Comparison

Avernum 6 HD vs Shadowborn

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

Head to head
About

Avernum 6 HD

Embark on an epic fantasy role-playing adventure in a vast subterranean world. Explore dungeons, battle unique enemies with clever tactics, and uncover a fascinating storyline filled with surprises and treachery. Your choices will determine the fate of your homeland.

Highlights
  • Enormous game world
  • Fascinating storyline
  • Hundreds of quests
  • Dozens of dungeons
  • Over 50 spells and disciplines
  • Character building options
  • Unique races and settings
Features
Read full description

* "Avernum VI on the iPad takes the crown of ‘best mobile RPG’ easily" - GearDiary * Independent RPG of the Year Runner-up, RPG of the Year Runner-up - GameBanshee * "It's the genre flag-bearer for offering substance over flash, and it's an epic finale for a series that deserves respect." - PC Gamer * "You won't see another RPG in the same style, and as well made and enjoyable as Avernum 6 is." - The Gamer Studio * "Add Avernum 6 to your collection. You won't regret it." - Inside Mac Games Avernum 6 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. Travel into the strange subterranean land of Avernum, full of dungeons, labyrinths, and constant warfare. A set of disasters threatens to destroy your homeland in a spasm of famine and warfare. Only you can help your people to get to safety before everything falls apart. As you wander the gigantic world of Avernum, you will experience: * An enormous world. Hundreds of quests, dozens of dungeons and enemy fortresses, and multitudes of characters. * A fascinating storyline, full of surprises, treachery, and epic battles. * Many unique encounters. Not just mindless hack and slash. * Many unusual enemies that will require clever tactics to defeat. * Rich game system with over 50 spells and battle disciplines, many character building options, and powerful secret skills to unlock. * Unique game world. Unique races and settings make Avernum different from any RPG out there. * When you purchase Avernum 6 HD, you get the entire game! No need to keep buying more stuff inside the app.

About

Shadowborn

Embark on an epic dark fantasy adventure with fast-paced, arcade-style combat. Explore a whimsical world filled with secrets, choose from unique classes, and master powerful abilities. Engage in thrilling battles and uncover hidden mysteries for endless replayability.

Highlights
  • Arcade-style RPG gameplay
  • Diverse hero classes
  • Multi-class system
  • Exploration and secrets
  • Responsive combat
  • Endless replayability
Features
Read full description

Shadowborn is an arcade-style RPG designed for fast, gripping mobile gameplay. Dive into a rich world of whimsy and darkness letting you carve your path to victory, whether it's a quick battle or a longer, more immersive quest. Experience pure power fantasy with tight, short game loops that pack in excitement. Move seamlessly through vibrant landscapes, tackle fast-paced missions, and engage in combat that's responsive and satisfying. The game rewards your skill, allowing you to dodge attacks and time your take-downs to win against the odds. UNLEASH YOUR POWER Step into a world of fantasy as a hero uniquely tailored to your style: • Select from distinctive classes like the Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer, Necromancer, Swashbuckler, and Valkyrie — each with a unique feel and powerful abilities. • Experiment with a multi-class system allowing you blend abilities from different achetypes and create a truly unique warrior. • Explore the different skill trees to unlock powerful synergies and legendary skills, making every playthrough unique. SECRETS EVERYWHERE The world is filled with hidden discoveries waiting to be found: • Pull the legendary Sword in the Stone, unlock sliding bookcases, and walk the Path of Fire. • Solve the Weeping Angel puzzle, discover what waits for you beyond the Looking Glass. • Find the Veiled Temples, Pirate Caves, and the horrors of the Baron's Laboratory. • Track your progress - the map shows how many secrets remain in each area. DARK AND WHIMSICAL WORLD Encounter a world of contrasts, where light and darkness dance: • Explore haunted graveyards, abandoned churches, eerie swamps, mysterious lagoons, treacherous pirate caves, and ancient mines. • Face the darkness: battle skeletal hordes, giant spiders, oozing slimes, fire elementals, spectral wraiths, and carnivorous plants. • Confront epic bosses like the Brood Mother, Lich Lord, Pirate Captain, and the mysterious Baron von Darkwood. • Discover serene moments with unicorns in sunlit glades and mermaids offering riddles by moonlit waterfalls. ARCADE-INSPIRED COMBAT Feel the thrill of smooth, responsive controls that adapt to your style: • Choose between arcade and dual-stick control options for a flexible experience that feels great in your hands. • Engage in satisfying, responsive combat that makes every fight feel impactful, like an arcade brawler in a fantasy world. • Hire mercenaries to fight alongside you, raise the dead as a Necromancer, or ride into battle on horseback. ENDLESS REPLAYABILITY Your journey doesn't end at victory: • Unlock heirlooms and a retirement system, encouraging fresh playthroughs and new challenges. • Choose from many side quests: Solve mermaid riddles, explore the Sunken Citadel, and piece together the secrets of the mysterious Esmeralda • Power up with new gear, refined strategies, and complete achievements READY FOR ANY PLAYTIME Quick missions that deliver big on action: • 3-4 minute loops offer bite-sized, high-energy action perfect for mobile. • Each mission drops you instantly into the heart of the action, keeping every session short and intense. Embrace the whimsy and darkness of Shadowborn — an arcade RPG crafted for mobile players who crave fast-paced action in a world as enchanting as it is deadly. Download now and begin your journey!

