Comparison

Companions vs Arcane Quest 3

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

Head to head
About

Companions

Embark on an epic campaign in this old-school dungeon crawler. Lead four companions through a world threatened by darkness, utilizing diverse classes, skills, and tactical combat. With a deep storyline and endless replayability, prepare for challenging battles and a rich adventure.

Highlights
  • 10+ hour campaign
  • Multiple party combinations
  • Endless replayability
  • 3 classes per race
  • 40+ skills
  • Gather 100+ items
  • Tactical pause
Features
Read full description

- TOUCHARCADE REVIEW (****): "It's pretty rare to see an iOS strategy game that not only has a captivating story, sound gameplay mechanics, and challenging difficulty, but also manages to accomplish all this while not being a tower defense derivative. Companions manages to achieve all this and more, and leads to a great experience for those iPad owners looking to try out a real strategy game." - GAMERS TEMPLE (96%): Companions drags together the best of bigger console titles (story, character, length) and the best of the handheld world (touch-screen controls, single iPad multiplayer) into one cohesive, extremely fun game. No joke: If you don't like the game after level 1 or 2, you probably just hate fun games. Download this one soon. - iPHONE LIFE: "Companions makes good use of the iPad to give complete command over any melee situation, has a detailed storyline, and plenty of challenges to keep oneself immersed for hours!" - FEATURES: - PLAY the huge campaign with 10+ hours playtime - PLAY again with different party combinations - ENDLESS replay value (random drops, random enemies) - PLAY with 3 different classes for each race: - Minotaur: Berserker, Gladiator, Bull - Elf: Assassin, Ranger, Archer - Dwarf: Miner, Draftsman, Engineer - Human: Light, Matter, Void - IMMERSE yourself into the deep story line - ENJOY the 40+ skills - BUILD bombard, crossbow and scythe towers - LAY spike traps, stone traps and decoy bombs - GATHER 100+ items - GAIN 30+ unique items - FIGHT brutal boss mobs - SURVIVE gigantic battles - USE the tactical pause (20 or 60 seconds) - LISTEN to philosophical pest zombies - DEFEAT the really BIG DRAGON RAARTAARK - LOOK upon the great artwork - CHOOSE from 3 difficulty settings - CONNECT to GameCenter - GET 41 achievements - SCORE on the 4 single maps with leaderboards - AUTO and MANUAL save - YOU ARE IN CONTROL! Lead the four Companions to their destiny. Battles of epic magnitude await you on your way down towards the catacombs of Mentzel and the lava chambers of the volcano Eaneum. Hordes of evil and strange creatures with nothing but hatred and death in their minds will do everything in their power to stop the Companions! Altland may well be thrown into another devastating war. You are the only one able to guide the Companions safely through the storm that threatens to engulf the world! The dangers are potent and manyfold. MAY UROORG BE WITH YOU! - SAVE ALTLAND! Altland is in danger. The dark god Detexx is on the rise again, ready to plunge Altland into eternal darkness. People are vanishing and rumour has it, that strange creatures roam the land. Unbeknown to each other our four heroes begin their quests in the catacombs of Mentzel. You have to unriddle the evil plans of the dark god and do everything in your power to stop the "Hordes of Nether"!

About

Arcane Quest 3

Embark on an epic adventure to save a fantasy realm by assembling a team of heroes, customizing their gear and spells, and battling dark forces. Engage in real-time multiplayer quests or create and share your own challenges with a robust level editor.

Highlights
  • Epic storyline with dozens of quests
  • 10 unique hero classes
  • 150+ equipment customization options
  • Real-time multiplayer quests
  • Quest editor for creating and sharing levels
  • Tabletop game inspired mechanics
Features
Read full description

Once again, the Powers of Darkness have returned to threaten the Realm of Auria. Join an epic journey to restore the honor of your guild and save your people, in this fantastic mix of adventure, role-playing, and strategy game. Choose your adventurers from 10 unique classes and vanquish hordes of orcs, undead, evil sorcerers and a lot more. Customize your heroes with more than 150 equipment options, learn powerful spells, and use all your strategy skills to defeat your enemies. Play real-time multiplayer quests with your friends and players from all around the world. Create and share your own quests! Infinite gameplay hours are guaranteed by the free level editor. FEATURES - Loyal to the classic tabletop games: roll the dice, level up your heroes, acquire new abilities and purchase the best equipment - Dive into an epic storyline including dozens of quests, find out the secrets of Auria and restore the honor of your guild - Real-time multiplayer missions to play with other players to obtain great rewards - Complete quests editor to publish and share your own quests, and play quests created by other players - Fully translated into English, French, German and Italian What Arcane Quest players are saying: - “Excellent adaptation of the HeroQuest board game. Brings back many childhood happy memories.” - “If you are looking to play a simple D&D board game for your phone, this is the game. Easy and fun, love it.” - “If you have been looking for a fantasy board game this is the best.“ - “If you were a fan of Hero Quest, Dragon Strike or D&D, board games, this is the perfect app to bring you back.”

