POOLS™ vs Castle Gate Guard Simulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Slow, reflective exploration
- Atmospheric and immersive environments
- Inspired by liminal spaces
- Unfolding narrative through exploration
- Six distinct chapters
- Unique sound design
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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.
Castle Gate Guard Simulator
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Step into a medieval kingdom as a vigilant castle guard, where every traveler, wagon, and visitor must pass your inspection. Check documents, permits, and letters at the checkpoint while protecting the realm from hidden threats. As the kingdom’s trusted sentry and watchman, your decisions will determine who may enter the castle gates.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: POOLS™ at none against Castle Gate Guard Simulator's shown. Castle Gate Guard Simulator's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. POOLS™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Castle Gate Guard Simulator sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
POOLS™ ships an update every 2 months, Castle Gate Guard Simulator weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | POOLS™ | Castle Gate Guard Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.6K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 79.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 198 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tensori | Naeem Akhtar |
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)
Castle Gate Guard Simulator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
POOLS™
- POOLS: Full Game$9.99
Castle Gate Guard Simulator
- Royal guard castle$1.99
- royal gate castle$1.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
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- unlock all castle$6.99
Questions
Is POOLS™ free?
Is Castle Gate Guard Simulator free?
Do POOLS™ or Castle Gate Guard Simulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, POOLS™ or Castle Gate Guard Simulator?
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