Screenshots

Shadowborn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shadowborn at Free against Avernum 6 HD's $6.99. Shadowborn also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 25 months). Avernum 6 HD's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17) and ads (none vs shown).

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

Shadowborn is free to download; Avernum 6 HD costs $6.99 up front. Shadowborn sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Avernum 6 HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shadowborn holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowborn has 6.3K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of Avernum 6 HD's written reviews are positive against 71% of Shadowborn's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Avernum 6 HD ships an update every 25 months, Shadowborn monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 0 level
Avernum 6 HD versus Shadowborn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAvernum 6 HDShadowborn
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (26 ratings)4.9 (6.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews — better71.3% of reviews
Number of ratings266.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB1.7 GB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperSpiderweb SoftwareVIVA GAMES S.L.

Customer experience

Avernum 6 HD

All ratings22 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative14.8%

Shadowborn

All ratings5,147 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews477 reviews
Positive71.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative18.2%

User reviews

Avernum 6 HD

From 26 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Deep, compelling story
  • 👍 Hours of gameplay
  • 👍 Old-school RPG style
  • 👍 Immersive world-building
  • 👍 Meaningful choices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Screen orientation issues
  • 🐛 Graphics magnified/rotated
  • 🐛 Buttons not working
  • 🐛 Illogical instructions
  • 🐛 Junk and backpack same

Shadowborn

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Interesting story
  • 👍 Decent gameplay
  • 👍 Beautiful graphics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs with quest items
  • 🐛 Targeting issues for ranged classes
  • 💰 Some features locked behind paywall

Bugs and requests

Avernum 6 HD

Reported bugs

26 issues
  • App displays sideways
  • Graphics magnified and rotated
  • Buttons don't work
  • Instructions are illogical
  • Junk and backpack are the same
Show 21 more
  • Screen orientation support missing
  • App appears upside down
  • Text appears under finger on world map
  • No clear indication of hunger/food need
  • Controls are finicky
  • Local map works differently
  • Skills are 'mystery meat'
  • World feels less epic
  • Crucial information shown only by text
  • Crash can corrupt saved game
  • Very laggy
  • Skill system not as good
  • Junkbag removed
  • No comparison for currently equipped items
  • Game does not launch right way up
  • Peace and Battle buttons interchanged
  • Empty records in Journal
  • Preview pictures in save/load menu corrupted
  • No sound in the game
  • Game Center achievements missing
  • Junk bag removed

Requested features

11 requests
  • Add Avernum 4 and 5 for iPad
  • Improve quest management
  • Add iPhone version
  • Recompile with newer game engine
  • Add Game Center achievements
Show 6 more
  • Add atmospheric music
  • Add zoom functionality
  • Improve inventory management
  • Add comparison for currently equipped items
  • Add list of completed quests
  • Fix corrupted save/load previews

Shadowborn

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Quest items disappearing
  • Stealth ability not working properly
  • Targeting issues for ranged characters

Requested features

2 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Improved stability and bug fixes

In-app purchases

None

Avernum 6 HD

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Shadowborn

One-time17
  • Essential Pack$1.99
  • Diamond Pack 1$1.99
  • Journey Pack$3.99
Show 14 more
  • Coin Pack 2$4.99
  • Diamond Pack 2$4.99
  • Booster Pack$4.99
  • Pet Dragon$9.99
  • Pet Wolf$9.99
  • Dark Knight Skin$9.99
  • Fire Mage Skin$9.99
  • Starter Pack$9.99
  • Diamond Pack 3$9.99
  • Ultra Pass$14.99
  • Diamond Pack 4$24.99
  • Rogue Pack$24.99
  • Adventure Pack$24.99
  • Mage Pack$24.99

Questions

Is Avernum 6 HD free?
Avernum 6 HD costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shadowborn free?
Shadowborn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Avernum 6 HD or Shadowborn?
Shadowborn is rated higher. Avernum 6 HD averages 4.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Shadowborn averages 4.9 from 6.3K ratings.
Do Avernum 6 HD or Shadowborn have ads?
Shadowborn shows ads; Avernum 6 HD does not.
Which is updated more often, Avernum 6 HD or Shadowborn?
Avernum 6 HD ships an update every 25 months, and Shadowborn monthly. Most recently, Avernum 6 HD was updated on October 23, 2026 and Shadowborn on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons