Comparison

Junk Jack Retro vs Cassette Beasts

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

Head to head
About

Junk Jack Retro

Explore, build, and survive in procedurally generated 2D worlds. This prequel offers retro pixel art, a dynamic day/night cycle, and a vast array of crafting and building options. Discover hidden secrets, fight monsters, and create unique homes.

Highlights
  • Retro style pixel art
  • Procedurally generated worlds
  • Dynamic day/night cycle
  • Advanced farming system
  • Extensive crafting recipes
  • Underground biomes
  • Combat with diverse mobs
Features
Read full description

*If you don't have Junk Jack we suggest you to first purchase it and then consider Junk Jack Retro to enjoy where all started!* Junk Jack is now called Junk Jack Retro, with widescreen support! Junk Jack Retro is the prequel of Junk Jack, a 2D sandbox game where you can explore, build your home and survive in random procedurally generated worlds full of monsters, treasures and hidden secrets! --------- What the press says: "A Wonderful Free-Roam Game with an Irresistible Pixel Aesthetic" -Iphonealley.com, 4.5/5 "It has charm in spades. While it isn't the first 2D sandbox building game out there, it is a particularly attractive one, sporting crisp pixel art and gorgeous lighting effects. " " -Toucharcade, 4/5 "Junk Jack is a hands-down, no questions asked must-own for any and all iOS users who love sandbox crafting games." -148apps, 4.5/5 "Junk Jack isn't Minecraft, nor does it feel like it needs to be as its 2D world provides the same level of novel exploration fun while presenting challenges of its own to overcome; a tightly balanced free form experience that's only going to get better with time." -Appspy, 5/5 --------- Join our forum (http://forum.pixbits.com) and help us to improve our game, and share your creations! Features: * retro style pixel art! * beautiful sound tracks from Bright Primate * intuitive controls: swipe to move and tap to interact with everything! * dynamic day/night cycle * never get lost with customizable signs * advanced farming system with more than 30 different plant types * 135+ recipes for cookable foods! * tint cloth blocks with 15 color dyes * underground biomes with unique graphic style and monsters. * placeable and throwable explosives that can destroy buildings, landscapes and monsters! * critters and enemies to fight (more than 60 different mobs!) * a fully featured lighting system together with many different sources of light and global lighting * 3 slots for infinite worlds that you can generate and explore, every world is different from any other! * procedural generation which creates beautiful worlds with plants, caves, different biomes all around the world * a double layered world which allows to customize background and foreground of your creations * many ores and shiny gems to help your adventure * many hidden containers full of treasures * more than 1000 treasures! * more than 600 crafts! * more than 380 block types * many elements to decorate your houses (like sofas, tables, wardrobes, paintings, statues and many others) * an in-game discoverable book to teach you how to play and the recipes available * shelfs to place items around just to make your buildings shine * minimap (with a really zoomed out feature to allow you to share your creations) * runs fine on older gen hardware We would like to thank Notch! He developed our bigger indie brother Minecraft, without which this game would not exist. If you need help, please contact us!

About

Cassette Beasts

Explore a mysterious island, collect and fuse monsters using cassette tapes to transform for turn-based battles. Solve puzzles and uncover secrets with human companions in this open-world RPG.

Highlights
  • Monster collection
  • Monster fusion system
  • Turn-based battles
  • Open-world exploration
  • Transform into monsters
  • Elemental chemistry system
Features
Read full description

*NOTICE* Play the beginning for free. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full game. No ads. PLEASE NOTE: Due to RAM restrictions on older devices, you may experience game crashes on: Standard model iPhone 12 and 13, iPhone XS, XR, iPhone SE 2nd gen, iPad 7th, 8th and 9th generations and iPad mini 5th gen. All iPhone Pro versions and iPad Pro versions are supported in full. Adventure. Battle. Transform. Collect awesome monsters to use during turn-based battles in this open-world RPG. Combine any two monster forms using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System to create unique and powerful new ones! Welcome to New Wirral, a remote island inhabited by strange creatures you’ve only dreamed of, nightmares you hopefully haven’t, and a cast of brave folks who use cassette tapes to transform for battle. To find a way home you’ll need to explore every inch of the island, and record monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities! Transform into monsters...using retro cassette tapes?! Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown, New Wirral choose to fight fire with fire. Record a monster to tape, then play it back to take on its form for battle! Fuse monster forms! Getting close to your companion has benefits–while transformed you can combine your strengths to gain the upper hand in battle! Any two monster forms can be fused to produce unique, fully-animated new fusion forms. Explore a rich open world Certain monster abilities can be used in human form. You’ll need these to help you get around, solve puzzles, and locate dungeons. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, or turn magnetic! Travel alongside a diverse cast of human companions Never fight alone! Form bonds, spend time together, and help your selected partner complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse! Master a deep battle system Take advantage of elemental chemistry to apply extra buffs or debuffs alongside your attack, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type!

