Fastar! vs Arcane Ascension
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Fast-paced action RPG gameplay
- Hand-drawn graphics
- 24 game modes
- Global high score lists
- Flashy magic spells
- Variety of control schemes
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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
Arcane Ascension
A turn-based strategy game where players capture hexes to gain mana, summon wizards, and manage resources. Master spells and choose from five unique factions to conquer rival kingdoms or achieve specific victory conditions.
- Hex-based territory control
- Wizard summoning and tier progression
- Resource and economy management
- Tactical spellcasting
- Five unique factions
- Multiple game modes
- Daily challenges and map sharing
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Claim the map, hex by hex. Arcane Ascension is a turn-based strategy game where every hex you hold feeds your mana — and mana is everything. A fantasy 4X in miniature: every match is a hex grid war for territory, spells, and mana. Summon wizards, capture territory, and manage your economy carefully: every wizard you keep on the board costs upkeep each turn, and an empire that expands too fast will starve. Push into rival kingdoms, cut their provinces in two, and seize their castles before they do the same to you. ASCEND THE WIZARD LADDER Your wizards climb four tiers of power. Higher tiers defeat lower ones in battle — but they cost more to summon and require much more mana upkeep. Gain new spells and innate abilities with each ascension. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Six asymmetric factions, with unique signature spells and passive abilities. March with the balanced Arcanum, burn a path with the Emberkin Legion, hold the line with the Stoneroot Wardens, scheme from the shadows with the Veilborn Court, farm the blight itself with the fungal druids of the Sporewald Circle, or cleanse the unworthy with the armored clerics of the Radiant Synod. Each faction brings its own distinct playstyle and its own temptations. MASTER THE SPELLBOOK Unlock a library of tactical spells and draft your loadout before each match: freeze an enemy in place, shield an ally, raise a stone wall, strike with lightning, warp across the map, or seize control of a rival wizard. One well-timed spell can turn a lost battle into a rout. THREE GAME MODES • Skirmish — classic conquest: eliminate every rival kingdom • King of the Citadel — hold the crowned central hex to claim victory • Survival — outlast round after round of an escalating horde A NEW SCENARIO EVERY DAY The Daily Challenge presents a new bite-sized mini-match every day — and rotates game modes through the week. Win to build your streak, earn milestone rewards, and use streak freezes for when life gets in the way. PLAY YOUR WAY • A 120-level campaign — escalating rivals, fog of war, asymmetric starts, and maps overgrown with fungus. • Quick matches for two to six players on maps of varying sizes — procedurally generated, or from your own custom scenarios • Local multiplayer: pass-and-play with up to six human players on one device, free-for-all or in teams • Spectator mode: set every seat to AI and watch the battle unfold • Build your own maps in the sandbox, save them as scenarios, and share them with friends as text codes that work on every platform • Optional fog of war for tense, scouting-driven games • Achievements, lifetime stats, and an optional first-match tutorial FAIR AND OFFLINE-FRIENDLY No account required. No forced ads. No pay-to-win. Matches work entirely offline; rewarded ads exist only as an optional choice, and you can turn off anonymous usage analytics in settings at any time. Easy to learn, hard to put down. How far can you ascend?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Arcane Ascension at Free against Fastar!'s $1.99. Arcane Ascension also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). Fastar!'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (53 vs 4). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Arcane Ascension is free to download; Fastar! costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Arcane Ascension holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. 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 100% of Arcane Ascension's.
Fastar! ships an update every 6 weeks, Arcane Ascension every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fastar! | Arcane Ascension |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (53 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 53 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Cat in a Box Software | ismurray llc |
Customer experience
Fastar!
Arcane Ascension
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
Arcane Ascension
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Fastar!
No in-app purchases
Arcane Ascension
No in-app purchases









