Comparison

Crunchyroll vs Howl

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

Head to head
About

Crunchyroll

A turn-based strategy RPG where you pilot giant mechas in an elite tournament. Explore a city, manage your mecha, and uncover a story of past choices and fate.

Highlights
  • Turn-based mecha battles
  • Explore Rain City
  • Mecha customization and repair
  • Intuitive touch and controller support
  • Multiple supported languages
  • Story-driven RPG elements
Read full description

Available exclusively for Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate Fan Members. Wolfstride is a role-playing game about three former partners-in-crime coming to a turning point in their lives. When they inherit a junkyard mecha called Cowboy, they reunite to enter the planet’s most elite mecha competition: the Ultimate Golden God Tournament. Each member of the team lends their unique experience as they prepare to outwit the best mecha opponents from around the world. Between dog-mechanic Duque, mecha pilot Knife Leopard, and jack-of-all-trades Dominic Shade, the core crew’s got just about everything covered. That is… until their simple mission to make money unfolds into a deep, slow-burning exploration of their complex lives, the dark choices of their past, and their inevitable fate. - Take the role of exiled former Yakuza, Dominic Shade and explore every quirky corner of Rain City to discover a kaleidoscope of characters! - Enter the arena to fight it out in giant robots one on one. The turn-based battle system rewards preparation and strategy. - The hangar is Duque's domain, your grumpy old mechanic. Repairing damage between battles is just the beginning. Swap out parts, install upgrades, and add new weapons. - Has intuitive touch screen controls as well as full support for game controllers. - Supported Languages: English (Voiced in English), Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese. ———— Crunchyroll Premium members enjoy an ad-free experience, with full access to Crunchyroll's library of over 1,300 unique titles and 46,000 episodes, including simulcast series that premiere shortly after premiering in Japan. In addition, membership offers special benefits including offline viewing access, discount code to Crunchyroll Store, Crunchyroll Game Vault access, streaming simultaneously on multiple devices, and more! Privacy Policy: https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/privacy Terms: https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/terms/

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

Crunchyroll4 screens
Howl4 screens

Verdict

The call

Crunchyroll and Howl both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of Howl's written reviews are positive against 33% of Crunchyroll's. Howl also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (63 vs 8). Crunchyroll's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Crunchyroll sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $13.99 per month and Howl 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

Crunchyroll holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Howl has 63 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Crunchyroll's written reviews are positive against 78% of Howl's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crunchyroll ships an update every 2 months, Howl every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Crunchyroll versus Howl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrunchyrollHowl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (8 ratings) — better4.2 (63 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews78.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings863 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.4 GB477 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperCrunchyroll, LLCastragon Entertainment GmbH

Customer experience

Crunchyroll

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Howl

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

Bugs and requests

Crunchyroll

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

1 purchases

Crunchyroll

Subscriptions1
  • Mega Fan [Monthly]7 Days trial$13.991 Month
1 purchases

Howl

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99

Questions

Is Crunchyroll free?
Crunchyroll is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Crunchyroll or Howl?
Crunchyroll is rated higher. Crunchyroll averages 4.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Howl averages 4.2 from 63 ratings.
Do Crunchyroll or Howl have ads?
Neither Crunchyroll nor Howl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crunchyroll or Howl?
Crunchyroll ships an update every 2 months, and Howl every 3 weeks. Most recently, Crunchyroll was updated on October 15, 2026 and Howl on October 15, 2026.

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