Comparison

Phantom Tower vs Ariana and the Elder Codex

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

Head to head
About

Phantom Tower

Embark on a challenging roguelike adventure within a mysterious tower. Battle creatures, collect resources to craft gear, and unlock powerful abilities to ascend 100 floors. Every playthrough offers a new experience as you strive to conquer the unknown.

Highlights
  • Action roguelike gameplay
  • RPG elements
  • Elemental combat system
  • Crafting weapons and armor
  • Unlockable glyphs
  • 100-floor tower ascent
Read full description

An ancient Tower shrouded in mystery and forgotten knowledge. Whatever you're looking for, the tower promises to offer: Wealth, Fame or Power. Many ventured the Tower in seach of treasures, but only few were able to return to tell the tale. Prepare to face the unknown, battle mysterious creatures and to forge your destiny. The Phantom Tower is calling, will you answer? Phantom Tower is a fast-paced action roguelike game that combines roguelike and RPG elements. Your ultimate goal is to be able to climb all 100 floors of the Tower, what awaits you at the top? No one knows. Along the way you'll unlock Tower Blessings to aid you in battle, harvest materials from fallen monster to forge new gear and grow stronger with each attempt. Every run is a fresh challenge. Will you conquer the Tower, or become one of its many phantoms? Key Features and tips: - Elemental Dominion: Each class have access to different elements, combine them to trigger powerful reactions, in the early stage of the game reactions will be decisive for defeating your foes, try to use reactions whenever you can! - Glyphs: Unlock mysterious glyphs to enhance your character and unleash hidden powers. - Craft weapons, armors and artifacts to boost your character stats, each piece has its own ability. You can see all the available gear from the Blacksmith.

About

Ariana and the Elder Codex

Embark on a 2D action RPG adventure as a magical librarian who enters ancient books to restore lost magic. Battle monsters, master elemental spells, and customize your abilities to save the world.

Highlights
  • 2D side-scrolling action RPG
  • Dynamic anime action combat
  • Master elemental magic and transformations
  • Customize spellbook with 30+ spells
  • Craft magic items and accessories
  • Time attack and repair point challenges
  • Metroidvania exploration
Read full description

MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED - Exclusive to Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate Fan Memberships STEP INTO A LIVING NOVEL AND RECLAIM THE WORLD'S LOST MAGIC! Dive into an enchanting fantasy world in Ariana and the Elder Codex, a gorgeous 2D side-scrolling action RPG. Take on the role of Ariana Virellis, a young, powerful magical librarian who protects a vast library and possesses the unique ability to venture inside the world’s ancient books. When the Seven Hero Codices are vandalized, magic vanishes from the realm. Now, Ariana must travel inside these corrupted tomes—experiencing their stories as a living fantasy novel brought to life. Defeat monsters, repair the damaged pages, and restore magic to civilization! DYNAMIC 2D ANIME ACTION & RPG COMBAT Enjoy a fast-paced 2D action platformer blending hack-and-slash combat with tactical JRPG depth. Explore beautiful worlds, exploit elemental weaknesses, and cast powerful spells to break enemy posture. Once they are stunned, unleash devastating combos for massive critical damage! MASTER ELEMENTAL MAGIC & TRANSFORMATIONS Master a deep magic system governed by opposing elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. As you restore each corrupted codex, you unlock the ability to trigger a stunning elemental form change. Transform Ariana by channeling a chosen element, dramatically boosting your spell power, unlocking new navigation skills, and causing explosive elemental bursts on impact. CUSTOMIZE YOUR SPELLBOOK With 30+ unlockable magic spells and abilities, you can completely customize your strategy. Mix, match, and equip your spells across six dynamic slots to build a loadout that perfectly suits your personal playstyle. Prefer a defensive tank build or an all-out elemental mage setup? The choice is yours. CRAFT POWERFUL MAGIC ITEMS & ACCESSORIES Mitigate environmental hazards and brutal challenges by unlocking, crafting, and equipping unique Magic Items. Equip up to five accessories within your equipment cost limit to gain crucial buffs like reduced knockback, enhanced critical hit rates, faster health recovery, and massive elemental stat boosts. THRILLING TIME ATTACK & REPAIR POINT CHALLENGES The adventure is about more than combat. Take on specialized platforming trials at Altered Points throughout the world. Sprint through tight, technical time attack platformer layouts, dodging traps and utilizing precision movement to reach the exit as quickly as possible. Clear these Repair Points efficiently to earn permanent HP upgrades and powerful rewards! KEY FEATURES: A Gorgeous Living Novel: Fall in love with an exquisite, hand-drawn art style that makes every stage feel like an illustration come to life. Intense Boss Battles: Face formidable guardians requiring sharp reflexes, smart spell timing, and quick dodging. Metroidvania Exploration: Revisit previously unreachable areas across interconnected side-scrolling worlds as you unlock new elemental mobility and librarian magic. Epic Story-Driven Adventure: Immerse yourself in rich fantasy library lore, deep NPC interactions, and an emotional tale of restoration. Are you ready to fix history and save magic? Download Ariana and the Elder Codex today and begin your magical librarian adventure! ---- Crunchyroll Premium members enjoy an ad-free experience, with full access to Crunchyroll's library of over 1,300 unique titles and 46,000 episodes, including simulcast series that premiere shortly after airing in Japan. In addition, membership offers special benefits including offline viewing access, discount code to Crunchyroll Store, Crunchyroll Game Vault access, streaming simultaneously on multiple devices, and more! https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/privacy/ https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/terms/

