Comparison

POOLS™ vs Armando Strong

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

Head to head
About

POOLS™

This app offers a slow, reflective, and immersive experience focused on exploration and atmosphere. It evokes feelings of unease and curiosity through its unique environments, inspired by liminal spaces and internet phenomena. Discover changing worlds and subtle narratives without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Highlights
  • Slow, reflective exploration
  • Atmospheric and immersive environments
  • Inspired by liminal spaces
  • Unfolding narrative through exploration
  • Six distinct chapters
  • Unique sound design
Features
Read full description

Explore, admire and listen. That’s it. Uncanny. Relaxing. Unnerving. Eerie. Immersive. POOLS isn’t a traditional game. it’s slow, reflective, and intentionally uneventful, perhaps a bit like virtual museum. So take your time. Breathe. POOLS unfolds slowly, rewarding patience and quiet attention. No monsters chasing you or jumping at your screen. Yet it can feel oppressive at times by invoking quiet fears of getting lost, the dark, tight spaces and the strange beauty of liminal space architecture. There's no typical story. But as you explore and advance further, you start to notice that the game's world changes around you, deeper you go… Rooms look and feel… different. Base game features six chapters, each lasting 10-30 minutes. Inspired by the internet phenomena Liminal spaces, Found footage and The Backrooms, especially the Poolrooms concept. One of the original artists behind the Poolrooms concept is Jared Pike.

About

Armando Strong

Features
Read full description

Embárcate en una aventura espacial llena de humor y reflejos rápidos. Controla a Armando Strong, nuestro héroe intergaláctico, mientras derribas vacas flotantes, esquivas tocinos, sobrevives a los disparos del temible Dr. Camarón y enfrentas un desafío que se vuelve más veloz con cada segundo. ¿Podrás mantener el control y sobrevivir en el caos del cosmos?

Screenshots

POOLS™4 screens
Armando Strong4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Armando Strong at none against POOLS™'s 1. Armando Strong also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Armando Strong asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

POOLS™ ships an update monthly, Armando Strong weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
POOLS™ versus Armando Strong: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPOOLS™Armando Strong
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews79.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB80 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTensoriCarlos Enfraed Ramírez González

Bugs and requests

POOLS™

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Unable to move on iPad Pro
  • Glitches reported

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expand to different Backrooms-inspired themes
  • Add a multiplayer mode
  • Introduce more interactive elements (e.g., monsters, items to discover)

Armando Strong

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

POOLS™

One-time1
  • POOLS: Full Game$9.99
None

Armando Strong

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is POOLS™ free?
POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Armando Strong free?
Armando Strong is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do POOLS™ or Armando Strong have ads?
Neither POOLS™ nor Armando Strong shows ads.
Which is updated more often, POOLS™ or Armando Strong?
POOLS™ ships an update monthly, and Armando Strong weekly. Most recently, POOLS™ was updated on October 30, 2026 and Armando Strong on October 5, 2026.

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