Comparison

Howl vs Cassette Beasts

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

Head to head
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.

About

Cassette Beasts

Explore a mysterious island, collect and fuse monsters using cassette tapes to transform for turn-based battles. Solve puzzles and uncover secrets with human companions in this open-world RPG.

Highlights
  • Monster collection
  • Monster fusion system
  • Turn-based battles
  • Open-world exploration
  • Transform into monsters
  • Elemental chemistry system
Features
Read full description

*NOTICE* Play the beginning for free. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full game. No ads. PLEASE NOTE: Due to RAM restrictions on older devices, you may experience game crashes on: Standard model iPhone 12 and 13, iPhone XS, XR, iPhone SE 2nd gen, iPad 7th, 8th and 9th generations and iPad mini 5th gen. All iPhone Pro versions and iPad Pro versions are supported in full. Adventure. Battle. Transform. Collect awesome monsters to use during turn-based battles in this open-world RPG. Combine any two monster forms using Cassette Beasts’ Fusion System to create unique and powerful new ones! Welcome to New Wirral, a remote island inhabited by strange creatures you’ve only dreamed of, nightmares you hopefully haven’t, and a cast of brave folks who use cassette tapes to transform for battle. To find a way home you’ll need to explore every inch of the island, and record monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities! Transform into monsters...using retro cassette tapes?! Faced with the constant threat of monster attacks, the residents of Harbourtown, New Wirral choose to fight fire with fire. Record a monster to tape, then play it back to take on its form for battle! Fuse monster forms! Getting close to your companion has benefits–while transformed you can combine your strengths to gain the upper hand in battle! Any two monster forms can be fused to produce unique, fully-animated new fusion forms. Explore a rich open world Certain monster abilities can be used in human form. You’ll need these to help you get around, solve puzzles, and locate dungeons. Glide, fly, swim, climb, dash, or turn magnetic! Travel alongside a diverse cast of human companions Never fight alone! Form bonds, spend time together, and help your selected partner complete personal goals to become a better team. The strength of your relationship determines how well you’re able to fuse! Master a deep battle system Take advantage of elemental chemistry to apply extra buffs or debuffs alongside your attack, or even alter your opponent’s elemental type!

Screenshots

Howl4 screens
Cassette Beasts3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Howl at 4.2 against Cassette Beasts's 3.8. Howl also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 51%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Cassette Beasts's advantage is ratings volume (462 vs 65). On price, update cadence, 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. Howl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cassette Beasts sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Howl holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cassette Beasts has 462 ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Howl's written reviews are positive against 51% of Cassette Beasts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Howl ships an update every 3 weeks, Cassette Beasts monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Howl versus Cassette Beasts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHowlCassette Beasts
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (65 ratings) — better3.8 (462 ratings)
Positive reviews78.1% of reviews — better51.0% of reviews
Number of ratings65462 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size477 MB741 MB
Age rating12+9+
Developerastragon Entertainment GmbHRaw Fury

Customer experience

Howl

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

Cassette Beasts

All ratings462 ratings
Positive66.2%
Neutral10.4%
Negative23.4%
Written reviews486 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral14.6%
Negative34.4%

User reviews

Howl

From 65 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful art style and visual design
  • 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
  • 🧩 Engaging turn-based strategy gameplay
  • 🎯 Creative puzzle mechanics with multiple solutions
  • 📖 Compelling story and atmosphere

Room to improve

  • 🐛 UI elements covering action cards on left screen edge
  • 📱 Text too small on mobile devices
  • 🌍 Limited language localization options
  • ⏱️ Game length feels short for the price
  • 💾 Save progress issues and data loss

Cassette Beasts

From 462 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Unique styling
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Interesting fusion mechanics
  • 👍 Great soundtrack and visuals
  • 👍 Well-made mobile port

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues on older devices
  • 🐛 Buggy controller support
  • 🔒 No cloud save/cross-device support
  • 💰 Paid full version after demo

Bugs and 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

Cassette Beasts

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes after battles
  • Crashes when exiting demo
  • Stickers not working as intended
  • Bootleg monsters not changing colors
  • Teleportation issues in certain areas

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add cloud save/cross-device support
  • Improve controller support and customization
  • Add more post-game content and replayability
  • Optimize for older/lower-end devices
  • Add Russian language localization

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Howl

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Full Version$3.99
3 purchases

Cassette Beasts

One-time3
  • Cosplay Pack$0.99
  • Pier of the Unknown$2.99
  • Unlock the full game$6.99

Questions

Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cassette Beasts free?
Cassette Beasts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Howl or Cassette Beasts?
Howl is rated higher. Howl averages 4.2 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Cassette Beasts averages 3.8 from 462 ratings.
Do Howl or Cassette Beasts have ads?
Neither Howl nor Cassette Beasts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Howl or Cassette Beasts?
Howl ships an update every 3 weeks, and Cassette Beasts monthly. Most recently, Howl was updated on November 4, 2026 and Cassette Beasts on October 30, 2026.

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