The Marimo vs Pass the Pen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Marimo
Care for a virtual green ball creature that grows over time. Keep its environment clean and provide light to ensure its survival. Customize its appearance and interact with it through various gestures.
- Virtual pet care
- Growth simulation
- Environment maintenance
- Customization options
- Interactive controls
- Social sharing
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Thank you 1,130,000 download!! [About Marimo] Marimo means a plant like a green ball which grow in Hokkaido, Japan. You can raise a Marimo. A marimo will grow up little by little every day. When water become dirty, you need to refresh water. If you don't take care of a Marimo long time, Marimo will wither. [Other Features] - You can rename Marimo, and change background. - Drag to move Marimo. - Double tap to pick tap Marimo. - Rotate marimo with two finger. - Marimo moves by the direction of the device. - You can upload image of Marimo on Twitter/Facebook. - Photosynthesis occurs in a bright place.
Pass the Pen
A collaborative storytelling game where friends take turns adding sentences to a story based on the previous player's input. Choose a theme and turn count to create unpredictable and hilarious tales perfect for parties and gatherings.
- Collaborative storytelling
- Theme selection
- Turn-based gameplay
- Unpredictable story outcomes
- Party and gathering game
- Creative fun
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Pass the Penn - A Collaborative Storytelling Game Gather your friends and get ready for some creative fun with Pass the Pen! In this simple but entertaining game, the group will first choose a theme, then decide how many turns the story will take. When you press start, you'll pass the phone around and the story will begin to unfold. Each player will add a sentence to the story on their turn, based only on what the previous player wrote. The result is an unpredictable tale that will have everyone laughing. Pass the Penn is perfect for parties and family gatherings, and everyone will get to participate in the fun.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pass the Pen at 5.0 against The Marimo's 4.4. Pass the Pen also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months). The Marimo's advantage is ratings volume (16 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.5). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pass the Pen holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Marimo has 16 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of The Marimo's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pass the Pen's.
The Marimo ships an update every 3 months, Pass the Pen every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Marimo | Pass the Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (16 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Kosuke Ogawa | Charles Von Kleeck |
Customer experience
The Marimo
Pass the Pen
In-app purchases
The Marimo
No in-app purchases
Pass the Pen
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Marimo free?
Is Pass the Pen free?
Which has better reviews, The Marimo or Pass the Pen?
Do The Marimo or Pass the Pen have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Marimo or Pass the Pen?
Other comparisons
