Specimen86 vs Farmbots
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Specimen86
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About the Game You are a new observer at a marine research laboratory. In the lab’s mysterious aquarium, you’ll raise more than just an ordinary fish. What is this egg… really? The being you nurture may become a mermaid, a fishman, or something entirely different. Your choices shape its evolution and story, leading to multiple endings and a shocking truth. Game Features Evolve, Observe, Discover Experience a relaxing idle evolution game where growth paths and endings change based on your actions. Play at your own pace—perfect for short breaks or bedtime relaxation. Multiple Endings Your decisions—feeding, temperature control, conversations, and more—determine the final form. Explore all branching evolutions to uncover every ending. Healing Yet Unsettling Behind the soothing visuals of swimming creatures lies a darker side— research experiments, DNA extraction, and mysterious “bad endings.” A blend of cute and eerie, peaceful and ominous. A Story Worth Exploring Each specimen you raise generates a research report, revealing the hidden meaning behind your actions. For players who love theories, mysteries, and deeper lore, the story invites reinterpretation and replay. Idle Progression Even while the app is closed, time continues. Your specimen quietly prepares for its next stage of evolution. No moment is wasted—research and observation advance naturally. Elements That Affect Evolution There’s no single path to evolution. Affection, water temperature, cleanliness, item usage, and even character interactions— every small choice can open a new future. Experiment repeatedly to reach every form and ending. Collection System All your evolved specimens and research logs are saved. Review your collection to see how your decisions connected to each unique outcome. Piece together the world’s secrets one evolution at a time. What You’ll Experience Calm observation of aquatic life in a glass tank Emotional storytelling as your specimen grows—cute, mysterious, and unsettling moments The comfort of a healing game mixed with the intrigue of a dark fantasy Multiple endings that reward replay and exploration Research reports that reveal how your nurturing influenced the future Your specimen will react to your care, changing expressions and behavior— you might even grow attached to it. Capture those moments and share them via the screenshot & SNS share function. Recommended For Fans of idle growth and aquarium simulation games Players who enjoy healing games with a deeper, mysterious tone Those who love story games and hidden lore People looking for a short, relaxing daily game Players who enjoy cute but eerie, surreal experiences Collectors who love unlocking every evolution and ending Gameplay Flow You’re assigned to an ocean lab, tasked with nurturing a mysterious aquatic specimen. Use laboratory equipment and special items to maintain its environment and reduce stress. Even when left alone, time passes and evolution progresses. Conversations and environmental changes influence the path ahead— each playthrough may lead to an entirely different result. Every completed evolution is archived as a research log you can revisit anytime. Game Overview “Specimen No.86: Choices and the Future” is a new-style simulation that combines idle growth, healing gameplay, branching stories, dark fantasy, and collection elements. A soothing yet unsettling experience that stirs emotion— with multiple endings, including bad ones, your nurturing connects to a larger theme of evolution and destiny. This is more than a simple aquarium game. Dive into the story that drifts between healing and unease, and discover how your choices shape the future.
Farmbots
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Tiny robots are hard at work on the farm today. Robo Farm lets you watch over cute voxel robots as they farm on their own. They decide what to do next: till the soil, sow seeds, water the fields, harvest the crops and stock a roadside farm stand. You pick what each field grows and add a few touches to the farm now and then. The rest is up to the robots, so sit back and enjoy watching them work. ■ Robots that think for themselves ・Tilling, planting, watering, harvesting and restocking. The robots choose their next job on their own ・They trundle around and switch between a hoe, a watering can and a seed bag for each job. After a harvest, they smile ・Low battery? They head to a charging hut. Empty water tank? They go refill it at a channel ・At night they switch on headlamps and keep working by their own light ・Up to six robots. Upgrade each one's walking speed, work speed and battery ■ What you do ・Pick a crop for each field: turnips, carrots, cabbages, tomatoes, strawberries, corn, pumpkins or watermelons ・Clear the forest and place channels and ponds, paths, bridges, flowerbeds, windmills, campfires, lamps, cat towers, trees, café tables, farm stands and charging huts ・Move, rotate or undo anything you place ■ The farm stand ・People walking by and drivers passing through stop to buy what the robots have stocked ・Variety, decorations and cats slowly raise your farm's popularity (up to five stars), and more customers come ・Connect a path to the road and customers stroll along it, rest at a café table, or stop to pet a cat ■ The train ・Lay rails and a little train carries crops in from distant fields, with curves, rail bridges and level crossings ■ The seasons turn ・Sunrise and sunset shift with the seasons. Cherry blossoms in early April, autumn leaves, bare trees in winter ・On some winter nights, snow falls and settles, then melts in the morning sun ・For New Year, Hinamatsuri, Children's Day, Tanabata, Tsukimi, Halloween and Christmas, the farm stands put up seasonal decorations ・Rain puts out the campfire in a puff of steam, and fireflies drift on summer nights ■ Cats ・As the farm grows, cats wander in from the forest (up to six). They lounge on roofs and nap in the sun ・Tap a cat to pet it ■ No rush ・Time on the farm stops while the app is closed. Open it whenever you like and pick up where you left off ・Short messages tell you what the robots are doing and how sales went. Daily and weekly sales are kept too ■ Ads and purchases ・A banner ad is shown at the bottom of the screen. The one-time "Remove Ads" purchase hides it ・Watch a video ad to run the farm at 2× speed for 30 minutes (optional) ・No account needed. Your farm is saved on your device Tiny robot farmers, right beside your everyday life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Specimen86 at none against Farmbots's 1. Specimen86 also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Farmbots sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Specimen86 asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Specimen86 | Farmbots |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | — |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 302 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SAYACHI-MARU GAMES | Takashi Shigenaga |
In-app purchases
Specimen86
No in-app purchases
Farmbots
- Remove Ads$1.99
Questions
Is Specimen86 free?
Is Farmbots free?
Do Specimen86 or Farmbots have ads?
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