Comparison

Re vs Orthanc

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

Head to head
About

Re

Experience a nostalgic, top-down solo RPG reminiscent of classic MMOs. Level up, reincarnate, collect ingredients, upgrade gear, and recruit pets to build your character. Enjoy a deep system with simple controls for a laid-back gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Leveling and Reincarnation
  • Stat Point Assignment
  • Ingredient Collection
  • Equipment Upgrading
  • Pet Recruitment (including bosses)
  • Arena Battles
Features
Read full description

Re:END is a laid-back, top-down solo-mode RPG, that feels like those great MMOs from the good old days, RE:END features simple smartphone controls and an in-depth system with leveling, reincarnation, pets, equipment upgrades, an arena, ingredients, and more! Experience an RPG with all the elements that made MMORPGs from the good old days (late 2000s) so great, right from your smartphone. ▼Leveling and Reincarnation What would an MMO be without leveling! Nothing beats the feeling of overcoming adversity, discovering new and better ways to farm exp, and growing stronger with each level. Assign stat points each time you level up, respec and reincarnate. Grow stronger, and build your character your way. ▼Collecting Ingredients and Upgrading Weapons Collect ingredients to improve your equipment by defeating powerful monsters and fishing. Fight stronger monsters, face new challenges and prepare for the next power spike! ▼Pets All enemies can join you, even bosses (some arena monsters are off limits)! There can be as little as a 0.3% chance that some enemies will join you when defeated. The odds may be slim, but that feeling of payoff when it happens is incredible!

About

Orthanc

Embark on an adventure in this faithful recreation of a classic 1970s graphic dungeon crawl RPG. Explore, defeat monsters, and gather treasure using the touchscreen interface. Experience a challenging yet addictive gameplay loop inspired by early computer games.

Highlights
  • Faithful recreation of a 1970s RPG
  • Dungeon crawl gameplay
  • Monster combat and treasure hunting
  • Touchscreen controls
  • Inspired by early computer games
Features
Read full description

This game is a faithful recreation of "Orthanc", one of the first graphic dungeon crawl role-playing games developed for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's PLATO computer in the 1970s. The original was played on a PLATO terminal with a keyboard. (The PLATO version of "Orthanc" was inspired by "pedit5", which you can learn more about in Wikipedia.) The original PLATO terminals used plasma panels only capable of displaying orange and black. There is no sound. This implementation uses the touchscreen for all gameplay. You are an adventurer gaining experience and treasure by defeating monsters. Orthanc is easy to start but hard to put down.

Screenshots

Re4 screens
Orthanc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Re at 4.7 against Orthanc's 4.0. Re also leads on ratings volume (505 vs 4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 6 weeks). Orthanc's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support 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. Re sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Orthanc asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Re holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Re has 505 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Re's written reviews are positive against 67% of Orthanc's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Re ships an update every 10 days, Orthanc every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Re versus Orthanc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReOrthanc
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (505 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings505 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size232 MB2 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPONIX LLCPaul Resch

Customer experience

Re

All ratings505 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews218 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative12.4%

Orthanc

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

Re

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Golem boss not respawning properly
  • Upgrade materials not working as intended
  • Permanent loading screen issue
  • Inconsistent drop rates for certain items

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add map or guide to help progression
  • Implement save/load system
  • Provide option to remove ads
  • Allow customization of pet formation while adventuring
  • Add ability to contact developer for support

Orthanc

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Re

One-time6
  • crystal 10$0.99
  • crystal 55$4.99
  • crystal 180$14.99
Show 3 more
  • crystal 500$29.99
  • crystal 1200$59.99
  • crystal 3000$118.99
None

Orthanc

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Re free?
Re is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Orthanc free?
Orthanc is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Re or Orthanc?
Re is rated higher. Re averages 4.7 out of 5 from 505 ratings, while Orthanc averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Re or Orthanc have ads?
Re shows ads; Orthanc does not.
Which is updated more often, Re or Orthanc?
Re ships an update every 10 days, and Orthanc every 6 weeks. Most recently, Re was updated on September 30, 2026 and Orthanc on September 25, 2026.

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