Comparison

A Kindling Forest vs RetroBoy

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

Head to head
About

A Kindling Forest

Embark on a magical auto-runner adventure to save the forest from an ancient evil. Aim and shoot your way through challenging levels, collecting arrows that serve as your life count. Utilize checkpoints to refine your strategy and overcome obstacles.

Highlights
  • Auto-runner gameplay
  • Aim and shoot mechanics
  • Collect arrows as life count
  • Five challenging levels
  • Checkpoints for progress
  • Diverse obstacles and environments
Features
Read full description

Embark on a magical journey to save the forest from an ancient evil in this challenging auto-runner adventure. An ancient demon has risen and his vicious powers plagues the world. Forest spirits have awoken an archer from the past to save the day! The demon is always one step ahead and leaves a never ending trail of rock hard shards. You'll never know which shapes or forms you’ll meet next! Destroy or avoid them and you will hunt him down. In “A Kindling Forest” you play as our hero aided by forest spirits. Aim and shoot your way through five levels in this cute, average auto-runner. Beware! The arrows you collect along the way ARE the forest spirits. Use them wisely, they are your life count as well. Run out of arrows and you will perish. Use checkpoints to start over if you’ve learned a more efficient way to get through the various obstacles to pass. How to play: Your phone is divided into two areas. Jump and shoot by touching the screen. Get past the shards by aiming for their weak points in this fast-paced adventure! Grow new paths, teleport to new places, fly over clouds, jump over spiders, go through ruins, lava and so much more!

About

RetroBoy

A retro action platformer where a single tap shifts the game between modern HD and 8-bit pixel art. This mechanic alters visuals, music, physics, and gameplay, revealing hidden paths and power-ups. Master both realities to uncover the game's secrets.

Highlights
  • World-flipping mechanic (HD/8-bit)
  • 6 handcrafted levels
  • 5 boss battles
  • Hidden rooms and collectibles
  • 3 unlockable weapons
  • 28 player upgrades
  • Multiple difficulty modes
Features
Read full description

Put on the shades. See the truth. RetroBoy is a handcrafted retro action platformer where a single tap flips the entire world between modern HD and raw 8-bit reality — changing the art, music, physics, abilities, and even the paths you can take. Nemo's world is a lie. His shades reveal the 8-bit code hidden underneath — and inside the code, he becomes more powerful. Run faster, jump higher, double-jump, and ride walls. But Nemo can only stay in the 8-bit world while his energy lasts. When the bar empties, reality snaps back to HD. Grab energy pickups to recharge, then switch at exactly the right moment — platforms, doors, enemies, and entire secret rooms can exist in one reality but not the other. Master both worlds to uncover the truth. FEATURES • Two realities, one tap — transform every level between modern HD visuals with full 3D character models and chunky 8-bit pixel art • 6 handcrafted levels — explore server rooms, neon rooftops, a towering corporate HQ, the corrupted Glitch Zone, the Architect's core, and a final trip to the other side • 5 boss battles and a boss-rush finale — with skippable intro cinematics • Secrets everywhere — 12 hidden rooms behind mode-exclusive doors, 27 data fragments, and 12 elusive pigeons • 3 weapons to master — fists, an energy blaster, and a laser sword • 28 upgrades earned through play — spend the chips you collect on new powers, all the way up to the Mech Suit • Built for replayability — 18 stars to earn, Normal / Hard / Brutal difficulty, and New Game+ prestige runs • A synchronized dual soundtrack — every track has an HD and a chiptune version that swap seamlessly with the world MADE FOR MOBILE • 3 touch layouts — reposition and resize every button to suit your style • Full game-controller support — touch controls tuck away automatically • Play the whole game offline — ideal for flights and commutes • Colorblind modes, haptic feedback, adjustable text size and screen shake • No ads, no in-app purchases, no account required The truth is waiting. Put on the shades.

Screenshots

A Kindling Forest4 screens
RetroBoy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: A Kindling Forest at Free against RetroBoy's $2.99. A Kindling Forest also leads on ratings volume (47 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). RetroBoy's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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

A Kindling Forest is free to download; RetroBoy costs $2.99 up front. A Kindling Forest sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RetroBoy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RetroBoy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A Kindling Forest has 47 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of A Kindling Forest's written reviews are positive against 100% of RetroBoy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Kindling Forest ships an update every 3 weeks, RetroBoy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
A Kindling Forest versus RetroBoy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Kindling ForestRetroBoy
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.2 (47 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings47 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size194 MB750 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperDennis BerndtssonPeter Hodges

Customer experience

A Kindling Forest

All ratings47 ratings
Positive80.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral5.7%
Negative12.5%

RetroBoy

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

A Kindling Forest

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Purchase button not responding
  • Character stuck under the map
  • Tutorial not helpful
  • Penny Bridge level bug
  • No sound
Show 1 more
  • Camera bugs

Requested features

8 requests
  • More levels or stages
  • Endless mode
  • Upgrades or skins shop
  • Haptic feedback
  • Option to increase auto-scroll speed
Show 3 more
  • Easy and hard modes
  • Continue button for paid version
  • More content or continuation

RetroBoy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

A Kindling Forest

One-time1
  • Buy A Crown$0.99
None

RetroBoy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is A Kindling Forest free?
A Kindling Forest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RetroBoy free?
RetroBoy costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, A Kindling Forest or RetroBoy?
RetroBoy is rated higher. A Kindling Forest averages 4.2 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while RetroBoy averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do A Kindling Forest or RetroBoy have ads?
Neither A Kindling Forest nor RetroBoy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A Kindling Forest or RetroBoy?
A Kindling Forest ships an update every 3 weeks, and RetroBoy fortnightly. Most recently, A Kindling Forest was updated on October 17, 2026 and RetroBoy on October 12, 2026.

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