Companions vs DEAD 2048
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 10+ hour campaign
- Multiple party combinations
- Endless replayability
- 3 classes per race
- 40+ skills
- Gather 100+ items
- Tactical pause
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- 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"!
DEAD 2048
This game merges 2048 puzzle mechanics with tower defense strategy. Players swipe to merge defense towers, fend off zombie waves, and build a biology lab to save the world. It offers a unique challenge for fans of puzzles, defense games, and zombie themes.
- 2048 puzzle merging mechanics
- Tower defense strategy
- Zombie wave survival
- Build and upgrade defense towers
- Unlock Biology Laboratory to win
- Playable offline
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2048 is no longer just a puzzle. It is humanity’s last defense. DEAD 2048 combines addictive merge gameplay with zombie tower defense in a fast-paced survival strategy experience. Swipe and merge towers to create stronger defenses. Hold the road against endless zombie waves. Build powerful weapons. Survive long enough to construct the final Biology Laboratory — humanity’s final hope. Every move matters. A small turret becomes a defense line. A defense line becomes a fortress. One mistake can let the undead break through. ■■ FEATURES ■■ • A unique fusion of 2048 puzzle and zombie tower defense • Merge towers to evolve stronger weapons • Endless zombie waves that pressure every decision • Satisfying combo progression and defense building • Campaign stages, missions, upgrades, and powerful items • Easy to learn, difficult to master • Offline play anytime • Game Center leaderboards and achievements Merge fast. Think ahead. Hold the line. Can you build the final laboratory before the world falls?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Companions at 4.8 against DEAD 2048's 4.0. Companions also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (82% vs 61%). DEAD 2048's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (82 vs 13). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Companions sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and DEAD 2048 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Companions holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DEAD 2048 has 82 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Companions's written reviews are positive against 61% of DEAD 2048's.
Companions ships an update every 3 months, DEAD 2048 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Companions | DEAD 2048 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better | 4.0 (82 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.4% of reviews — better | 60.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 | 82 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.1 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 79 MB | 252 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Smuttlewerk Interactive UG (haftungsbeschrankt) | Cogoo Inc. |
Customer experience
Companions
DEAD 2048
User reviews
Companions
From 13 App Store ratingsWhat 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
DEAD 2048
From 82 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Innovative concept combining 2048 and tower defense
- 👍 Addictive and engaging gameplay
- 🧠 Challenging and requires strategic thinking
- 🤩 Fun and creative twist on 2048
- ✨ Unique and original idea
Room to improve
- 💸 Expensive in-app purchases/items
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🐛 Game-breaking bugs and crashes
- 📉 Progress loss and resets
- 💰 Ad remover not fully effective
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
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- 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
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- 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
DEAD 2048
Reported bugs
8 issues- Game crashes frequently, especially during ads
- Game progress resets unexpectedly
- Ads still appear after purchasing ad remover
- Game freezes or becomes unresponsive
- Zombies sometimes move backward or don't spawn correctly
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- Damage not registering on zombies
- App crashes after watching ads
- Town information reset after updates
Requested features
7 requests- Add an undo feature
- More tutorial guidance
- More stages/content
- Improve ad-removal effectiveness
- Fix bugs related to progress loss
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- Improve graphics
- Add a guide for tower numbers in missions
In-app purchases
Companions
- 5 Ur-Steel$0.99
- 12 Ur-Steel$1.99
- 35 Ur-Steel$4.99
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- 80 Ur-Steel$9.99
DEAD 2048
- Undo Package 1$1.99
- Constructor Package 1$1.99
- Cleaner x3$1.99
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- AD Cleaner$1.99
- Undo Package 2$4.99
- Constructor Package 2$4.99
- Cleaner x20$4.99
- Vaccine Package 2$4.99
- Special Package 1$9.99
- Special Package 2$19.99









