Comparison

Vermitron vs Howl

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

Head to head
About

Vermitron

Defend your flower from invading insects in this retro-styled arcade shooter. Utilize bug spray, pets, and fortifications while searching for a watering can. Experience classic twin-stick shooter gameplay with tower defense elements.

Highlights
  • Retro arcade gameplay
  • Tower defense elements
  • Twin-stick shooter mechanics
  • Unlockable weapons and power-ups
  • Unique ZX Spectrum graphics
  • High score chasing
Read full description

They're coming! Get ready to defend your lovely flower from invading insect! Prepare your bug spray, call your holo-pet, fortify your base and don't forget your mission: find the watering-can! Vermitron is a retro-styled arcade twin-stick shooter with tower defense elements inspired by the classic titles like Robotron, Smash TV, Gauntlet or Pssst from ZX Spectrum. • Old-school arcade gameplay! • Easy to play, hard to beat! • Infinite replayability > get the highest score you can! • Unlock new weapons, pets and power-ups • Unique retro ZX Spectrum style graphics • Space slugs • and of course, cats! #MadeWithFusion

About

Howl

Engage in turn-based tactical combat within a dark fairy-tale world threatened by a mysterious plague. Play as a deaf heroine who can foresee enemy moves, utilizing unique arrows and skills to defeat beasts. Explore beautifully illustrated environments and uncover secrets.

Highlights
  • Turn-based tactical combat
  • Foretell enemy moves
  • Variety of arrow types
  • Unlockable skills and upgrades
  • Living ink art style
  • Multiple chapters and levels
  • Save villagers
Features
Read full description

This game is free to download and play for a limited number of levels and time. Do you like the game? Then you can easily unlock the full version through the in App purchase! Howl is a turn-based puzzle/tactical folktale set in the Middle Ages, where a mysterious "howling plague" ravages the land. Any who hear the beasts’ howls turn into feral, hungering beasts themselves – further spreading the curse through their own howls. The Heroine of this tale was born deaf, giving her a unique protection against this curse. Play as a daring combat Prophet with the ability to foretell your enemies’ moves. Plan up to six steps ahead to outmaneuver your enemies. Fire a variety of arrows, such as exploding, lightning, or piercing shots, and use skills like Smoke Bombs and Shadow Step’s Invisibility to kill any beasts who stand in your way. Each type of beast offers its own challenges, with some approaching fast, while others taking more powerful hits or attacking from afar. Howl's visuals are created through "living ink", a flowing art style that paints the story as you play. Carve your way through a dark, fairy-tale world made up of obscure yet magical places where you fight to rid the lands of the howling plague. Howl features a total of 5 chapters, including the free Heart of Rot update, each with a distinct visual atmosphere scored by soothing music. Access to this update is FREE for anyone who has bought the Howl base game. You can access this update chapter from the Chapter 3 map at any point after reaching Chapter 3 of the main story. This update features its own chapter map, new enemies, a new boss level, new environment mechanics, the new Lightning Shot skill (which, once unlocked, can be used in the main game!), and an NPC who fights by your side in later levels. Features • Foretell the actions of your enemies in turn-based puzzle/tactics combat. • Play through 60 levels across 4 chapters, plus 18 new levels in the free update chapter! • Beautifully illustrated in a unique, living ink art style. • Outsmart the different wolf species, from fast predators to enormous pack leaders. • Unlock and upgrade new skills like Shadow Step, Exploding Shot, and more. • Save villagers from the claws – and howls – of the wolves. • Plot your route on the world map to uncover new skills and secret paths.

Screenshots

Vermitron4 screens
Howl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Howl at Free against Vermitron's $2.99. Howl also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (63 vs 2). Vermitron's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Vermitron holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Howl has 63 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Vermitron's written reviews are positive against 78% of Howl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vermitron ships an update every 3 months, Howl every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Vermitron versus Howl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVermitronHowl
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.2 (63 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better78.1% of reviews
Number of ratings263 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB477 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCLICKTEAM LLC USAastragon Entertainment GmbH

Customer experience

Vermitron

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

Howl

All ratings63 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral4.8%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative17.2%

Bugs and requests

Vermitron

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Howl

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Arrow card hidden by sidebar UI on left screen edge
  • Text bubbles blocking enemy action information
  • Save data not persisting after app closure
  • UI elements too small to read on iPhone
  • Tooltip descriptions not displaying correctly
Show 3 more
  • Hover mechanics don't work on iPad
  • Specific level completion issues (Tower chapter)
  • Yellow completion symbol blends with map background

Requested features

10 requests
  • Movable text bubbles to prevent obstruction
  • Character gender/pronoun customization
  • More levels and expanded content
  • Language localization (Vietnamese, German, etc.)
  • UI scaling for smaller phones
Show 5 more
  • Ability to select language for voice acting
  • More detailed story development
  • 3D graphics enhancement
  • Clearer level count visibility upfront
  • Improved tooltip system for mobile

In-app purchases

None

Vermitron

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Howl

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Vermitron free?
Vermitron costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Vermitron or Howl?
Vermitron is rated higher. Vermitron averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Howl averages 4.2 from 63 ratings.
Do Vermitron or Howl have ads?
Neither Vermitron nor Howl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Vermitron or Howl?
Vermitron ships an update every 3 months, and Howl every 3 weeks. Most recently, Vermitron was updated on September 21, 2026 and Howl on September 28, 2026.

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