Comparison

Drop Duchy vs Alchemy for Beginners

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

Head to head
About

Drop Duchy

Experience a unique blend of deckbuilding, puzzle, and rogue-lite gameplay. Build a realm by strategically placing tiles, gather resources, and lead your troops to reclaim enemy territory. Each run offers a fresh challenge with procedural generation and meta-progression.

Highlights
  • Deckbuilding, puzzle, and rogue-lite gameplay mix
  • Strategic tile placement for resource maximization
  • Real-time strategy combat and territory reclamation
  • Procedurally generated game experiences
  • Meta-progression with over 90 challenges
  • Over 110 unique cards for deck building
  • Three playable factions: The Duchy, The Order, The Republic
Features
Read full description

[TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!] A beloved PC game, now coming to mobile. Metacritic: 83. Very Positive on STEAM - 90%. Drop Duchy takes the iconic geometric puzzle gameplay we all know and love and gives it a fresh perspective: instead of simply clearing lines, you build a realm. A mix of deckbuilding, puzzle and rogue-lite, designed to hone your appetite as a block-stacking tactician. Place tile pieces as you would in a block-dropping game, but align them to maximize their activation rules. Set the right structures next to lush forests, wild rivers and grassy plains to pull out maximum resources and units. Then gather your troops, reclaim the regions under enemy control, and storm the enemy fortress along branching, decision-filled paths. Let your castle take too much damage and the run ends - but defeat is not the end: jump straight back in with a new strategy, and use the experience gained to unlock even more content. Grow in power with over 110 unique cards, trade with markets and guilds, and climb a meta progression of over 90 missions tied to three playable factions: The Duchy, The Order and The Republic. Adapt, conquer, and keep the action moving! FEATURES * An original mix of puzzle gameplay and real-time strategy * A brand new game experience with each run thanks to procedural generation * Play with Factions: The Duchy, The Order, The Republic * Meta progression: over 90 challenges designed to help you through your journey * Build the perfect deck with over 110 unique cards * An elegant and charming art direction to please your eyes * An engaging and ever-evolving soundtrack to please your ears * Choose your path between lakes, glades, forests, villages, guilds… and more!

About

Alchemy for Beginners

Combine basic elements like fire, water, earth, and air to discover over 100 unique ingredients, mythical creatures, and cosmic anomalies. Rise from a novice to a master alchemist through addictive merge-and-discover gameplay and skill upgrades.

Highlights
  • Discover 100+ unique elements
  • Addictive merge-and-discover gameplay
  • Skill upgrades and perks
  • Detailed alchemy data book
  • Quests and mastery challenges
  • Beautiful art and effects
Features
Read full description

[TRY BEFORE YOU BUY] Try the first 10 elements to merge, experience the music, the animations, and the entire retro-pixel art style before you decide to embark on the full alchemist journey for only $4.99! One-time purchase - free update, elements, mechanics at no additional cost with regular weekly updates! Enter the mysterious laboratory of "Alchemy for Beginners"—the ultimate merge-and-discover puzzle game where you are the apprentice creator! Starting with the four basic elements—Fire, Water, Earth, and Air—you will combine, experiment, and weave them together to discover over 160+ unique ingredients, mythical creatures, and cosmic anomalies. From simple plants and stone tools to legendary entities like the Kitsune, Phoenix, and Akupara, every combination reveals a piece of a larger universe. Do you have what it takes to rise from a novice to a legendary Alchemist? GAME FEATURES • 160+ UNIQUE ELEMENTS TO DISCOVER Mix and match to reveal everything from basic materials (Lava, Steam, Glass) to advanced tools, scientific advancements, and mythical creatures (Valkyries, Werewolves, Golems, and even Black Holes!). • ADDICTIVE MERGE-N-DISCOVER GAMEPLAY Drag, drop, and merge ingredients on the board. The simple, intuitive puzzle interface keeps the magic at your fingertips. • CHALLENGE FELLOW ALCHEMISTS LOCALLY OR GLOBALLY Connect locally or globally to race against the elements with alchemists from all over the world! • POWERFUL SKILL UPGRADES As your mastery grows, use your hard-earned gold to purchase special perks, such as enabling self-merging and discovering new founding elements. • DETAILED ALCHEMY DATA BOOK Keep track of all your recipes and completed creations. Study the elements you've unlocked and figure out what combinations you still need to find. • QUESTS & MASTERY CHALLENGES Complete quests to earn rewards, climb the ranks of alchemy, and unlock legendary titles like "God's Apprentice," "Mythical Tamer," and "Gods' Favorite Child." • BEAUTIFUL ART & EFFECTS Enjoy responsive, eye-catching animated backdrops, premium particle effects, and sound design that make every single discovery feel like a true magic spell. Are you ready to unlock the secrets of organic creation, tame mythical beasts, and master the elements? Download "Alchemy for Beginners" today and start your journey!

Screenshots

Drop Duchy4 screens
Alchemy for Beginners4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drop Duchy at free against Alchemy for Beginners's free with in-app purchases. On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Drop Duchy sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Alchemy for Beginners sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Drop Duchy versus Alchemy for Beginners: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDrop DuchyAlchemy for Beginners
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (36 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.9% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings36 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB519 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperDoghowl Games Ltd.Prince Arora

Customer experience

Drop Duchy

All ratings36 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.4%

Alchemy for Beginners

Written reviews52 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral15.4%
Negative23.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Drop Duchy

One-time2
  • Base Game Offer$8.99
  • Base Game$9.99
1 purchases

Alchemy for Beginners

One-time1
  • Full Game$4.99

Questions

Is Drop Duchy free?
Drop Duchy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Alchemy for Beginners free?
Alchemy for Beginners is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Drop Duchy or Alchemy for Beginners have ads?
Neither Drop Duchy nor Alchemy for Beginners shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Drop Duchy or Alchemy for Beginners?
Drop Duchy ships an update weekly, and Alchemy for Beginners weekly. Most recently, Drop Duchy was updated on October 21, 2026 and Alchemy for Beginners on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons