Comparison

Ascension vs Root Board Game

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

Head to head
About

Ascension

Engage in a strategic deck-building card game where you acquire cards to gain Renown and unlock powerful Boons. Battle against the Fallen One alone or with friends, with expansions available to deepen the experience.

Highlights
  • Deck-building card game mechanics
  • Single-player and multiplayer modes
  • Unlock powerful Boons and Legendary status
  • Cross-platform online play
  • Offline AI opponents
  • Multiple expansions available
Features
Read full description

***Legends Expansion Now Available!** Return to the world of Vigil as the Muses of Malevolence rise to bring ruin. Legendary Heroes from Ascension’s past have returned to guide you, granting their power to those who prove worthy. Each card you acquire or defeat grants Renown with its factions, advancing you on the Legendary Track. As your Renown grows, unlock powerful Boons from Legendary Characters and, at the pinnacle of a faction’s track, gain Legendary status with the power to acquire or defeat one card from that faction for free each turn. Ascension: Deck Building Game, is the award winning deck building card game for mobile. Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory. Conceived and designed by Magic: The Gathering tournament champions, Ascension will provide hours of engaging and strategic game play for enthusiast and experienced gamers alike. 2011 Golden Geek award winner (Best Mobile/Handheld Game) Pocket Gamer Bronze Award 2011 Dice Tower Awards Awards: Best Digital Boardgame Best Interface and Graphic Design - 2011 Best Online Multiplayer - 2011 Highlights: • Universal Application: Plays on phones and tablets • Beautifully detailed cards • Full asynchronous support for multiplayer online games • Cross-platform online play • Play against multiple offline A.I. opponents • Multiple expansions available to purchase to expand the Ascension experience! *AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND PLAYDEK ACCOUNT ARE REQUIRED FOR ONLINE PLAY.* Per our Terms of Service, you must be 13 years old or older to use the Playdek online games service. Also by Playdek: - Twilight Struggle - D&D: Lords of Waterdeep - Labyrinth: The War On Terror - Fort Sumter - Fluxx Having an issue? Looking for support? Please contact us at: support@playdekgames.com You can follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram! Facebook: /playdek You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/playdek Twitter: @playdek Instagram: @playdek

About

Root Board Game

Experience a digital adaptation of a popular tabletop board game. Engage in strategic woodland warfare as 2 to 4 players vie for control of a vast wilderness, leading diverse factions to victory.

Highlights
  • Digital board game adaptation
  • Adventure and war gameplay
  • 2-4 player battles
  • Faction control mechanics
  • Wilderness exploration
Features
Read full description

Play the digital adaptation of the beloved tabletop board game. Root is a game of adventure and war where 2 to 4 players battle for control of a vast wilderness. The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods. Meanwhile, at the edge of the region, the proud, squabbling Eyrie have found a new commander who they hope will lead their faction to resume their ancient birthright. The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland. It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root.

Screenshots

Ascension4 screens
Root Board Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ascension at Free against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Ascension is free to download; Root Board Game costs $9.99 up front. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Root Board Game holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Root Board Game has 5.9K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 77% of Root Board Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Root Board Game every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Ascension versus Root Board Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscensionRoot Board Game
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating3.4 (1.1K ratings)4.9 (5.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews76.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K5.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB505 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperPlaydek, Inc.Dire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Ascension

All ratings1,103 ratings
Positive57.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews822 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative30.4%

Root Board Game

All ratings5,424 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews399 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral8.5%
Negative14.5%

User reviews

Ascension

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Awesome adaptation of the physical game
  • 🕹️ Engaging gameplay
  • 💰 Reasonable in-app purchase prices
  • 🕰️ Excellent time killer

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔄 Slow AI turns
  • 🔒 Issues with restoring purchases
  • 🔍 Cluttered UI, hard to read cards
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Root Board Game

From 5.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
  • 🎨 Charming visuals and animations
  • 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
  • 🧠 Helpful tutorials for learning the game
  • 🕹️ Great way to practice and learn the game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🕹️ AI could be improved, makes questionable decisions
  • 🕹️ Lack of undo button frustrating
  • 🕹️ Replaying opponent moves can be tedious
  • 🕹️ Animations can be slow, need option to speed up

Bugs and requests

Ascension

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Purchases disappearing after updates
  • Restore function not working
  • Crashes when certain cards are played
  • Constructs getting stuck in the middle of the screen
  • Game freezing and logging out users

Requested features

5 requests
  • Increase honor pool limit for online games
  • Add custom deck building options
  • Optimize for iPhone X and newer devices
  • Provide option to revert to old art style
  • Improve online multiplayer experience

Root Board Game

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay
  • Issues with async game notifications and state
  • Bugs with specific faction mechanics (e.g. Vagabond)

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add undo button
  • Implement option to skip/speed up opponent moves
  • Include expansion factions and maps
  • Add match history and player stats tracking
  • Improve async game notifications and stability
Show 1 more
  • Add more customization options for game setup

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Ascension

One-time10
  • Storm of Souls expansion$0.99
  • Promo Pack 1$0.99
  • Immortal Heroes expansion$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4$0.99
  • Rise of Vigil$0.99
  • Darkness Unleashed expansion$0.99
  • Realms Unraveled expansion$0.99
  • Dawn of Champions$0.99
  • Dreamscape$0.99
  • Return of the Fallen expansion$1.99
6 purchases

Root Board Game

One-time6
  • The Clockwork Expansion$5.99
  • Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds$7.99
  • The Riverfolk Expansion$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Root: The Underworld Expansion$9.99
  • Root: The Marauder Expansion$9.99
  • Hirelings & Landmarks$9.99

Questions

Is Ascension free?
Ascension is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Root Board Game free?
Root Board Game costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ascension or Root Board Game?
Root Board Game is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Root Board Game averages 4.9 from 5.9K ratings.
Do Ascension or Root Board Game have ads?
Neither Ascension nor Root Board Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ascension or Root Board Game?
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Root Board Game every 4 days. Most recently, Ascension was updated on October 27, 2026 and Root Board Game on October 27, 2026.

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