Comparison

Brogue vs Amber Halls

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

Head to head
About

Brogue

Embark on a challenging 26-level dungeon crawl to find the Amulet of Yendor. Master strategic gameplay with a focus on a smooth learning curve and intuitive design within a classic ASCII/Unicode aesthetic. Experience high fantasy with a variety of creatures and magical items.

Highlights
  • 26-level dungeon crawl
  • Strategic depth
  • Smooth learning curve
  • ASCII/Unicode display
  • High fantasy theme
  • Permadeath gameplay
Read full description

Countless adventurers before you have descended this torch-lit staircase, seeking the promised riches below. As you reach the bottom and step into the wide cavern, the doors behind you seal with a powerful magic... Welcome to the Dungeons of Doom! Brogue is a single-player strategy game set in the halls of a mysterious and randomly-generated dungeon. The objective is simple enough -- retrieve the fabled Amulet of Yendor from the 26th level -- but the dungeon is riddled with danger. Horrifying creatures and devious, trap-ridden terrain await. Yet it is also riddled with weapons, potions, and artifacts of forgotten power. Survival demands strength and cunning in equal measure as you descend, making the most of what the dungeon gives you. You will make sacrifices, narrow escapes, and maybe even some friends along the way -- but will you be one of the lucky few to return alive?" This app offers: Brogue Classic - Brian Walker's original vision and where it all started. Brogue CE - A community effort that fixes bugs and crashes and focuses on QoL. Brogue SE - A new variant by yours truly with original items, monsters, and mechanics "...on the iPad, Brogue is an even more incredible feat than it is on the Mac: there aren’t a lot of roguelikes that can jump from a keyboard to a touch-based interface without coming off worse for wear. It’s every bit as good on the iPad as it is on the Mac." - Cult of Mac "[...] it manages to make use of its ASCII visuals to create some truly impressive-looking environments [...] it’s high fantasy to the core; filled with kobolds, goblins, wands, spell scrolls, and more." - 148Apps "It's a bit weird and clunky, but yeah, it's still Brogue" - Roguelike Radio

About

Amber Halls

Explore a palace filled with ancient artifacts and treasures while outsmarting dangerous monsters. This game blends roguelike elements with Sokoban-style puzzles, offering endless replayability. Compete in daily quests with a new map each day and climb the leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Ancient artifact exploration
  • Monster outsmarting
  • Roguelike and Sokoban puzzle blend
  • Daily quests with unique maps
  • Daily leaderboards
  • Endless replayability
Features
Read full description

Amber Halls is a palace filled with ancient artefacts and treasures. Dangerous monsters wander through the halls, but with the help of powerful items you'll be able to outsmart them. However, carrying items from room to room will prove challenging. Amber Halls is a tiny mix of roguelike and sokoban. If you like puzzle games that you can play forever you are going to love this. * Includes Daily Quest! A new map every day, the same for all players. Compete in the daily leaderboards!

Screenshots

Brogue3 screens
Amber Halls4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Brogue at Free against Amber Halls's $1.99. Brogue also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (94% vs 73%). Amber Halls's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Brogue is free to download; Amber Halls costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Amber Halls holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brogue has 77 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 94% of Brogue's written reviews are positive against 73% of Amber Halls's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brogue ships an update every 4 days, Amber Halls every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Brogue versus Amber Halls: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrogueAmber Halls
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.6 (77 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews93.9% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings77 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB5 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperSeth HowardDiego Cathalifaud

Customer experience

Brogue

All ratings76 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive93.9%
Neutral5.1%
Negative1.0%

Amber Halls

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

In-app purchases

None

Brogue

No in-app purchases

None

Amber Halls

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Brogue free?
Brogue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Amber Halls free?
Amber Halls costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Brogue or Amber Halls?
Amber Halls is rated higher. Brogue averages 4.6 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Amber Halls averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Brogue or Amber Halls have ads?
Neither Brogue nor Amber Halls shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Brogue or Amber Halls?
Brogue ships an update every 4 days, and Amber Halls every 3 weeks. Most recently, Brogue was updated on November 1, 2026 and Amber Halls on November 1, 2026.

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