Comparison

Backpack Battles vs Shotgun King

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

Head to head
About

Backpack Battles

Strategize and battle using a meticulously organized backpack filled with items. Combine and craft powerful equipment to gain an advantage. Compete against other players in ranked or unranked modes with no time limits.

Highlights
  • Item placement strategy
  • Item combination and crafting
  • Real-player battles
  • Ranked and Unranked modes
  • No time limits
  • Leaderboard climbing
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

[We recommend a total device RAM of 4GB or higher; otherwise, the app may crash due to insufficient memory.] In Backpack Battles, you fight with your backpack full of items! It matters what you buy, and especially how you place them. The smarter you place your items, the stronger you'll be! Items come in different shapes, sizes, prices, and rarities. Combine them into even stronger equipment: brew powerful potions, craft legendary weapons, or even hatch a dragon friend! Face the backpack builds of other real players. See what they came up with, and counter them to win. Test your limits in Ranked Mode and climb the leaderboard! Or relax in Unranked Mode with low pressure. Both modes have no time limits, so take your time to organize your backpack! Join our community for discussion and support! Discord: https://discord.gg/PKPGxFpgFA Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AtWHngD8v/ New Player Guide Video on Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtuXBw4bDM Contact Us:support.m@indieark.com

About

Shotgun King

Experience a unique twist on chess where you command a king armed with a shotgun. Fight your way through enemy pieces, strategically reload, and upgrade your abilities to reclaim your kingdom. This roguelike chess adventure offers challenging gameplay and extensive replayability.

Highlights
  • Chess with a shotgun mechanic
  • Roguelike progression with upgrades
  • 15 difficulty ranks
  • Unlockable cards
  • Over 100 achievements
  • Endless and chase modes
Features
Read full description

Chess, but all your army has gone over to the white side, leaving you with nothing but your royal shotgun and your wounded pride. Carried by your dark folly, you decide it's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King. Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. Avoid checkmate and kill the enemy king to complete the floor. After each floor, you may choose between two random combinations of one upgrade for you and one upgrade for the other side. Choose wisely and keep on winning floors and you just may get your kingdom back. Runs may take ~20 minutes to complete. The game features 15 ranks of difficulty, unlockable cards, over 100 achievements to complete, an endless mode, and now a chase mode where you get continually assailed from all sides!

Screenshots

Backpack Battles4 screens
Shotgun King4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shotgun King at 4.8 against Backpack Battles's 4.5. Shotgun King also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 47%) and price ($6.99 vs $9.99). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Backpack Battles costs $9.99 and Shotgun King $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shotgun King holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 327 and 709 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Backpack Battles's written reviews are positive against 66% of Shotgun King's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backpack Battles ships an update every 8 days, Shotgun King every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Backpack Battles versus Shotgun King: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackpack BattlesShotgun King
Price$9.99$6.99 — better
Rating4.5 (327 ratings)4.8 (709 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.4% of reviews66.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings327709 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#102#70 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size512 MB468 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperYaozuo Games LtdPlug In Digital

Customer experience

Backpack Battles

All ratings327 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews194 reviews
Positive47.4%
Neutral11.9%
Negative40.7%

Shotgun King

All ratings709 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews118 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral11.0%
Negative22.9%

In-app purchases

None

Backpack Battles

No in-app purchases

None

Shotgun King

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backpack Battles free?
Backpack Battles costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shotgun King free?
Shotgun King costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Backpack Battles or Shotgun King?
Shotgun King is rated higher. Backpack Battles averages 4.5 out of 5 from 327 ratings, while Shotgun King averages 4.8 from 709 ratings.
Do Backpack Battles or Shotgun King have ads?
Neither Backpack Battles nor Shotgun King shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backpack Battles or Shotgun King?
Backpack Battles ships an update every 8 days, and Shotgun King every 5 days. Most recently, Backpack Battles was updated on October 20, 2026 and Shotgun King on October 18, 2026.
Which is more popular, Backpack Battles or Shotgun King?
Backpack Battles currently peaks at #102 in the App Store charts, and Shotgun King at #70. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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