Comparison

Howl vs Lanternfall

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

Lanternfall

Engage in a turn-based tactical combat game where your lantern is your primary weapon. Navigate eight floors of a dark forest, outsmarting enemies with perfect information and strategic use of four core actions. Unlock new abilities and customize your lantern to overcome increasingly challenging foes.

Highlights
  • Turn-based tactical combat
  • Perfect information gameplay
  • Four core actions: step, strike, shove, flare
  • Dynamic forest environments
  • Unlockable boons and lantern types
  • Daily challenges and leaderboards
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Your lantern is the weapon. Raise it and everything beside you backs off a hex. Whatever has nowhere to go, against a tree, the forest's edge or another creature, is cornered: it burns, and it staggers. Lanternfall is a turn-based tactics game for one thumb. Eight floors of dark forest, one action a turn, and every enemy announces exactly what it will do next. Wolves show the claw. Archers draw the line. Boars show the charge. If you get hit, it is because you ended your turn somewhere you shouldn't have. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • Perfect information. No hidden dice, no surprise damage. Every loss is readable. • Four verbs: step, strike, shove, flare. The shove moves the board; the flare stuns everything within two hexes. • A forest that changes shape. Wolves hunt in packs. Archers back away when touched. Boars charge down lines and throw you. Weavers web the way to the gate. Crows drive the pack. Stumps wake under your feet. From floor 3 an old one walks every floor. • Two named encounters. Floor 4 is barred until the Old Bear falls. Floor 8 is the den: when the Den Mother falls, you have walked out. TWENTY-ONE BOONS, LEARNED ONE WALK AT A TIME Four families: Flame, Blade, Cloak and Light. Keystones change what a verb does. Pairs appear only when you hold both halves. Every walk that ends, win or lose, teaches the next boon, so there is always something new in the forest. THE CAMP Embers come back from every walk. Spend them on five ways to carry the lantern: the Wanderer, the Lamplighter, the Duelist, the Warden, the Torchbearer. Each starts something in hand, costs you something, and tilts the gates toward its family. THE DAILY One shared forest a night, the same for everyone, with a nightly board and a weekly ladder. One missed night a week is forgiven. DEEPER NIGHTS Walk out of a depth and its nights open: no keepsake, two hearts, a bold pack, no second chances, each for more embers. MADE THE HONEST WAY Depths 1 and 2, the Camp, the kits, every boon and the daily are free. One optional purchase, Lanternfall Deep, opens depth 3 and everything below it. A small Supporter Pack adds lantern colors and your name in the credits. No subscriptions, no ads, no consumables, no energy timers. Nothing is collected about you. Works offline. Sound follows your silent switch. Every walk is written down in the Chronicle, and any page can be shared.

Screenshots

Howl4 screens
Lanternfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Lanternfall at 5.0 against Howl's 4.2. Lanternfall also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Howl's advantage is ratings volume (65 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Lanternfall sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lanternfall holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Howl has 65 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Howl ships an update every 3 weeks, Lanternfall weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Howl versus Lanternfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHowlLanternfall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (65 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings65 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size477 MB7 MB
Age rating12+9+
Developerastragon Entertainment GmbHNICHOLAS DANIEL MINIERI

Customer experience

Howl

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

Lanternfall

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Lanternfall

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Howl

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

Lanternfall

One-time2
  • Supporter Pack$2.99
  • Lanternfall Deep$4.99

Questions

Is Howl free?
Howl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lanternfall free?
Lanternfall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Howl or Lanternfall?
Lanternfall is rated higher. Howl averages 4.2 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Lanternfall averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Howl or Lanternfall have ads?
Neither Howl nor Lanternfall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Howl or Lanternfall?
Howl ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lanternfall weekly. Most recently, Howl was updated on November 8, 2026 and Lanternfall on October 31, 2026.

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