Comparison

Dot Battles vs Aether Bastion

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

Head to head
About

Dot Battles

Watch colorful armies battle for territory in this mesmerizing pixel war simulator. Set up your battlefield with various modes and effects, customize teams, and save your progress to continue epic conflicts.

Highlights
  • Multiple battle modes
  • Strategic battle effects
  • Save and resume battles
  • Customizable teams and colors
  • Real-time statistics tracking
  • Keep screen awake
Features
Read full description

Dot Battles - Epic Pixel Battle Simulator Watch colorful armies battle for territory in this mesmerizing pixel war simulator! Set up your battlefield, choose your teams, and watch the chaos unfold. FEATURES: • Multiple Battle Modes - Random Fill: Chaotic distribution across the battlefield - Pixels: Custom pixel counts per team - Horizontal & Vertical Bars: Strategic stripe formations - Grid: Even territory distribution - Countries: Contiguous territories with defined borders - Image Mode: Transform any image into a battlefield • Battle Effects - Bomb: Create explosive black craters - Blitz: Spread team colors rapidly - Mountain: Build white barriers - Flood: Takedown exposed pixels • Continue Your Battles - Save and resume epic conflicts - Automatic battle state preservation - Pick up where you left off • Customization - 2-100+ teams with distinct colors - Smart color generation for maximum contrast - Image palette extraction for unique battles - Adjustable screen orientation • Quality of Life - Keep screen awake during long battles - Pause to analyze the battlefield - Track team statistics in real-time - Bar graphs showing team percentages - Elapsed time tracking ABOUT DOT BATTLES Dot Battles is a hypnotic simulation where pixels battle for dominance. Each pixel tries to convert its neighbors to its team's color, creating beautiful emergent patterns and dramatic territorial shifts. Will your favorite color conquer the battlefield, or will an underdog team rise to victory? Perfect for: - Mesmerizing background entertainment - Color theory exploration - Strategy and pattern analysis - Relaxation and stress relief - Testing battle configurations Start your pixel war today!

About

Aether Bastion

Defend a growing rift against swarms. Strategically expand your keep and spend resources to bring cores home. Enjoy live co-op multiplayer for up to four players.

Highlights
  • Idle rift defense gameplay
  • Strategic keep growth
  • Resource management
  • Live co-op multiplayer (2-4 players)
  • Seasonal events
Features
Read full description

You don't aim. You grow. Aether Bastion is idle rift defense. One lattice. A swarm on the ring. Grow the keep, spend scrap in the run, and bring cores home. • Seasonal tides bring new events to the keep. • Live co-op for 2 to 4 keepers through Game Center, each on their own device (no couch co-op). • No ads. The optional Circle subscription adds an extra Forge, 1.25× cores, and daily gems. Founder packs are gems only. Play on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Plays on iPhone Duo, in portrait on the outer screen and landscape on the unfolded inner screen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Dot Battles4 screens
Aether Bastion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aether Bastion at 5.0 against Dot Battles's 3.5. Aether Bastion also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 2). Dot Battles's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Dot Battles sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Aether Bastion sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aether Bastion holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Aether Bastion has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Dot Battles versus Aether Bastion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDot BattlesAether Bastion
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings213 — better
Update frequency—Monthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB165 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developer404 SoftwareNoffTech LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Dot Battles

One-time3
  • Support Dot Battles!$0.99
  • $1.99 Donation$1.99
  • $9.99 Donation$9.99
10 purchases

Aether Bastion

Subscriptions1
  • Bastion Circle7 Days trial$7.991 Month
One-time9
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Ember Theme$1.99
  • Awakening Pack$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Ember Pack$2.99
  • Purse of Gems$4.99
  • Founder’s Sigil$4.99
  • Chest of Gems$9.99
  • Vault of Gems$19.99
  • Treasury of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Dot Battles free?
Dot Battles is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aether Bastion free?
Aether Bastion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dot Battles or Aether Bastion?
Aether Bastion is rated higher. Dot Battles averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Aether Bastion averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Dot Battles or Aether Bastion have ads?
Neither Dot Battles nor Aether Bastion shows ads.

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