Don't Look Back vs Blindscape
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Don't Look Back
Experience a critically acclaimed retro-style game that challenges players to confront their past. This short, narrative-driven experience explores themes of morality and personal growth through its unique gameplay mechanics.
- Retro graphics
- Narrative-driven gameplay
- Moral exploration
- Short game experience
- Critically acclaimed
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Don't Look Back is a short game I made in 2009. Some reviews of the original version: "A perfect example of doing more with less" - The Escapist "Every game with a lead character necessarily has a moral. Every single one. It's just rare that the moral is so uplifting." - Jayisgames "It may be a pop song, but it´s like a Smashing Pumpkins single or something, from a concept album." - PlayThisThing
Blindscape
An experimental audio-driven narrative game set in an authoritarian society. Players experience a story told entirely through sound, focusing on a man's desire to escape his life. It offers a unique, emotionally involving plot with no typical game mechanics.
- Entirely sound-based storytelling
- Experimental narrative gameplay
- Emotionally involving plot
- No in-app purchases or interruptions
- Unique artistic experience
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**Featured by Apple in Adventure and Role Playing game categories** Blindscape is a piece of experimental storytelling that takes place entirely through sound, . The narrative is told from the point of view of a man in an authoritarian society who wants to escape his life intolerable life by ending it. "A whole new take on puzzles . . . emotional and heartfelt." - Playboard.me "Games like Blindscape are a testament to the fact that even mobile gaming should be considered an art form, especially when done like this." - 148apps.com Features: • Stunning Retina-ready HD graphics • Up to ten minutes of gameplay • Some guy talking at you • No In-App Purchases, ratings nagging, or other interruptions • No badges, achievements, or integration with gamecenter • Makes you feel like a sophisticated patron of the arts • A serious, emotionally involving plot line • Look silly while you poke at the screen trying to find things Get the soundtrack: music.blindscapegame.com Sign up for the newsletter: blindscapegame.com Contact: gavin@gavinbrown.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Don't Look Back at free against Blindscape's paid. Don't Look Back also leads on update cadence (every 23 months vs every 55 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). Blindscape's advantage is ratings volume (1.4K vs 186). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Don't Look Back against 4.6 for Blindscape. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blindscape has 1.4K ratings behind it against 186, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Don't Look Back's written reviews are positive against 91% of Blindscape's.
Don't Look Back ships an update every 23 months, Blindscape every 55 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Don't Look Back | Blindscape |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (186 ratings) | 4.6 (1.4K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.0% of reviews | 91.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 186 | 1.4K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months — better | Every 55 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Distractionware Limited | Gavin Brown |
Customer experience
Don't Look Back
Blindscape
Bugs and requests
Don't Look Back
Reported bugs
2 issues- Inconsistent boss behavior
- Graphical glitches on some devices
Requested features
3 requests- Additional levels or a sequel
- Controller support
- Save/checkpoint system
Blindscape
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Don't Look Back
No in-app purchases
Blindscape
No in-app purchases
