Comparison

The Shadow Sun vs Shakedown

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

Head to head
About

The Shadow Sun

Embark on a dark fantasy adventure in this Western action RPG. Explore a detailed world, engage in real-time combat, and uncover an epic story filled with intrigue and danger. Customize your character and make choices that impact the narrative.

Highlights
  • Epic dark fantasy story
  • Visceral real-time combat
  • Deep character customization
  • Multiple quest solutions
  • Companion system
  • Extensive exploration
Features
Read full description

The ultimate Western action RPG has arrived on iOS! Embark on an epic dark fantasy in the grand tradition of great, story-driven RPGs from PC and console, created by veterans of the Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, and The Witcher franchises. SLIDE TO PLAY - 4/4 “The Shadow Sun is one of the most captivating experiences I’ve had with a role-playing game in quite some time.” DIGITALLY DOWNLOADED - 4.5/5 “The Shadow Sun floored me from start to finish.” ARCADE SUSHI - 8.5/10 “If you’re a fan of RPGs at all, then The Shadow Sun belongs in your Games folder.” POCKET GAMER - 8/10 (Silver Award) “The Shadow Sun replicates a tabletop RPG experience almost perfectly - right down to the carefully crafted fantasy world in which it's set.” TOUCHARCADE - 4/5 “With a compelling story, plenty of content, and a character customization system that works, Shadow Sun succeeds in its goal as a Western RPG.” APP-S.RU - 4/5 “The Shadow Sun is one of the few truly great RPGs for the iPhone, iPad and in the absence of competitors could easily sit next to Baldur's Gate.” PORTABLE GAMING REGION “The Shadow Sun is pretty much what I imagine a “real” Dragon Age mobile game should be.” ** Featured in Apple’s Best New Games category! ** With The Shadow Sun, Ossian Studios brings together all its expertise from working with Dungeons & Dragons and The Witcher in order to create a deep, story-driven RPG experience for iOS. Prepare yourself for visceral real-time combat, a gorgeously detailed world to adventure in, complex characters to interact with, and an epic tale of an ancient city held within the grip of a mysterious plague. Enter a world that has felt an alien touch upon its sun. An ever-increasing shadow that creeps across the sun's brilliant face, with consequences that are only now becoming horrifically apparent... HOURS OF ADVENTURE • A 10-hour adventure where you explore the decadent imperial city of Shar and the exotic desert lands around it, delving into a story filled with intrigue, danger, and shocking surprises. • Explore over 70 unique areas and uncover 200+ unique items, hidden secrets, and ancient treasures. • A handy journal tracks your quests and a detailed codex notes new characters, places, and creatures you encounter. • An original orchestral soundtrack and amazing soundscape will immerse you into this dark fantasy world. TRUE ROLE-PLAYING • Create your own male or female character and customize their attributes and appearance. • Choose from among 30 attacks, spells, and skills to suit your favourite play style, and develop those abilities exactly how you want as the game progresses. • Solve quests in multiple ways and have new NPC dialogue options open up depending on your skills. • Ally with one of four companions to adventure alongside you, each with their own personality and abilities, and win their friendship or suffer their disapproval depending on your choices. • Adopt a faithful dog companion to fight by your side. UNIVERSAL APP Play on any of these supported devices, with graphics that scale with the device. • iPad 1, iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display • iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s • iPod touch 3, iPod touch 4, iPod touch 5 * In-app purchases are purely optional! * The 3 starter packs are optional DLC that have extra content and quests, none of which are required to enjoy the game. The in-depth hint guide also provides a full walkthrough and gameplay tips, along with details on companions, secrets, monsters, and other helpful information. Visit our official site for more news and info about The Shadow Sun: http://www.ossianstudios.com/ Drop by our forums and talk directly with the development team: http://www.ossianstudios.com/forum/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OssianStudios Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OssianStudios YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/OssianStudios

About

Shakedown

Embark on a 16-bit open-world adventure where you build a business empire. Complete missions, acquire properties, and sabotage rivals to dominate the island. Explore by land, sea, or air, uncovering secrets and engaging in arcade challenges.

Highlights
  • 16-bit open world exploration
  • Business acquisition and management
  • Mission-based gameplay
  • Sabotage competitors
  • Vehicle and boat traversal
  • Arcade challenges and side quests
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A brand new open world adventure from the creator of Retro City Rampage DX! The entire island is up for grabs. Build your own "legitimate" corporation by completing missions, acquiring businesses, sabotaging competitors, "re-zoning" land, and shaking down shops for protection money. Explore the 16-bit open world by foot, by car, or by boat. It's filled with arcade challenges, side quests, stores to shop at, houses to burgle, civilians to interact with, and secrets to discover. Build your empire and destroy the competition... in Shakedown: Hawaii.

Screenshots

The Shadow Sun4 screens
Shakedown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shakedown at none against The Shadow Sun's 4. Shakedown also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). The Shadow Sun's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (62 vs 20). On ads, monetization model 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

The Shadow Sun costs $0.99 and Shakedown $4.99 up front. The Shadow Sun sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Shakedown asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shakedown holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 62 and 20 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of The Shadow Sun's written reviews are positive against 92% of Shakedown's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Shadow Sun ships an update every 3 months, Shakedown fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
The Shadow Sun versus Shakedown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Shadow SunShakedown
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (62 ratings)4.9 (20 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.1% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings62 — better20
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#190 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.1 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size797 MB124 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperOssian Studios Inc.Vblank Entertainment Inc.

Customer experience

The Shadow Sun

All ratings62 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral12.9%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews257 reviews
Positive75.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative16.0%

Shakedown

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%

Bugs and requests

The Shadow Sun

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when saving or entering certain areas
  • Inventory and equipment issues
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multiplayer or co-op mode
  • More character customization options
  • Larger open world and expanded content
  • Improved UI and quality-of-life features

Shakedown

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

The Shadow Sun

One-time4
  • Hint Guide$0.99
  • Warrior Starter Pack$0.99
  • Rogue Starter Pack$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Mage Starter Pack$0.99
None

Shakedown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Shadow Sun free?
The Shadow Sun costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Shakedown free?
Shakedown costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Shadow Sun or Shakedown?
Shakedown is rated higher. The Shadow Sun averages 4.5 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while Shakedown averages 4.9 from 20 ratings.
Do The Shadow Sun or Shakedown have ads?
Neither The Shadow Sun nor Shakedown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Shadow Sun or Shakedown?
The Shadow Sun ships an update every 3 months, and Shakedown fortnightly. Most recently, The Shadow Sun was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shakedown on November 4, 2026.

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