Comparison

Rift Riff vs PATHLOCK

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

Head to head
About

Rift Riff

Engage in strategic tower defense by jumping through rifts to battle monsters and plunder their worlds. This game offers a deep experience with varied enemy types, tower upgrades, and challenging scenarios.

Highlights
  • Strategic tower loadouts
  • Varied monster behaviors
  • 20 worlds with multiple scenarios
  • 17 tower types with upgrades
  • 25 monster types
  • 6 companion characters
  • 45 challenges
Features
Read full description

Try before you buy. No ads. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full game. Jump a rift, fight off monsters, plunder their world. Rift Riff is a strategic mix of juicy tower loadouts, varied monster behaviors, and forgiving mechanics. The game features ± 15–20 hours of gameplay, and includes: - 20 worlds with 2 or more scenarios each. - 17 tower types with 7 overpowered upgrades. - 25 monster types with varying behaviors. - 6 companions who'll assist you and your towers. - 45 challenges for die hards.

About

PATHLOCK

Engage in a minimalist 1v1 strategy board game where players strategically place pawns and walls to outmaneuver opponents. Enjoy quick, skill-based matches with no luck or pay-to-win elements.

Highlights
  • 1v1 strategy, no luck
  • Easy to learn, hard to master
  • Fast matches
  • Pass-and-play mode
  • Bot opponents (Easy, Medium, Hard)
  • Online matchmaking
  • Private friend rooms
Features
Read full description

Move your pawn or place a wall. Be the first to cross the board. That's the whole rule — and the start of a thousand decisions. PATHLOCK is a clean, premium strategy board game where every turn forces a choice: race forward, or build a wall to slow your rival down. Walls can twist the path but can never fully trap an opponent, so the duel always comes down to pure tactics. Simple to learn in 30 seconds, deep enough to play for years. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • True 1v1 strategy — no luck, no dice, no pay-to-win. Just you, your opponent, and the board. • Easy to learn, hard to master — beginners start instantly, experts find endless depth. • Fast matches — a full game fits into a coffee break. GAME MODES FOR EVERY MOMENT • Pass-and-play — share one device and challenge a friend across the table. • Bot opponents — train against Easy, Medium, or Hard AI that actually fights back. • Online matchmaking — get paired with a real opponent in seconds. • Private friend rooms — share a room code and start a match with anyone, anywhere. FAIR BY DESIGN PATHLOCK is built on one promise: never pay to win. Every purchase is purely cosmetic or a convenience like removing ads. Skill decides the match — nothing else. PERFECT IF YOU LIKE • Chess, checkers, and abstract strategy • Tactical puzzles and pathfinding challenges • Quick competitive 1v1 games with friends • Board games with deep, skill-based gameplay Think two moves ahead. Block the path. Lock the win. Download PATHLOCK and start your first duel now. — Subscriptions and purchases are optional and cosmetic only. Terms: https://pathlock.bovasoft.com/terms · Privacy: https://pathlock.bovasoft.com/privacy · Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Rift Riff4 screens
PATHLOCK4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PATHLOCK at 5.0 against Rift Riff's 4.1. PATHLOCK also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 72%). Rift Riff's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (237 vs 3). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Rift Riff sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PATHLOCK sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PATHLOCK holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rift Riff has 237 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Rift Riff's written reviews are positive against 100% of PATHLOCK's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rift Riff ships an update every 4 days, PATHLOCK every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Rift Riff versus PATHLOCK: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRift RiffPATHLOCK
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (237 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings237 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size223 MB78 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperAdriaan de JonghBora Oksuzoglu

Customer experience

Rift Riff

All ratings226 ratings
Positive75.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews186 reviews
Positive71.5%
Neutral4.8%
Negative23.7%

PATHLOCK

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Rift Riff

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Chinese text displayed as gibberish
  • Monster descriptions obscured by UI elements

Requested features

2 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Improved localization support

PATHLOCK

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Rift Riff

One-time1
  • Full Game$5.99
8 purchases

PATHLOCK

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$12.991 Year
One-time6
  • 50 Diamonds$2.99
  • 120 Diamonds$4.90
  • 260 Diamonds$9.90
Show 3 more
  • Remove Ads$9.99
  • 550 Diamonds$19.90
  • 1200 Diamonds$39.90

Questions

Is Rift Riff free?
Rift Riff is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PATHLOCK free?
PATHLOCK is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rift Riff or PATHLOCK?
PATHLOCK is rated higher. Rift Riff averages 4.1 out of 5 from 237 ratings, while PATHLOCK averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Rift Riff or PATHLOCK have ads?
PATHLOCK shows ads; Rift Riff does not.
Which is updated more often, Rift Riff or PATHLOCK?
Rift Riff ships an update every 4 days, and PATHLOCK every 2 weeks. Most recently, Rift Riff was updated on October 28, 2026 and PATHLOCK on October 24, 2026.

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