Avernum HD vs Lowlander II
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Avernum HD
Embark on an epic fantasy role-playing adventure in a vast underworld. Explore enormous environments, uncover a fascinating story, and make choices that lead to freedom or revenge. This game offers over 30 hours of engaging gameplay.
- Epic fantasy role-playing adventure
- Enormous underworld world
- Fascinating story with 30+ hours of gameplay
- Three separate game-winning quests
- Dozens of side quests and magical artifacts
- Rich game system with spells and character traits
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"Avernum: Escape From the Pit is an amazing game which will provide hours of fun. I would even go so far as to say it’s a nearly perfect example of a role-playing game." -AppleTell "8/10" - Inside Mac Games "Fans looking to get into the Avernum series will do very well with Escape from the Pit, and while the improvements beyond the game engine and visuals are relatively modest, there's still a lot to enjoy even if you've played through the game once before already." - GameBanshee "The game’s strong writing carries it through, and earns it a place among the greatest indie RPGs. 9.0/10" - Game Chronicles "It is a tribute to indie gaming as a whole that a game made by such a tiny team can swell into such an involving, engrossing and glorious fantasy epic. - 9/10" - The Digital Fix "If you're looking for a complex single player RPG and value content at the expense of visuals, don't miss this title. 8/10" - Impulse Gamer "Spiderweb Software have provided a vast world in which to get lost, and a hefty quest in which to sink your teeth, which will reward those who can overlook its lack of finesse with many hours of enjoyable adventure." - Indie Game Magazine "Take this one with you on car trips, use it to replace your TV shows on summer break, whatever. No self-respecting fan of RPGs should be without it." - Technology Tell Avernum: Escape From the Pit HD is an epic, indie fantasy role-playing adventure. It is optimized for the iPad and features an enormous world, a fascinating story, and 30+ hours of gameplay. Avernum is the first chapter in an epic tale, the story of imprisonment, rebellion, and the struggle for freedom against overwhelming odds. Avernum: Escape From the Pit features: Epic fantasy adventure in an enormous underworld. Huge outdoors and eighty towns and dungeons. Three separate game-winning quests. Seek safety, escape or revenge. Do just one of them or all three! Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any adventure out there. Dozens of side quests and hundreds of magical artifacts. Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines and a multitude of beneficial character traits to choose from. The Story: You have been banished to the underworld, never to see the light of day again. The surface is ruled by the cruel Emperor Hawthorne, master of the Empire. All of the known lands are subject to his brutal command. Everyone who speaks out, who misbehaves, who doesn’t fit in is cast into the dark, volcanic pits of Avernum, far below the surface. There, you are expected to die, a victim of starvation, horrible monsters, or simple despair. But not all of the Avernites have surrendered. With magic and steel, they are forging a new nation deep underground. You can join them and fight for safety. Or freedom. Or even, if you dare, revenge on the surface-worlders who tried to destroy you.
Lowlander II
Embark on a retro-style RPG adventure inspired by classic games. Explore a vast world, battle evil enchantresses, and gain power. Enjoy one-handed gameplay with over 16 hours of content and cloud saves.
- One-handed portrait-style gameplay
- Over 16 hours of minimalist adventure
- Explore a huge world and gain experience
- Delve into dungeons for loot
- Cloud save functionality
- Over 8 colors and special effects
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LOWERLANDER is the sequel to Flat Black's 2015 somewhat-acclaimed retro-rpg, Lowlander! "Lowlander II is a great game, possibly the most enjoyable, largest and best produced game of its type available that’s not got the Ultima name attached to it. " - My Boxed Universe **** 1/2 stars from TouchArcade! Yarak means business. She ain't got time for you! Get that armor on- there's adventuring to be done! Generations after the mighty LOWLANDER vanquished the nefarious Azamon, a new villain has arisen. The evil enchantress, YARAK! The realm needs a new hero -- will you be the one? Styled after the early Ultima games from Richard Garriott, Lowerlander will make your iPhone 7 Plus feel like an Apple II+. That's a good thing! Plus, Lowlander's new sibling packs the same one-handed portrait-style gameplay that sensible people prefer! TouchArcade had this to say about the first one’s shameless imitation of Ultima II: “4.5 stars ... Lowlander is an interesting case, because it's not often that a game paying direct homage to a classic is actually better than said classic.” Unquestionably undeserved, but that’s high praise! FEATURES - glorious one handed, portrait-style, retro-RPG action - over 16 hours of minimalist adventure - explore a huge world, gain experience and rise in power - delve into dark dungeons for loot and riches - three save-game slots - save games to the cloud and download them later or to another device - no in-app purchases. buy once, own forever - special spell and environmental effects - OVER 8 colors - realistic moving water and lava
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Lowlander II at $2.99 against Avernum HD's $9.99. Lowlander II also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 17 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Avernum HD costs $9.99 and Lowlander II $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lowlander II holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 45 and 89 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 93% and 94% positive.
Avernum HD ships an update every 17 months, Lowlander II every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Avernum HD | Lowlander II |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (45 ratings) | 4.9 (89 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 93.4% of reviews | 93.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 45 | 89 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 17 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Spiderweb Software | Flat Black Films |
Customer experience
Avernum HD
Lowlander II
User reviews
Avernum HD
From 45 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great turn-based RPG
- 👍 Excellent alternative to D&D
- 👍 Massive world to explore
- 👍 Huge amount of content
- 👍 Fantastic game
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🐛 Upside-down orientation on iPad Pro
- 🐛 Difficulty selecting enemies in combat
- 🐛 Frustrating pathfinding issues
Lowlander II
From 89 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Nostalgic Ultima feel
- 👍 Engaging and fun gameplay
- 🗺️ Large and detailed world
- 💡 Humorous and witty dialogue
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful developer
Room to improve
- 💀 Instant death without warning
- 🔄 Repetitive gameplay elements
- 🤔 Some challenging puzzles/stuck points
- 🔊 Annoying walking sound
- 📉 Lack of replayability/character variation
Bugs and requests
Avernum HD
Reported bugs
2 issues- Automatic party death at start of game
- Compatibility issues on older iPads
Requested features
4 requests- Pinch-to-zoom functionality
- Automatic saving during gameplay
- More quick spell slots
- iCloud save sync
Lowlander II
Reported bugs
9 issues- Instant death from dialog choice
- Game crashing when switching apps
- Save file bugged/unbeatable
- Stealth mission issues
- Boot screen zoomed in
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- Frame rate issues on older devices
- Glitched ship quest
- Baby dungeon quest glitch
- Error message fixed by developer
Requested features
4 requests- Sequel (Lowlander III)
- More clues/hints or link to FAQ/forum
- Endgame randomized dungeon for replayability
- Background music
In-app purchases
Avernum HD
No in-app purchases
Lowlander II
No in-app purchases