Screenshots

Arcane Quest 34 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Companions at none against Arcane Quest 3's shown. Companions also leads on iOS requirement (8.1 vs 13.0). Arcane Quest 3's advantage is ratings volume (307 vs 13) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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. Companions sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Arcane Quest 3 sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Companions against 4.6 for Arcane Quest 3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arcane Quest 3 has 307 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Companions's written reviews are positive against 90% of Arcane Quest 3's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Companions ships an update every 3 months, Arcane Quest 3 monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Companions versus Arcane Quest 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCompanionsArcane Quest 3
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13 ratings) — better4.6 (307 ratings)
Positive reviews82.4% of reviews89.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13307 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB354 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperSmuttlewerk Interactive UG (haftungsbeschrankt)Nex Game Studios OU

Customer experience

Companions

All ratings13 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews119 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral10.1%
Negative7.6%

Arcane Quest 3

All ratings307 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.4%

User reviews

Companions

From 13 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Deep tactical combat system with strategic pause mechanic
  • 📖 Engaging story with humor and character development
  • 🎨 Quality graphics and visual presentation
  • 👥 Unique multi-character control with diverse class options
  • ⚔️ Challenging gameplay that rewards careful planning

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Awkward and fiddly touch controls
  • 📱 Difficult multi-character management during combat
  • ⏱️ Restrictive tactical pause timer creates frustration
  • 🗺️ Limited camera/map controls and no minimap
  • 🐢 Slow character movement through dungeons

Arcane Quest 3

From 307 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun casual gameplay
  • 👍 Enjoyable turn-based RPG
  • 👍 Great character customization
  • 👍 Solid tactical gameplay
  • 👍 Reminiscent of classic tabletop RPGs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and save file issues
  • 🐛 Multiplayer functionality not working well
  • 🔒 Lack of in-game save option
  • 🔒 Difficulty progression feels unbalanced
  • 🔒 Some classes/abilities underperforming

Bugs and requests

Companions

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Game crashes on startup or when party members die
  • Freezing at loading screen on iPad 2
  • Characters unable to interact with destructible objects in certain rooms
  • Characters getting stuck during pathfinding
  • Mages unable to cast area spells in some situations
Show 4 more
  • Double-tap potion system unreliable during combat
  • Game crashes when exiting and returning to campaign
  • Characters not responding to commands as intended
  • Incompatibility with certain device region formats

Requested features

14 requests
  • Minimap or map overview feature
  • Single-finger screen panning instead of two-finger requirement
  • Turn-based mode option for combat
  • Group movement and formation commands
  • Longer or unlimited tactical pause timer
Show 9 more
  • More complex tactical options and additional skills
  • Expanded item customization system
  • Varied environments beyond dungeons
  • Objective markers or quest guidance system
  • Music and background audio
  • Universal app support (not iPad-only)
  • Multiplayer functionality
  • Game shop to sell and upgrade equipment
  • Additional content and expansion updates

Arcane Quest 3

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and save file loss
  • Multiplayer mode not working as intended
  • Unresponsive controls and camera issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add in-game save option
  • Improve multiplayer functionality
  • Expand character progression and customization
  • Rebalance difficulty curve
  • Add more free character options

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Companions

One-time4
  • 5 Ur-Steel$0.99
  • 12 Ur-Steel$1.99
  • 35 Ur-Steel$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 80 Ur-Steel$9.99
9 purchases

Arcane Quest 3

One-time9
  • Gold Pack 1$0.99
  • Arcanes Pack 1$0.99
  • Gold Pack 2$1.99
Show 6 more
  • Arcanes Pack 2$1.99
  • Hero Pack 1$1.99
  • Hero Pack 2$1.99
  • Hero Pack 3$1.99
  • Gold Pack 3$2.99
  • Ultimate Pack$2.99

Questions

Is Companions free?
Companions is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arcane Quest 3 free?
Arcane Quest 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Companions or Arcane Quest 3?
Companions is rated higher. Companions averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Arcane Quest 3 averages 4.6 from 307 ratings.
Do Companions or Arcane Quest 3 have ads?
Arcane Quest 3 shows ads; Companions does not.
Which is updated more often, Companions or Arcane Quest 3?
Companions ships an update every 3 months, and Arcane Quest 3 monthly. Most recently, Companions was updated on November 1, 2026 and Arcane Quest 3 on November 2, 2026.

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