# Mysterious Castle vs Barnard's Star

The clearest difference is price: Barnard's Star at $3.99 against Mysterious Castle's $9.99. Barnard's Star also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (77% vs 63%). Mysterious Castle's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Mysterious Castle costs $9.99 and Barnard's Star $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Barnard's Star holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 46 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Mysterious Castle's written reviews are positive against 77% of Barnard's Star's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mysterious Castle | Barnard's Star |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$3.99** |
| Rating | [4.5 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mysterious-castle/id465647954/reviews) | **[4.7 (46 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barnards-star/id1556427846/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 30 | **46** |
| Positive reviews | 63.2% of reviews | **77.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 222 MB | 122 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Jeremy Jurksztowicz](https://appshunter.io/developer/465647957) | [Pollywog Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1383938094) |

## What reviewers say

### Mysterious Castle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mysterious-castle/id465647954)

Embark on a turn-based tactical adventure in a procedurally generated world. Control a party of up to four characters, engaging in strategic combat against diverse monsters. Discover treasure and utilize a variety of skills and items to conquer dungeons.

**Highlights:** Turn-based tactical combat, Procedurally generated world, Party-based exploration, Monster variety, Item and spell system, Dungeon crawling

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Barnard's Star

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barnards-star/id1556427846)

Engage in strategic, turn-based multiplayer battles across space. Outwit opponents with unique character abilities and tactical map control. Victory depends solely on your strategic prowess, with no reliance on luck or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Multiplayer turn-based tactics, No micro-transactions or random chance, 3 warring factions (Humans, Robots, Critters), 30 characters with unique attacks, 18 maps on space stations and ships, Offline vs. AI and local multiplayer, Online multiplayer challenges

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mysterious Castle free?

Mysterious Castle costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Barnard's Star free?

Barnard's Star costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mysterious Castle or Barnard's Star?

Barnard's Star is rated higher. Mysterious Castle averages 4.5 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Barnard's Star averages 4.7 from 46 ratings.

### Do Mysterious Castle or Barnard's Star have ads?

Neither Mysterious Castle nor Barnard's Star shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mysterious Castle or Barnard's Star?

Mysterious Castle ships an update every 4 weeks, and Barnard's Star every 4 weeks. Most recently, Mysterious Castle was updated on November 1, 2026 and Barnard's Star on October 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*