TownsFolk vs Circuit Detective
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TownsFolk
Lead settlers to build and expand a thriving colony in a mysterious and dangerous world. Manage resources, make critical decisions, and overcome challenges to ensure your settlement's survival. Explore the unknown, face disasters, and appease a demanding king.
- Build and expand settlements
- Explore unknown territories
- Survive challenges and disasters
- Roguelite strategy gameplay
- Skirmish and puzzle modes
- Handcrafted pixel art visuals
- Weekly challenge mode
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TownsFolk – Build. Survive. Explore. Lead a group of settlers into the unknown and build a thriving colony in a world full of mystery and danger. Manage scarce resources, make tough choices, and face the unpredictable frontier. Will your town prosper or fall? Lead, Expand, Survive: • Build & Expand – Grow your village by managing Food, Gold, Faith, and Production. • Explore the Unknown – Clear the fog, discover treasures, and uncover dangers. • Survive Challenges – Overcome disasters, wild animals, and moral dilemmas. • Appease the King – Deliver tribute, or risk your colony’s fate. Game Features: ▪ Roguelite Strategy – New challenges every playthrough. ▪ Skirmish Mode – Test survival skills in standalone scenarios. ▪ Puzzle Challenges – Solve strategic puzzles for rewards. ▪ Pixel Art World – Handcrafted visuals & atmospheric music. ▪ Deep, Minimalist Gameplay – Easy to start, challenging to master. ▪ Weekly Challenge Mode – A new scenario every week with leaderboards. ▪ Factions – 5 unique Factions, each with their own strengths, stories, and playstyles. Can you build a settlement that withstands the test of time? Download TownsFolk today! Play for Free – Upgrade Anytime TownsFolk lets you jump in for free! Enjoy the How to Play missions, test your skills in Puzzle Missions, and try out Skirmish Mode with a fixed setup. Want more? A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full Campaign and lets you customize settings in Skirmish Mode for endless replayability.
Circuit Detective
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Step into your electronics workshop and learn to solve faults, one measurement at a time. Circuit Detective combines a diagnostic game with a virtual 3D laboratory. Inspect components, follow circuit traces, place your probes and test your ideas against measurements. 77 MISSIONS TO BUILD YOUR SKILLS Start with resistors, LEDs and switches. Then explore capacitors, diodes, transistors, rectification and signals. Measure, calculate, choose a component or identify a fault. INVESTIGATIONS AND GUIDED PROJECTS Finish the progression with four investigations: measure, find the fault and check your repair. Three guided breadboard projects take you step by step through building a circuit. After each successful mission, explore the schematic and the explanation of your result. HANDS-ON VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS Use a multimeter, a two-channel oscilloscope, a function generator and an adjustable power supply. Rotate around circuit boards, zoom in on components and inspect the solder side. A WORKSHOP FOR EXPERIMENTS Practice diagnostics and repairs, replace components and build circuits on a virtual breadboard. UNDERSTAND AS YOU PLAY Read lessons, component datasheets and hints. Use the built-in calculator to work through your measurements. Your progress is saved on your device. ONE PURCHASE, THE COMPLETE GAME All missions and the workshop are included. No ads, subscription or in-app purchases. Play offline without creating an account. Available in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Portugal) Traditional Chinese and Japanese on iPhone and iPad. Circuits are educational simulations: measurements and components are modeled for learning.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TownsFolk at Free against Circuit Detective's $6.99. TownsFolk also leads on device support (5 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Circuit Detective's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On 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
TownsFolk is free to download; Circuit Detective costs $6.99 up front. TownsFolk sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Circuit Detective asks for nothing beyond the download.
TownsFolk ships an update every 2 weeks, Circuit Detective every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TownsFolk | Circuit Detective |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (3.3K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3.3K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 256 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Short Circuit Studio | SOHEIL RAMEZANI |
Bugs and requests
TownsFolk
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tutorial freezes the game
- Can't build anything and days don't progress
- Save data reverts or gets corrupted
Requested features
2 requests- Creative/easy mode to keep progress
- Leaderboards and daily challenges
Circuit Detective
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TownsFolk
- Shadow of Empires bundle$2.99
- TownsFolk: A new world$8.99
Circuit Detective
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TownsFolk free?
Is Circuit Detective free?
Do TownsFolk or Circuit Detective have ads?
Which is updated more often, TownsFolk or Circuit Detective?
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