Blackbar vs Rogue Words
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blackbar
Experience a sci-fi narrative of a dystopian future through engaging word puzzles. This text-based game uses a unique censorship mechanic to challenge players, offering a blend of frustration and intellectual satisfaction.
- Text-based sci-fi story
- Word puzzle gameplay
- Unique censorship mechanic
- Dystopian future narrative
- Challenging and thought-provoking
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"Blackbar is a brilliant game." —Ron Gilbert "Its allegories are smart, and its approach to story-telling on touch-devices is just as well. 4.5/5" —TouchArcade "Taut and intelligent. 8/10" —Eurogamer "A political statement—a super fun one. I _______ love this _______ game." —Loren Brichter "Awesome and totally unexpected." —Shaun Inman Blackbar is a text game: a sci-fi story of a dystopian future told through the medium of word puzzles. Reminiscent of text adventures and interactive fiction, it has a unique mechanic centered around the concept of censorship. Censorship is frustrating, but the human spirit can beat that frustration by turning it into a game. You'll pick up Blackbar instantly; however, its challenges will keep you searching, thinking, and trying for days. "An ingenious puzzle game that critiques censorship" —Fast Company "The humor is black, the puzzles go from simple to truly challenging, and the story is top-notch." —Gamemoir "Playing Blackbar is Like High School English Class, And I Love It." —Kotaku "Wonderfully written and does a fantastic job of pulling you into a not entirely unrealistic tale." —Gizmodo "Well-written and entertaining, with just a touch of a deeper message to hit a few concepts home. Just plain awesome." —JayIsGames
Rogue Words
This word game blends classic word puzzle mechanics with roguelike strategy. Craft words to score points, collect power-ups, and overcome dynamic challenges across multiple levels. Adapt to unique playstyles and unlock abilities for endless replayability.
- Craft words for points
- Collect boons and potions
- Survive 10+ intense levels
- 12 unique Aspects to choose from
- Unlock powerful upgrades
- Risk & reward challenges
- Over 100 boons and potions
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Unleash Your Vocabulary in the Ultimate Roguelike Word Game! Dive into the excitement of Rogue Words, where the classic fun of word games meets the unpredictable thrill of roguelike strategy! Test your skills, adapt to ever-changing challenges, and see how far your words can take you. 【 How to Play 】 • Craft words to score points and overcome unique challenges. • Collect and wield powerful boons and potions to shift the odds in your favor! • Survive 10 intense levels to claim Supreme Victory—or push beyond level 10 to see how far your mastery can go! 【 Key Features 】 • Dynamic Playstyles: Choose from 12 unique Aspects, each altering the game rules in both helpful and challenging ways. • Powerful Upgrades: Unlock abilities that let you upgrade tiles, earn bonuses, and discover dominant combos. • Risk & Reward Challenges: Take on special challenges to raise the stakes and earn greater rewards. • Roguelike Depth: Explore limitless possibilities with over 100 boons and potions for endlessly unique runs. • Daily Challenges offer unique rules and play styles to keep you on your toes. Whether you're a fan of word puzzles, strategy games, or fresh twists on beloved classics, Rogue Words has something for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Rogue Words at Free against Blackbar's $2.99. Rogue Words also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months). Blackbar's advantage is chart position (#80 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Rogue Words is free to download; Blackbar costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Rogue Words holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rogue Words has 1.6K ratings behind it against 97, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Blackbar's written reviews are positive against 95% of Rogue Words's.
Blackbar ships an update every 7 months, Rogue Words fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blackbar | Rogue Words |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.6 (97 ratings) | 4.9 (1.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.6% of reviews | 95.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 97 | 1.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #80 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.7 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mrgan LLC | Brian Lipkowitz |
Customer experience
Blackbar
Rogue Words
User reviews
Blackbar
From 97 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Clever and unique gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and thought-provoking story
- 🤔 Challenging puzzles and word games
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Too short for the price
- 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure or difficult
- 🐛 Bugs and compatibility issues
Rogue Words
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Incredible game
- 🚀 Great gameplay
- 🚀 Simple and fun
- 🚀 Fun and addictive
- 🚀 Worth playing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crash on launch
- 🐛 Sometimes says 'not a word' when it is
Bugs and requests
Blackbar
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes or freezes on certain devices
- Inability to progress past initial screen
Requested features
3 requests- Longer gameplay and expanded story
- More levels or chapters
- Hints or clues for difficult puzzles
Rogue Words
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crash on launch
- Toggling vibrations doesn't disable haptics
- Boon icon background too tall and off-screen
Requested features
6 requests- Dark mode option
- Background music and wallpaper
- More varied sound effects
- Mines on the board
- Other extra features
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- Tipping/donation system
In-app purchases
Blackbar
No in-app purchases
Rogue Words
No in-app purchases








