Comparison

Shadow Era vs P.S.C.D.

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Era

Engage in a deep, cross-platform collectible trading card game. Build your deck, battle AI or players, and earn new cards with a generous free-to-play system. Progress is saved across all devices.

Highlights
  • Cross-platform multiplayer PvP
  • Nearly 1000 collectible cards
  • Free-to-play Meltdown mode with prizes
  • View games in progress and replays
  • Hero selection and starter deck
  • Server-side progress saving
Features
Read full description

Shadow Era 5.28 adds 5 new Tribute Cards! Shadow Era is the full scale, cross-platform collectible trading card game that you've been looking for, with the most generous free to play system out there! Start your campaign by choosing your Hero, and get a free starter deck. Battle with AI opponents or other players in realtime pvp to earn more cards. Your progress and cards will be saved on the server and can be accessed from any device! You must decide which strategy to use as you build your deck, in one of the most balanced card games out there! "A fantastic representation of what freemium games should be." - Touch Arcade "Shadow Era is a must-download for fans of CCGs." - TUAW "Shadow Era is a deep CCG that's easy to pick up, but nearly impossible to put down." - Slide To Play (4/4) "Shadow Era proves that digital TCG's can be just as fun as their real world counterparts." - Gamezebo FEATURES - 5 New tribute cards that will each add a major wrinkle to your favorite deck design! - Bugfixes and balance adjustments to the 33 most recent cards in the Rekindled Rebirth expansion! - Amazing card art that is sure to wow you, even rivals the top trading card games! - View games in progress or replays to learn new strategies - Free to play Meltdown game mode with great weekly prizes - Cross-platform multiplayer pvp battles - Game Center leaderboards - Full support for Retina and iPad displays - Fantastic 3d graphics and special effects - Amazing custom soundtrack - Completely free to play! No "pay to win" here! - Monthly contests that allow YOU to become a card in the game! Please visit http://www.shadowera.com for the official game rules, full card list, tutorials, and forums.

About

P.S.C.D.

Engage in a card-collectible strategy game set in a colonial settlement. Explore mysteries, befriend characters, and potentially find romance. Features upgradable cards for enhanced replayability.

Highlights
  • Card-collectible gameplay
  • Upgradable cards
  • Visual Novel Mode
  • Dating sim elements
  • Story exploration
  • Character befriending
Features
Read full description

Planet Stronghold: Colonial Defense brings you back in time in the early settlement days of the Planet Stronghold colony. By a bizarre coincidence, two captains, two siblings, get stuck in the same colony: Alex and Diana Nelson. Take control of one of them, and discover the mysteries and the dangers of Planet Stronghold, and the personalities of the various characters of your team. The game features a big card-collectible gameplay part, easy to learn but hard to master. Upgradable cards brings even more replayability, especially at higher difficulty levels. For those looking forward more to the story and visual novel/dating sim aspect, you can play the game in "Visual Novel Mode" and enjoy the game dialogues and the beautiful painted artwork style: there are eight characters to befriend, and if you play your cards right, romance!

Screenshots

Shadow Era4 screens
P.S.C.D.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: P.S.C.D. at 4.8 against Shadow Era's 4.4. P.S.C.D. also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 89%). Shadow Era's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 53 months) and ratings volume (296 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Shadow Era sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and P.S.C.D. sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

P.S.C.D. holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadow Era has 296 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Shadow Era's written reviews are positive against 100% of P.S.C.D.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Era ships an update every 3 months, P.S.C.D. every 53 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shadow Era versus P.S.C.D.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow EraP.S.C.D.
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (296 ratings)4.8 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings296 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 53 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size600 MB174 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperJonathan BjorkCelso Riva

Customer experience

Shadow Era

All ratings295 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews1,220 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral4.3%
Negative7.0%

P.S.C.D.

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shadow Era

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Merchant screen not loading
  • Opponent turns freezing the game
  • Inconsistent card interactions
  • Graphical glitches on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved single-player/offline mode
  • More diverse card pool and deck options
  • Better sorting/filtering for cards
  • Smoother animations and visual effects
  • Cross-platform multiplayer support

P.S.C.D.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Shadow Era

One-time10
  • 220 Shadow Crystals$1.99
  • 600 Shadow Crystals$4.99
  • Warrior Bundle$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Mage Bundle$4.99
  • Rogue Bundle$4.99
  • 1300 Shadow Crystals$9.99
  • SF Booster Box$14.99
  • 2700 Shadow Crystals$19.99
  • Monthly Special$19.99
  • Premium Foil Bundle$34.99
1 purchases

P.S.C.D.

One-time1
  • Full story$8.99

Questions

Is Shadow Era free?
Shadow Era is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is P.S.C.D. free?
P.S.C.D. is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shadow Era or P.S.C.D.?
P.S.C.D. is rated higher. Shadow Era averages 4.4 out of 5 from 296 ratings, while P.S.C.D. averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.
Do Shadow Era or P.S.C.D. have ads?
Neither Shadow Era nor P.S.C.D. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Era or P.S.C.D.?
Shadow Era ships an update every 3 months, and P.S.C.D. every 53 months. Most recently, Shadow Era was updated on November 1, 2026 and P.S.C.D. on November 2, 2026.

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