Comparison

Evo Defense vs The Codex

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

Head to head
About

Evo Defense

Defend your planet from monster invasions by summoning, merging, and evolving heroes. This roguelike tower defense game offers quick, strategic matches with endless replayability. Enjoy casual fun or competitive PvP with adorable characters and deep tactical choices.

Highlights
  • Summon, merge, and evolve heroes
  • Roguelike tower defense gameplay
  • Quick 3-minute matches
  • Triple randomness for endless surprises
  • Multiple game modes (PvE, PvP, Co-op)
  • Strategic hero and item builds
Read full description

Sown falls. Monsters Rise. Your planet faces a sudden monster invasion. Now it's your turn to lead. Step up as the royal king who will summon, merge, and evolve adorable heroes to protect your planet from endless waves of invaders! Evo Defense is an innovative merge & evolve roguelike tower defense game where strategy meets random luck. Every match lasts only 3 minutes but offers hundreds of strategic builds — quick, exciting, and endlessly replayable! Designed for both casual enjoyment and competitive PvP depth. Get ready for the brand new casual strategic TD experience! [Game Features] ◆ Easy to Start, Fun to Master Just three simple steps to victory — Summon, Merge, Enhance! ◆ Triple Randomness, Endless Surprises Summons, skills, and 2-in-1 merging are all random. No two matches are ever the same. Random mechanics and hero progression keep each match fresh. ◆ Quick 3-Minute Matches Easy one-hand controls and 3-minute matches fit perfectly into mobile lifestyles. ◆ Adorable Yet Strategic A vibrant visual style with deep tactical choices beneath its cute surface. Seven hero classes, countless formations and strategic combos! Richer monster attributes require more adaptive strategy builds (King x Heroes x Weapon x Totem x Cloak x Fort. And more coming...)! ◆ Infinite Challenges & Multiple Modes Explore diverse game modes that redefine tower defense — PvE stages, creative PvP Arena, Co-op mode, Guild Challenges, Mini Games, and more! Team up in Co-op, fight alongside guildmates, or climb the global PvP leaderboard. Experience the ultimate test of luck, teamwork, and strategy! Join us now to start a brand new casual strategic tower defense adventure! [Follow Us] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvoDefenseOfficial/ Discord: https://discord.gg/evodefense Youtube: www.youtube.com/@EvoDefenseMergeTD Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@evodefense_official Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/EvoDefense_MergeTD/ X: https://x.com/EvoDefenseM_TD

About

The Codex

This companion app provides a comprehensive database for a popular GPS RPG, detailing monsters, gear, classes, and events. It offers detailed stats, drop information, and build guidance to enhance gameplay. The app works offline and updates automatically with game releases.

Highlights
  • Monster and boss database with stats and drops
  • Detailed item and gear information
  • Character class and skill breakdowns
  • In-game event calendar
  • Offline database access
  • Instant search and filtering
Features
Read full description

The Codex is the official companion app for Orna: The GPS RPG, from Northern Forge Studios. It puts the entire world of Orna in your pocket: every monster, boss, raid, follower, item, skill, class and event, straight from the game itself and updated with each release. KNOW YOUR ENEMY Look up any monster, boss or raid to see its tier, level range, where it spawns, what it drops, the skills it uses, its elemental weaknesses and resistances, and the status effects it shrugs off. Planning a kingdom raid or an arisen fight? Check the numbers before you commit. GEAR UP Browse thousands of weapons, armor, adornments, materials and consumables. Every item shows its stats, traits, adornment slots, element, who can equip it, what it costs, which monsters and raids drop it, and what it takes to upgrade. Tap through from a drop to the monster, from a material to the gear it forges. BUILD YOUR CHARACTER Explore every class and specialization: stats, weapon proficiencies, passive abilities, and the full list of skills learned at each level. Open any skill or spell to see its power, targets, cost, status effects and which classes learn it. Follower pages cover behaviour rates, bestial bonds and which monsters they can be tamed from. NEVER MISS AN EVENT The event calendar shows what is happening in Orna this month at a glance, with what is active right now front and centre. Each event page explains how it works tier by tier and lists its featured raids, bosses and followers. MORE • Instant search across the whole Codex, with filters by tier, family, rarity, slot, class, element and more • Status effects, passive abilities, NPCs and their quests, dungeon types and buildings • In-game guides covering the fundamentals and the endgame • Release notes for every app and server update • Bookmarks to keep your favourite entries a tap away • Community links to the official Discord, Reddit and more • Works offline once the database has been downloaded; refreshes automatically when the game updates • Available in every language the game supports The Codex is free and made by the same team that makes Orna. Travelers, your journey just got easier.

Screenshots

Evo Defense4 screens
The Codex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Codex at 100% against Evo Defense's 40%. The Codex also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Evo Defense's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (9.7K vs 6). On price 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. Evo Defense sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Codex asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Evo Defense holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Evo Defense has 9.7K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Evo Defense's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Codex's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Evo Defense versus The Codex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEvo DefenseThe Codex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (9.7K ratings) — better4.2 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews40.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.7K — better6
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#60 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB11 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBlue Planet JoyNorthern Forge Studios Inc

Customer experience

Evo Defense

All ratings9,681 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews462 reviews
Positive40.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative50.4%

The Codex

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Evo Defense

One-time10
  • US$0.99 Pack$0.99
  • US$1.99 Pack$1.99
  • US$2.99 Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • US$4.99 Pack$4.99
  • US$9.99 Pack$9.99
  • US$14.99 Pack$14.99
  • US$19.99 Pack$19.99
  • US$29.99 Pack$29.99
  • US$49.99 Pack$49.99
  • US$99.99 Pack$99.99
None

The Codex

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Evo Defense free?
Evo Defense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Codex free?
The Codex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Evo Defense or The Codex?
Evo Defense is rated higher. Evo Defense averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.7K ratings, while The Codex averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do Evo Defense or The Codex have ads?
Evo Defense shows ads; The Codex does not.

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