Comparison

Classic Marathon vs Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

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

Head to head
About

Classic Marathon

Relive a classic first-person shooter experience with this enhanced port. Explore 27 levels, battle alien forces, and engage in various multiplayer modes. Features include high frame rate support, HD sprites, and cross-platform multiplayer.

Highlights
  • 27 levels across six chapters
  • Multiplayer with up to 8 players
  • Exploration, puzzles, and extermination missions
  • Console-quality gameplay
  • 7 unique weapons
  • Cross-platform multiplayer support
Read full description

Classic Marathon® is the first in the original epic trilogy of first person shooter games that defined the genre. Experience the pulse-pounding action as you defend the Marathon from the alien Pfhor. Play with your friends and enemies in Every Man for Himself, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Cooperative, or Kill the Man With the Ball. ENHANCEMENTS • High frame rate support • Updated HD Sprite set • 3D positional sound with HRTF • Texture parallax mapping • Multiplayer cross-play with Linux, Mac, PC, and Steam FEATURES • 27 levels divided into six chapters. • LAN-based multiplayer with up to 8 players. • Missions include exploration, puzzles and extermination. • Console-quality gameplay. • MFi controller support. • 3D Touch and haptic feedback. • Dynamic reticle and High-resolution textures. • 7 unique weapons including: .45 Magnum Mega Class pistol M.75 Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher Zeus Class Fusion Pistol TOZT-7 flamethrower ... and the devastating SPNKR-X17 rocket launcher ===== "Being naked in space stinks. Lucky for you, Mr. Security officer, you are dressed in active military uniform, complete with a Cyberheadª helmet. Your Cyberhead device is your interface to your surrounding environment." ===== STORY • Defend the UESC Marathon colony ship against the aggressive Pfhor • Play the role of the cyborg security officer • Witness the rampancy of Durandal, the ship-board A.I. • Uncover the surprising secrets of the Pfhor and the UESC Marathon ===== "Carnage is as easy as point and shoot. Different weapons are characterized with different dynamics. It is unwise, for example, to use the rocket launcher in close combat." ===== Visit us at http://www.marathon-ios.com Follow us on twitter http://www.twitter.com/blezek Source code for this app is also licensed under the GNU General Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html). See http://www.marathon-ios.com for details. ===== "Move fast, seize the initiative, wield superior firepower, dive into the melee, anticipate enemy movements, slaughter the defenseless, endure." ===== BUNGIE™, MARATHON® and the Bungie and Marathon logos are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Bungie, Inc., used with permission.

About

Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

Command an assault squad of mercenaries against monstrous creatures on a remote, abandoned planet. Explore procedurally generated dungeons, utilize a vast arsenal of weapons, and level up your elite team to survive the infernal abyss. This challenging pixelart RPG blends dark sci-fi with roguelike elements for an intense combat experience.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated dungeons
  • Diverse bestiary of enemies
  • Full range of lethal weapons
  • Elite mercenary squads
  • Squad leveling system
Features
Read full description

“9 \ 10 If you enjoy dark sci-fi themes and like a challenging RPG with some roguelike elements, then look no further than Dead Shell. ” Christine Chan, appadvice.com Blaster-wielding mercenaries vs beasts from the labyrinth: who will win? You're commanding a die-hard assault squad. Destination: Plutonia, a settlement on a Doom-4 class planet. Shuttle cargo: a range of lethal weapons, from axes and chainsaws to blasters and BFGs. Anything might come in handy in Plutonia, the Federation's most remote colony. Scientists, miners, guards – all sorts of civilian personnel worked there until recently. A week ago, the Center received a mayday signal from the settlement. Demonic roars and screams of terror filled the comm channel, and then it fell dead silent. It's time to descend into the infernal abyss and show the demons who's the boss here. Fight your way through all the circles of hell to reach the very bottom. Look cosmic evil in the face and emerge victorious. Game Features - A new dungeon every time - Hellish bestiary - Full range of weapons - Elite mercenaries - Level up your squad -------------------------------- Subscription terms Premium Medpacks offers two subscription options: - 7 days ($6.99) - 30 days ($24.99) A 3-day free trial is available. The prices are set for US customers. Pricing in other countries may vary, and actual charges may be converted to your local currency. Upon purchase of either subscription, you will receive: - Enhanced medkits that restore 50% HP instead of the standard 30% - 10 free enhanced medkits every 24 hours Additionally, the 30-day subscription grants: - +25% experience for mercenaries after each battle All subscriptions are auto-renewable. We charge your iTunes account right after a purchase confirmation. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings on the device. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. See the links below for more details. Cancelling the subscription https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202039 Our Privacy Policy https://hcglobaldistribution.com/privacy.html Our Terms of Service https://hcglobaldistribution.com/terms.html Support: https://hcglobaldistribution.com/#contacts

