Comparison

BalanSSU vs POOLS™

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

Head to head
About

BalanSSU

Features
Read full description

'밸런슈'는 밸런스 게임을 통해 다양한 질문에 응답하며, 사용자들 간의 의견을 공유하고 자신의 취향을 발견할 수 있는 서비스입니다. 현재 밸런스 게임은 큰 인기를 얻어 바이럴 효과를 나타내고 있습니다. 이 서비스는 학생들 사이에서 자주 나오는 주제나 이슈에 대한 선택을 공유하고 논쟁할 수 있는 커뮤니티 플랫폼으로 기획되었습니다. 또한, 유니크하며 개성을 중시하는 MZ 세대를 주 타겟으로 삼아, '곰고미'라는 물음표와 느낌표로 디자인된 귀여운 캐릭터를 도입해 학생들에게 더욱 친숙하고 즐거운 경험을 제공하려 합니다.

About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

Screenshots

BalanSSU2 screens
POOLS™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BalanSSU at none against POOLS™'s 1. POOLS™'s advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BalanSSU asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BalanSSU versus POOLS™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBalanSSUPOOLS™
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—79.9% of reviews
Number of ratings—1.8K — better
Update frequency—Monthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB1.9 GB
Age rating4+9+
Developerkyuchul kimTensori

Bugs and requests

BalanSSU

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

In-app purchases

None

BalanSSU

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99

Questions

Is BalanSSU free?
BalanSSU is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BalanSSU or POOLS™ have ads?
Neither BalanSSU nor POOLS™ shows ads.

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