Comparison

TENSEI vs Notebook Artillery

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

Head to head
About

TENSEI

Embark on a serene journey of self-discovery through an ultra-casual endless action game. Leap and fall through calming Zen landscapes, mimicking the flow of ink on paper, to escape daily stress and find deep immersion.

Highlights
  • Ultra-casual endless action gameplay
  • Soothing Zen landscapes
  • Relaxed journey into the sky
  • Immersive experience
  • Brush stroke-like movement
Features
Read full description

An experience of self-discovery set in soothing Zen landscapes. "Tensei" is an ultra-casual endless action game. Leap and fall over and over in the style of a brush flowing across paper, and go on a relaxed journey into the sky. Leave the hectic routine of life behind for a chance to enjoy this deeply immersive experience.

About

Notebook Artillery

Engage in strategic cannon combat with this arcade-simulation-action game. Adjust firing angle and powder to hit targets or opponents, accounting for wind and random stage layouts. Features hand-drawn art and multiple game modes.

Highlights
  • Adjust firing angle and powder
  • Account for wind and stage layouts
  • Solo target practice mode
  • CPU opponent
  • Local multiplayer vs mode
  • Hand-drawn game art
  • Unlockable stickers
Features
Read full description

Apple called it "sketchy — in a good way." Multiple-time Game of the Day in 80+ countries. Nintendo Force gave it 8.5/10. And it started as a doodle. Once upon a time in a middle school computer lab, a student ignored every assignment for an entire semester to fire cannons at a friend. That student grew up, spent 20 years making games professionally, and eventually decided the world needed a proper love letter to that wasted time. This is it. Notebook Artillery is a hand-drawn artillery game inspired by the classic Mac game that got confiscated off school computers everywhere. Set your angle. Load your powder. Fire. Account for the wind. Try not to hit your own tower. Play your way: Solo target practice — break floating targets across randomly generated stages VS CPU — take on a computer opponent Local multiplayer — challenge someone in the same room What makes it feel different: Every frame hand-drawn in Procreate — ruled lines, coil binding, pencil textures, the whole notebook aesthetic Trees splinter. Towers explode. Cannonballs collide mid-air. Wind changes everything. Read the flag. Use your shot trails. Unlock stickers by pulling off feats — first-shot eliminations, mid-air collisions, and yes, accidentally destroying your own tower Randomly generated stages mean no two games play the same Made by one person, with audio by Kevin Samuels and Switch/console ports by PolyCrunch Games. No AI tools were used in making this game. All art hand-drawn. Developed in GameMaker Studio.

Screenshots

TENSEI4 screens
Notebook Artillery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TENSEI at none against Notebook Artillery's shown. TENSEI also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (100% vs 82%). Notebook Artillery's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (148 vs 13). On in-app purchases 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

TENSEI costs $2.99 and Notebook Artillery $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TENSEI holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook Artillery has 148 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of TENSEI's written reviews are positive against 82% of Notebook Artillery's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TENSEI ships an update every 5 months, Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
TENSEI versus Notebook Artillery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTENSEINotebook Artillery
Price$2.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.9 (13 ratings) — better4.5 (148 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better81.6% of reviews
Number of ratings13148 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#63 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size405 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNEURON AGE CO.,LTD.Austin Ivansmith

Customer experience

TENSEI

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Notebook Artillery

All ratings148 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews87 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral10.3%
Negative8.0%

Bugs and requests

TENSEI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notebook Artillery

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 12 and 13 on iPad Pro
  • Inconsistent animation speeds

Requested features

7 requests
  • Online multiplayer
  • Campaign mode with objectives
  • Weapon/tower upgrades
  • Customization options
  • Special game modes (speed run, boss battles, etc.)
Show 2 more
  • Ability to save and continue games
  • Detailed badge/achievement system

In-app purchases

None

TENSEI

No in-app purchases

None

Notebook Artillery

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TENSEI free?
TENSEI costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notebook Artillery free?
Notebook Artillery costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TENSEI or Notebook Artillery?
TENSEI is rated higher. TENSEI averages 4.9 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Notebook Artillery averages 4.5 from 148 ratings.
Do TENSEI or Notebook Artillery have ads?
Notebook Artillery shows ads; TENSEI does not.
Which is updated more often, TENSEI or Notebook Artillery?
TENSEI ships an update every 5 months, and Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. Most recently, TENSEI was updated on September 12, 2026 and Notebook Artillery on September 28, 2026.

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