Screenshots

Junk Jack Retro4 screens
Cassette Beasts3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Cassette Beasts at Free against Junk Jack Retro's $0.99. Cassette Beasts also leads on ratings volume (462 vs 147). Junk Jack Retro's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (84% vs 51%). On update cadence, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Cassette Beasts is free to download; Junk Jack Retro costs $0.99 up front. Junk Jack Retro sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Cassette Beasts sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Junk Jack Retro holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 147 and 462 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Junk Jack Retro's written reviews are positive against 51% of Cassette Beasts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Junk Jack Retro ships an update every 5 weeks, Cassette Beasts monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Junk Jack Retro versus Cassette Beasts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJunk Jack RetroCassette Beasts
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (147 ratings) — better3.8 (462 ratings)
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews — better51.0% of reviews
Number of ratings147462 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB741 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperPixbits SRLRaw Fury

Customer experience

Junk Jack Retro

All ratings147 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral6.1%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews888 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.5%

Cassette Beasts

All ratings462 ratings
Positive66.2%
Neutral10.4%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews486 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral14.6%
Negative34.4%

User reviews

Junk Jack Retro

From 147 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Long-time fan
  • 💬 Multiplayer request
  • 🎮 Retro feel
  • 👍 Great game
  • 🔍 Lots of content to explore

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes
  • 🔒 Needs more security
  • 🕹️ Clunky controls
  • 💰 Not worth the money
  • 🤔 Confusing

Cassette Beasts

From 462 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Unique styling
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Interesting fusion mechanics
  • 👍 Great soundtrack and visuals
  • 👍 Well-made mobile port

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues on older devices
  • 🐛 Buggy controller support
  • 🔒 No cloud save/cross-device support
  • 💰 Paid full version after demo

Bugs and requests

Junk Jack Retro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Inventory/crafting issues
  • Compatibility problems
  • Saving/loading issues

Requested features

9 requests
  • Multiplayer
  • Creative mode
  • More content updates
  • Armor and weapons
  • Customization options
Show 4 more
  • Larger worlds
  • Liquids and portals
  • Bosses and mobs
  • Quests and progression

Cassette Beasts

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes after battles
  • Crashes when exiting demo
  • Stickers not working as intended
  • Bootleg monsters not changing colors
  • Teleportation issues in certain areas

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add cloud save/cross-device support
  • Improve controller support and customization
  • Add more post-game content and replayability
  • Optimize for older/lower-end devices
  • Add Russian language localization

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Junk Jack Retro

One-time10
  • Complete CraftBook$0.99
  • Slime Hat$0.99
  • Botanist Hat$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Chef Hat$0.99
  • Robin Hood Hat$0.99
  • Breeding Hat$0.99
  • Jazon Hat$0.99
  • Frost Ninja Hat$0.99
  • Santa Hat$0.99
  • Golden Logo$2.99
3 purchases

Cassette Beasts

One-time3
  • Cosplay Pack$0.99
  • Pier of the Unknown$2.99
  • Unlock the full game$6.99

Questions

Is Junk Jack Retro free?
Junk Jack Retro costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Cassette Beasts free?
Cassette Beasts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Junk Jack Retro or Cassette Beasts?
Junk Jack Retro is rated higher. Junk Jack Retro averages 4.3 out of 5 from 147 ratings, while Cassette Beasts averages 3.8 from 462 ratings.
Do Junk Jack Retro or Cassette Beasts have ads?
Neither Junk Jack Retro nor Cassette Beasts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Junk Jack Retro or Cassette Beasts?
Junk Jack Retro ships an update every 5 weeks, and Cassette Beasts monthly. Most recently, Junk Jack Retro was updated on November 1, 2026 and Cassette Beasts on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons