Comparison

Fastar! vs Gargoyle Ruins

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

Head to head
About

Fastar!

Embark on a fast-paced action RPG adventure where you slash and shop your way through a whimsical world. Master the art of speed to achieve your goals and climb global high score lists. Enjoy hours of simple arcade-style fun with adorable graphics and flashy spells.

Highlights
  • Fast-paced action RPG gameplay
  • Hand-drawn graphics
  • 24 game modes
  • Global high score lists
  • Flashy magic spells
  • Variety of control schemes
Features
Read full description

Action and Role-Playing in their purest, gleefulest form! Fastar! is the timeless tale of a boy with a big sword and a bowtie journeying across vast lands while being ambushed by malicious geometry. Wait, what, seriously? I'm not typing that, it doesn't make any sense. Oh, look what you made me do. I'll just start over. Fastar! is an Action RPG for when you just don't have time for an Action RPG. Dead simple to pick up and play, you'll be slashing and shopping your way across the grassy plains of [irrelevant flavorful name of fantasy world here] in seconds. You'll cross the world in mere minutes. But mastery of your true objective -- reaching that goal as fast as humanly possible -- could take a lifetime*. Fun for everyone from the casual player who loves to mash buttons, to the hardcore gamer-optimizer who loves to mash numbers, Fastar! will provide you with hours of minutes of seconds of simple arcadey joy. Featured features: - Reasonably adorable hand-drawn graphics! - 24 different game modes for a variety of play experiences, some of which don't actually count! - Global arcade-style high scores lists, where you can become internationally renowned if your full name is three letters or less! - Flashy magic spells for any kind of player, from Daring to Thrifty to Congealed! - A variety of control schemes to suit your particular playing posture! (Astronaut gymnasts excepted) - Sometimes in the background you can see a guy on a unicycle! Look for him, he's nice. * Lifetime reference mammal unspecified "A ridiculous amount of fun!" --TouchArcade Review "It's all about speed and it's ridiculously enjoyable." --Gizmodo "It’s all about distilling the unique fun of RPGs... into mere seconds of play." --PocketGamer "Expected to operate uncomfortable" --WeiPhone.com User Comment (translation c/o Google) "This is a game everyone can, and should enjoy!" --AppAdvice "[A] great cartoon RPG for the iPhone!" --1stimpressions.mobi "What this game has, above all, is that very particular, intangible magic which makes the very few select games rise above the rest." --Gabrien, TouchArcade forums "Fastar is a game that tried to do something different, and managed to get it absolutely right." --TouchAHolics "Pick it up for some great action!" --148Apps

About

Gargoyle Ruins

Embark on a retro adventure inspired by classic tabletop arcade games. Solve a kingdom's mystery, rescue kidnapped girls, and defeat evil forces through challenging gameplay and engaging story.

Highlights
  • Retro VFD tabletop arcade style
  • Story Mode with mystery and upgrades
  • Arcade Mode with global leaderboards
  • Over 50 upgradeable items
  • 40 challenging achievements
  • Multiple death scenarios
Features
Read full description

Step into the boots of a true hero in Gargoyle Ruins, the prequel to Game Stew's first title and TouchArcade's Arcade 2012 Game Of The Year--Tower of Fortune! With your companion by your side it is your hero's duty to save a wealthy kingdom where girls are kidnapped by gargoyles once a year. Solve the mystery and defeat the evil forces in this retro VFD tabletop arcade game inspired by the early Game & Watch games! Features - Retro-style visuals with funny animation and detailed 8-bit art - 7 fun and challenging games to enjoy including Princess Rescue, Dead Man’s Gold, Queen’s Chamber, and more - Play Story Mode to unveil the mystery behind the troubled kingdom as you equip the hero and upgrade the game with over 50 pieces of content to take on the next rewarding challenge - Arcade mode lets you challenge other player's high scores and see your ranking in the world - From getting stabbed, drowned, or burned, prepare to die in more than 13 unique ways during your journey - 40 challenging achievements to conquer if you have what it takes to be a hero ----------------------------------------------------------- Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TowerofFortune Gameplay Movie http://youtu.be/8cv-TIUTgyc

Screenshots

Fastar!4 screens
Gargoyle Ruins4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Fastar! at 4.6 against Gargoyle Ruins's 3.3. Fastar! also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (78% vs 52%). Gargoyle Ruins's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). 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

Fastar! costs $1.99 and Gargoyle Ruins $1.99 up front. Gargoyle Ruins sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Fastar! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fastar! holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fastar! has 53 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Fastar!'s written reviews are positive against 52% of Gargoyle Ruins's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fastar! ships an update every 6 weeks, Gargoyle Ruins every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Fastar! versus Gargoyle Ruins: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFastar!Gargoyle Ruins
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.6 (53 ratings) — better3.3 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews78.0% of reviews — better51.5% of reviews
Number of ratings53 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB23 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCat in a Box SoftwareGame Stew

Customer experience

Fastar!

All ratings53 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews314 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral10.2%
Negative11.8%

Gargoyle Ruins

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive51.5%
Neutral18.2%
Negative30.3%

Bugs and requests

Fastar!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on loading certain game modes
  • Leaderboard and score submission issues
  • Compatibility problems on newer iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add character customization options
  • Implement a story mode or campaign
  • Allow listening to own music
  • Add more enemy types and weapon variety
  • Introduce persistent progression and leveling

Gargoyle Ruins

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Fastar!

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Gargoyle Ruins

One-time8
  • 1000G$0.99
  • 2500G$1.99
  • 7500G$4.99
Show 5 more
  • 25000G$9.99
  • 42000G$14.99
  • 62000G$19.99
  • 85000G$24.99
  • 150000G$29.99

Questions

Is Fastar! free?
Fastar! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gargoyle Ruins free?
Gargoyle Ruins costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fastar! or Gargoyle Ruins?
Fastar! is rated higher. Fastar! averages 4.6 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Gargoyle Ruins averages 3.3 from 4 ratings.
Do Fastar! or Gargoyle Ruins have ads?
Neither Fastar! nor Gargoyle Ruins shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fastar! or Gargoyle Ruins?
Fastar! ships an update every 6 weeks, and Gargoyle Ruins every 8 months. Most recently, Fastar! was updated on October 16, 2026 and Gargoyle Ruins on October 15, 2026.

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