Screenshots

Phantom Tower4 screens
Ariana and the Elder Codex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Phantom Tower at 4.6 against Ariana and the Elder Codex's 2.6. Phantom Tower also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 50%) and ratings volume (115 vs 5). Ariana and the Elder Codex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Phantom Tower sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Ariana and the Elder Codex asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phantom Tower holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phantom Tower has 115 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Phantom Tower's written reviews are positive against 50% of Ariana and the Elder Codex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phantom Tower ships an update every 10 days, Ariana and the Elder Codex every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Phantom Tower versus Ariana and the Elder Codex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhantom TowerAriana and the Elder Codex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (115 ratings) — better2.6 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews71.1% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings115 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size664 MB1.2 GB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperHorien StudioCrunchyroll, LLC

Customer experience

Phantom Tower

All ratings115 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.5%
Negative7.8%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive71.1%
Neutral8.2%
Negative20.6%

Ariana and the Elder Codex

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Phantom Tower

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Enemies spawning outside of room
  • UI text readability issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Controller support
  • Ability to choose starting class
  • Teleport to boss room option
  • Gear unequip functionality

Ariana and the Elder Codex

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Phantom Tower

One-time7
  • Standard Bag$0.99
  • Archer Starter Pack$1.99
  • Warrior Starter Pack$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Mage Starter Pack$1.99
  • Advanced Bag$1.99
  • Premium Bag$2.99
  • Full Game Unlock$9.99
None

Ariana and the Elder Codex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phantom Tower free?
Phantom Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ariana and the Elder Codex free?
Ariana and the Elder Codex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phantom Tower or Ariana and the Elder Codex?
Phantom Tower is rated higher. Phantom Tower averages 4.6 out of 5 from 115 ratings, while Ariana and the Elder Codex averages 2.6 from 5 ratings.
Do Phantom Tower or Ariana and the Elder Codex have ads?
Phantom Tower shows ads; Ariana and the Elder Codex does not.
Which is updated more often, Phantom Tower or Ariana and the Elder Codex?
Phantom Tower ships an update every 10 days, and Ariana and the Elder Codex every 3 days. Most recently, Phantom Tower was updated on October 16, 2026 and Ariana and the Elder Codex on October 4, 2026.

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