The Pinball Wizard vs Notebook Artillery
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Pinball Wizard
Experience a unique blend of classic pinball physics and modern roguelite progression. Control a wizard as the ball, navigating dungeon-like tower floors, mastering flippers, and battling enemies. Collect upgrades and perks to enhance your abilities for each subsequent run.
- Classic pinball physics
- Roguelite progression system
- Handcrafted tower tables
- Pattern-driven boss battles
- Perks and upgrades
- Quick and deep mastery sessions
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Pinball—with a twist. Your wizard is the ball. Climb the castle tower one floor at a time, master the flippers, and outplay cunning enemies. Get stronger with perks and upgrades, then come back for “one more” at-bat. If you love classic pinball physics and modern progression, this is your game. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • A Pinball Feel: Snappy flippers, lanes, rails, bumpers—tight, readable physics. • Roguelite Progression: Level up, choose upgrades, and discover shot synergies. • Tower Tables: Handcrafted dungeon floors with hazards, secrets, and shortcuts. • Boss Battle: Pattern-driven arenas that reward precision and timing. • Quick runs, Deep Mastery: perfect for short sessions or longer sessions If you enjoy The Pinball Wizard, please leave a review—it helps more pinball fans discover the tower!
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: The Pinball Wizard at Free against Notebook Artillery's $0.99. The Pinball Wizard also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 149). Notebook Artillery's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (82% vs 66%). On rating, update cadence, ads 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
The Pinball Wizard is free to download; Notebook Artillery costs $0.99 up front. The Pinball Wizard sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Notebook Artillery asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Pinball Wizard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Pinball Wizard has 1.1K ratings behind it against 149, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of The Pinball Wizard's written reviews are positive against 82% of Notebook Artillery's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Pinball Wizard ships an update fortnightly, Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.
| Parameter | The Pinball Wizard | Notebook Artillery |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better | 4.5 (149 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.2% of reviews | 81.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 149 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #179 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 309 MB | 115 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Frosty Pop | Austin Ivansmith |
Customer experience
The Pinball Wizard
Notebook Artillery
User reviews
The Pinball Wizard
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and responsive controls
- 🎨 Charming and polished visuals
- 💰 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🕹️ Unique RPG-like pinball mechanics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Unresponsive or awkward controls
- 🕰️ Short main campaign length
- 🤕 Difficulty spikes and unfair enemy encounters
Notebook Artillery
From 149 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 👍 Charming hand-drawn visuals
- 🎨 Creative twist on artillery games
- 💡 Simple yet effective mechanics
- 🕹️ Satisfying challenge of mastering angles and power
Room to improve
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
- 🤖 Erratic AI behavior
- 🕹️ Controls could be improved for one-handed play
- 🎨 Pixelated terrain graphics
- 🕹️ Lacking difficulty settings or progression
Bugs and requests
The Pinball Wizard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Stuck on loading screen
- Freezing when upgrading skills
- Inconsistent damage and enemy behavior
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and content
- Expanded character customization
- Landscape mode support
- Improved enemy and level design
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.)
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- Ability to save and continue games
- Detailed badge/achievement system
In-app purchases
The Pinball Wizard
- Gift$0.99
- Gift$1.99
- Remove Ads$2.99
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- Gift$3.99
Notebook Artillery
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Pinball Wizard free?
Is Notebook Artillery free?
Which has better reviews, The Pinball Wizard or Notebook Artillery?
Do The Pinball Wizard or Notebook Artillery have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Pinball Wizard or Notebook Artillery?
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