Screenshots

Classic Marathon3 screens
Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Classic Marathon at none against Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG's shown. Classic Marathon also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 55%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Classic Marathon sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG sells 10 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 — 4.5 for Classic Marathon against 4.6 for Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 630 and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Classic Marathon's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Classic Marathon versus Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClassic MarathonDead Shell・Roguelike RPG
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (630 ratings)4.6 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.2% of reviews — better55.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6301.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB306 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperDustin WenzHC GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION LIMITED

Customer experience

Classic Marathon

All ratings612 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral4.2%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews282 reviews
Positive76.2%
Neutral6.7%
Negative17.0%

Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

All ratings1,508 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews160 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative30.0%

User reviews

Classic Marathon

From 630 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Faithful port of a classic game
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay and controls
  • 💡 Appreciated free version with optional HD upgrade
  • 🎮 Great with controller support
  • 🕹 Nostalgic experience for longtime fans

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🕹 Challenging touch controls
  • 🔒 Lack of customization options (e.g. invert Y-axis)
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly

Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and addictive gameplay
  • 🎨 Great pixel art and synthwave music
  • 👍 Easy to pick up and play
  • 🕹️ Fun dungeon crawler experience

Room to improve

  • 🔫 Scarce ammo and resource management issues
  • 💰 Excessive monetization and pay-to-win elements
  • 🐛 Bugs, crashes, and audio issues
  • 🕰️ Repetitive and grindy gameplay

Bugs and requests

Classic Marathon

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Saves not working properly
  • Weapons becoming black boxes
  • Screen tinting issues
  • Crashes on newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add multiplayer support
  • Implement more control customization options
  • Port the entire Marathon trilogy
  • Provide support for custom maps and mods

Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Soft-locking issues when levels don't reveal the exit
  • Achievements not tracking properly
  • Audio cutting out or being too low
  • Disconnection from headphones during gameplay

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to replay previous levels
  • More enemy and level variety
  • Improved character progression system
  • Option to disable ads for a one-time fee

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Classic Marathon

One-time10
  • HD Mode$0.99
  • Master Chief Mode$0.99
  • Enhanced Reticules$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Just a tip$0.99
  • Not the smallest tip$1.99
  • A good tip$2.99
  • A pretty good tip$4.99
  • An excellent tip$7.99
  • The best possible tip$12.99
  • Better than the best tip$20.99
10 purchases

Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG

One-time10
  • 50 DNA$2.59
  • Hero Value Pack #2$2.59
  • 100 DNA$4.49
Show 7 more
  • 5 cases$7.79
  • Hero Value Pack #7$9.79
  • 10 cases$11.49
  • Starter Pack - trooper$11.49
  • Starter Pack - commandos$11.49
  • 15 cases$14.49
  • 25 cases$20.99

Questions

Is Classic Marathon free?
Classic Marathon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG free?
Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Classic Marathon or Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG?
Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG is rated higher. Classic Marathon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 630 ratings, while Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG averages 4.6 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Classic Marathon or Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG have ads?
Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG shows ads; Classic Marathon does not.
Which is updated more often, Classic Marathon or Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG?
Classic Marathon ships an update every 2 months, and Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG every 2 months. Most recently, Classic Marathon was updated on November 1, 2026 and Dead Shell・Roguelike RPG on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons