# POOLS™ vs Castle Bravo

The clearest difference is rating: POOLS™ at 4.5 against Castle Bravo's 2.8. POOLS™ also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 4). Castle Bravo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

POOLS™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: POOLS™ has 1.8K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of POOLS™'s written reviews are positive against 60% of Castle Bravo's.

POOLS™ ships an update every 4 weeks, Castle Bravo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | POOLS™ | Castle Bravo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pools/id6670792878/reviews)** | [2.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-bravo/id6792818574/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **80.3% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 1.9 GB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tensori](https://appshunter.io/developer/1767614989) | [Blyts](https://appshunter.io/developer/454180365) |

## What reviewers say

### POOLS™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pools/id6670792878)

Explore, admire, and listen in this slow, reflective experience. It's an intentionally uneventful journey through uncanny and eerie environments, rewarding patience and quiet attention. Discover a world that subtly changes as you advance, inspired by internet phenomena like liminal spaces and The Backrooms.

**Highlights:** Exploration-focused gameplay, Relaxing and reflective atmosphere, Eerie and uncanny environments, Slow-paced, uneventful experience, World changes as you advance, Six chapters, 10-30 minutes each

**Features:** Game Controller support, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POOLS: Full Game | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Immersive experience
- 🔒 No ads
- 👍 Incredible attention to detail
- 👍 Realistic graphics and sound
- 👍 Eerie and creepy atmosphere

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Boring after a while
- 🐛 Lack of variety in environments

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to move on iPad Pro
- Glitches reported

**Requested features**

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


### Castle Bravo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-bravo/id6792818574)

Experience a conspiracy thriller where characters text you, send multimedia, and react to your free-form responses. This interactive story blends declassified nuclear test records with immersive fiction, allowing your conversations to shape the narrative and relationships.

**Highlights:** Interactive story told through messages, Open-ended responses for real conversations, Multimedia messages (voice, photos, files), Based on real declassified events, Build relationships through dialogue

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is POOLS™ free?

POOLS™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Castle Bravo free?

Castle Bravo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, POOLS™ or Castle Bravo?

POOLS™ is rated higher. POOLS™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Castle Bravo averages 2.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do POOLS™ or Castle Bravo have ads?

Castle Bravo shows ads; POOLS™ does not.

### Which is updated more often, POOLS™ or Castle Bravo?

POOLS™ ships an update every 4 weeks, and Castle Bravo every 2 weeks. Most recently, POOLS™ was updated on November 11, 2026 and Castle Bravo on November 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*