Comparison

Emerald Mine vs Pentix Nova

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

Head to head
About

Emerald Mine

Navigate treacherous underground caves as a miner, collecting gems to unlock exit portals. Avoid hazards like exploding bugs, tanks, aliens, and falling debris. Relive a classic Amiga experience with over 6,000 levels.

Highlights
  • Collect gems to open exit portals
  • Avoid hazards: bugs, tanks, aliens, acid
  • Over 6,000 classic levels
  • MFi controller support
  • Game Center high scores
  • Touchscreen controls
Features
Read full description

Emerald Mine for iOS. Based on the Rocks N Diamonds codebase but only includes the Emerald Mine levels. Game Center global high scores. In Emerald Mine you play as a miner trapped deep underground. Your objective is to collect the minimum number of gems to open the exit portals. Explore the caves to find all the gems and try to avoid the hazards which include exploding bugs, tanks, aliens and acid pools. Be careful of falling boulders and debris as they will crush you. Relive the classic Amiga game, Emerald Mine. This is a fan port of the game updated to play on all iOS devices. All classic art and sounds are included as well as the original levels for Emerald Mine 1, 2 and 3 plus some bonus levels from the Emerald Mine archive. In total there are more than 6,000 levels. Swipe on the right half of the screen to move your character. Tap and hold on the left side then swipe on the right side to grab a nearby block. MFi controllers supported

About

Pentix Nova

Experience a fresh take on a classic block-dropping puzzle game. Arrange falling pieces to complete lines and clear them, aiming for high scores or completing specific objectives. Enjoy customizable controls and various difficulty levels in this reimagined brick blast experience.

Highlights
  • Arrange falling pieces to clear lines
  • Endless game mode
  • Objective-based levels
  • Campaign progression
  • Customizable controls
  • Stash pieces for later use
Features
Read full description

Reimagination and a remake of the immortal classic. Arrange the falling pieces to fill up and clear the lines. Clear as many lines as possible to advance through levels or complete various objectives. This game is inspired by the four brick falling blocks games. But instead of easy four brick pieces, where the name Tetra comes from, this game uses five bricks pieces, thus the name Penta. Of course, you are not limited to either set of pieces. Play any combination you would like and consider more fun. Fun question: Do you see the black dots when you are looking at the game title screen? Do you think they are there? Features: - Play an endless game or complete objectives. - Play individual levels or progress through the campaign. - Smooth and customizable controls. - Various difficulty levels. Controls: The controls were designed to make the gameplay smooth and enjoyable. Below are the few highlights that make this game stand out. - Tap with the second finger or swipe down to drop the piece. Of course, you can use the "Drop" buttons too. - Swipe up to stash the piece and use it later in the game. This allows for more strategic play. Privacy policy: https://akatek.biz/apps/pentix_nova/privacy_policy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Emerald Mine4 screens
Pentix Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Emerald Mine at none against Pentix Nova's 2. Emerald Mine also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). Pentix Nova's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (14K vs 32). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Pentix Nova sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Emerald Mine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pentix Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pentix Nova has 14K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Emerald Mine's written reviews are positive against 47% of Pentix Nova's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Emerald Mine ships an update every 2 weeks, Pentix Nova weekly. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Emerald Mine versus Pentix Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmerald MinePentix Nova
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (32 ratings)4.5 (14K ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.1% of reviews — better47.4% of reviews
Number of ratings3214K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLes BirdAkaTek LLC

Customer experience

Emerald Mine

All ratings32 ratings
Positive71.9%
Neutral12.5%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive55.1%
Neutral16.3%
Negative28.6%

Pentix Nova

All ratings13,739 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral6.2%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive47.4%
Neutral14.2%
Negative38.4%

User reviews

Emerald Mine

From 32 App Store ratings

What we love

  • nostalgic recreation of a classic game
  • 👍 Great port of a classic
  • 💡 iCade compatible controller support
  • ✨ Free to play
  • 🌟 Brings back Amiga memories

Room to improve

  • 👎 Controls are difficult to master
  • 😥 Unresponsive controls
  • ⚠️ Swiping controls are not ideal
  • ❌ Some levels are impossible
  • 😩 Frustrating to control on touchscreens

Pentix Nova

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Challenging and fun
  • 👍 Nostalgic and relaxing
  • 🎮 Great Tetris variant
  • 💡 Interesting new piece shapes
  • 🎨 Visually appealing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Controls issues (sensitivity, responsiveness, placement of buttons)
  • 💰 Intrusive ads with no ad-free option
  • 🕹️ Clunky controls and frequent errors
  • 🔧 Bugs and glitches after updates
  • 🤯 Frustrating difficulty spikes

Bugs and requests

Emerald Mine

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Figure doesn't move on iPad
  • Snap does not work on iPhone
  • Game quits at certain levels
  • Level 7 is impossible to beat
  • Controls are incomplete
Show 5 more
  • World 1 Level 7 bug
  • Game doesn't keep prefs on control method
  • Controls can be unresponsive or go in wrong direction
  • Game crashes at certain levels
  • Bottom right wall only visible on start

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add on-screen gamepad option
  • Improve touchscreen controls
  • Option to skip difficult levels
  • Remove or adjust timer
  • Add music to the game's first screen
Show 5 more
  • Larger buttons for controls
  • Add achievements
  • Add music
  • More control options
  • Instructions for control methods

Pentix Nova

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Goal line disappearing in adventure mode
  • Pieces teleporting and rotating unexpectedly
  • Drop button functionality issues after updates
  • Game progress not saved when switching apps
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to rotate pieces both ways
  • Implement variable drop speed
  • Provide an ad-free paid version
  • Add more levels and challenges
  • Improve overall control scheme

In-app purchases

None

Emerald Mine

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Pentix Nova

One-time2
  • Unlock All Levels$3.99
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

Is Emerald Mine free?
Emerald Mine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pentix Nova free?
Pentix Nova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Emerald Mine or Pentix Nova?
Pentix Nova is rated higher. Emerald Mine averages 4.0 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while Pentix Nova averages 4.5 from 14K ratings.
Do Emerald Mine or Pentix Nova have ads?
Pentix Nova shows ads; Emerald Mine does not.
Which is updated more often, Emerald Mine or Pentix Nova?
Emerald Mine ships an update every 2 weeks, and Pentix Nova weekly. Most recently, Emerald Mine was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pentix Nova on October 21, 2026.

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