Comparison

Notebook Artillery vs The Universe, Controlled

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

Head to head
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
Currently charting
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.

About

The Universe, Controlled

Guide spacecraft, rockets, and UFOs to safe landings on planets and moons. Trace flight paths, avoid collisions with asteroids and aliens, and score points. Enjoy an immersive space experience with customizable sound options.

Highlights
  • Trace spacecraft paths
  • Avoid collisions
  • Land on planets/moons
  • Dodge aliens and asteroids
  • Score points
  • Customizable soundtrack and sound effects
Features
Read full description

Rockets. Spaceships. UFOs. They're all hurtling around up there in space, but someone's got to help them get to where they're going. It's you. You're that someone. Your job is to trace paths for spacecraft to land in the right place on the planet or moon they're headed for. And unsurprisingly, they'd rather not crash. That's on you. Trace paths, avoid collisions. On occasion, the other typical stuff you see in space might float by: Aliens, astronauts, asteroids. You'll want to avoid those, too. Play with the spacey soundtrack or turn it off. Enjoy the delightful sound effects, or turn those off, too. Just land everybody safely, score the most points you can, and then play again. The fun is out of this world. EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notebook Artillery4 screens
The Universe, Controlled4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Universe, Controlled at Free against Notebook Artillery's $0.99. The Universe, Controlled also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). Notebook Artillery's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (82% vs 50%). On rating, monetization model 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

The Universe, Controlled is free to download; Notebook Artillery costs $0.99 up front. The Universe, Controlled sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Notebook Artillery asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Notebook Artillery against 4.3 for The Universe, Controlled. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook Artillery has 149 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Notebook Artillery's written reviews are positive against 50% of The Universe, Controlled's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook Artillery ships an update every 2 weeks, The Universe, Controlled every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Notebook Artillery versus The Universe, Controlled: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebook ArtilleryThe Universe, Controlled
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (149 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews81.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings149 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#179 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAustin IvansmithLex Friedman

Customer experience

Notebook Artillery

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

The Universe, Controlled

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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

The Universe, Controlled

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Notebook Artillery

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

The Universe, Controlled

One-time2
  • Unlock The Universe$3.99
  • Unlock (Platinum)$9.99

Questions

Is Notebook Artillery free?
Notebook Artillery costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Universe, Controlled free?
The Universe, Controlled is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook Artillery or The Universe, Controlled?
Notebook Artillery is rated higher. Notebook Artillery averages 4.5 out of 5 from 149 ratings, while The Universe, Controlled averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Notebook Artillery or The Universe, Controlled have ads?
Notebook Artillery shows ads; The Universe, Controlled does not.
Which is updated more often, Notebook Artillery or The Universe, Controlled?
Notebook Artillery ships an update every 2 weeks, and The Universe, Controlled every 3 days. Most recently, Notebook Artillery was updated on November 8, 2026 and The Universe, Controlled on October 31, 2026.

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