Mage and Monsters vs Darkest Exiles
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mage and Monsters
Engage in an active auto-battler where strategic choices between army upgrades and spell power are key. Recruit units, defeat monsters, and cast spells to conquer challenging maps. Earn in-game currency to enhance your power-ups for subsequent playthroughs.
- 8 unique mages with special bonuses
- 25 distinct recruit-able units
- 35 different monsters to defeat
- 11 unique battle spells
- Earn Blood Shards for power-ups
- Arena, forest, and cave maps with varied levels
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Mage & Monsters is an active auto battler, where you must choose wisely between upgrading the might of your army, or increasing the power of your spells. “this is a great idea for a game, like a really really fantastic idea for a game” - SplatterCat Features - 8 mages each with a special bonus and starting spell, and 2 pure combat mages. - 25 distinct units you can recruit, and 35 different monsters to defeat. - 11 unique spells you can use in battle to help your army. - Earn Blood Shards by playing that can be spent on Power Ups before starting a new game. - An arena and a forest map, each with 30 normal levels followed by 5 levels of endgame. - A cave map with random enemies each level.
Darkest Exiles
Lead a guild of heroes in a dark fantasy world. Scout, train, and manage their lives and combat performance on a tactical grid. Master unique classes and craft powerful gear to survive a challenging cycle.
- Hero recruitment and training
- Tactical grid-based combat
- 8 unique hero classes
- Equipment crafting and degradation
- Faction alliances
- Dynamic Edicts and World Tiers
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You are not the hero. You are the Guild Master. Scout, train, and sacrifice heroes in a brutal dark fantasy world where no one lives forever. Deploy your party on a tactical grid. Watch the combat unfold. Adapt or fall. BUILD YOUR ACADEMY Scout unproven youth from the Slums, Iron Peaks, or High Gardens. Assign mentors, manage training, and watch your adepts grow into legendary warriors--or break under the pressure. COMMAND THE BATTLEFIELD Deploy your 5-hero party on a tactical 2x4 grid. Position tanks on the frontline, protect your healers in the back, and watch the tick-based combat unfold. Every formation choice matters. MASTER 8 UNIQUE CLASSES Each class brings distinct abilities and aging curves. Physical heroes peak early but decline; mages remain powerful into their twilight years. CRAFT YOUR ARSENAL Discover equipment with powerful effect affixes--Lifesteal, Phoenix Grace, Formation Master. Use Runes of Flux, Power, and Polish to forge the perfect loadout. But beware: all gear degrades, and fallen heroes take their equipment to the grave. NAVIGATE THE FACTIONS Curry favor with The Iron Decree for military might, The Sanguine Conclave for forbidden magic, or The Night-Silver Pact for gold and secrets. Each alliance unlocks unique benefits--and burns bridges with others. SURVIVE THE CYCLE Edicts reshape the rules of combat. Adapt your strategy or watch your guild crumble. Defeat the Final Boss to Ascend, unlock higher World Tiers, and prove your guild's dominance. FEATURES - Deep hero lifecycle: recruitment, training, prime years, decline, retirement - Emergent narratives through traits, trauma, and mentorship - Deterministic combat you can analyze and optimize - Dark fantasy aesthetic inspired by classic dungeon crawlers The Cycle awaits. Will your guild endure?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Darkest Exiles at 100% against Mage and Monsters's 25%. Darkest Exiles also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3). Mage and Monsters's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Mage and Monsters sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Darkest Exiles sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Darkest Exiles holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Mage and Monsters's written reviews are positive against 100% of Darkest Exiles's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mage and Monsters | Darkest Exiles |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 298 MB | 551 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | PolyCrunch Games Limited | Mario Cosme |
Customer experience
Mage and Monsters
Darkest Exiles
In-app purchases
Mage and Monsters
- Full Game$4.99
Darkest Exiles
- Exile's Welcome$0.99
- Frozen Wastes$3.99
- Commander's Kit$4.99
Questions
Is Mage and Monsters free?
Is Darkest Exiles free?
Which has better reviews, Mage and Monsters or Darkest Exiles?
Do Mage and Monsters or Darkest Exiles have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mage and Monsters or Darkest Exiles?
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