameplay
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Countless adventurers before you have descended this torch-lit staircase, seeking the promised riches below. As you reach the bottom and step into the wide cavern, the doors behind you seal with a powerful magic... Welcome to the Dungeons of Doom! Brogue is a single-player strategy game set in the halls of a mysterious and randomly-generated dungeon. The objective is simple enough -- retrieve the fabled Amulet of Yendor from the 26th level -- but the dungeon is riddled with danger. Horrifying creatures and devious, trap-ridden terrain await. Yet it is also riddled with weapons, potions, and artifacts of forgotten power. Survival demands strength and cunning in equal measure as you descend, making the most of what the dungeon gives you. You will make sacrifices, narrow escapes, and maybe even some friends along the way -- but will you be one of the lucky few to return alive?" This app offers: Brogue Classic - Brian Walker's original vision and where it all started. Brogue CE - A community effort that fixes bugs and crashes and focuses on QoL. Brogue SE - A new variant by yours truly with original items, monsters, and mechanics "...on the iPad, Brogue is an even more incredible feat than it is on the Mac: there aren’t a lot of roguelikes that can jump from a keyboard to a touch-based interface without coming off worse for wear. It’s every bit as good on the iPad as it is on the Mac." - Cult of Mac "[...] it manages to make use of its ASCII visuals to create some truly impressive-looking environments [...] it’s high fantasy to the core; filled with kobolds, goblins, wands, spell scrolls, and more." - 148Apps "It's a bit weird and clunky, but yeah, it's still Brogue" - Roguelike Radio

Screenshots

POWDER3 screens
Brogue4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brogue at none against POWDER's 1. Brogue also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 7 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). POWDER's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 18.6). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. POWDER sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Brogue asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Brogue holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 120 and 76 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of POWDER's written reviews are positive against 94% of Brogue's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

POWDER ships an update every 7 months, Brogue every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
POWDER versus Brogue: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPOWDERBrogue
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (120 ratings)4.6 (76 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews93.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings120 — better76
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB28 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperJeff LaitSeth Howard

Customer experience

POWDER

All ratings120 ratings
Positive81.7%
Neutral1.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews124 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative16.9%

Brogue

All ratings76 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive93.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative1.0%

Bugs and requests

POWDER

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Occasional save data loss
  • Unresponsive controls

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • More enemy/item variety
  • Save/load functionality
  • Difficulty settings

Brogue

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

POWDER

One-time1
  • POWDER Full Version$9.99
None

Brogue

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is POWDER free?
POWDER is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brogue free?
Brogue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, POWDER or Brogue?
Brogue is rated higher. POWDER averages 4.2 out of 5 from 120 ratings, while Brogue averages 4.6 from 76 ratings.
Do POWDER or Brogue have ads?
Neither POWDER nor Brogue shows ads.
Which is updated more often, POWDER or Brogue?
POWDER ships an update every 7 months, and Brogue every 4 days. Most recently, POWDER was updated on October 8, 2026 and Brogue on October 16, 2026.

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