AsciiLings Retro Rescue vs TamaShell
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
AsciiLings Retro Rescue
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Save the AsciiLings! ASCII art at its finest in this game that is a blast from the past in more than one way. Inspired by classic rescue games, rendered in retro ASCII art. Build bridges and ladders, use blockers and bashers, all to save the AsciiLings. Your mission: Guide the AsciiLings safely to the exit before time runs out. Without your help, they will walk automatically and stumble into danger! ASSIGN SKILLS TO SURVIVE - Blockers stop and redirect others - Bridgers span deadly gaps - Ladders help climb obstacles - Diggers, Bashers, and Miners carve new paths - Floaters survive long falls - Climbers scale walls FEATURES - 3-star rating system rewards perfect play - Game Center leaderboards for Total Stars and AsciiLings Saved - Multiple difficulty tiers: Sprite, Gnome, and Wizard - Interactive tutorial teaches the basics - Turbo mode for faster gameplay - Clean ASCII aesthetic with smooth animations Each level is a puzzle. Figure out which skills to use, where to use them, and in what order. Save the required number of AsciiLings to advance, or save them all for 3 stars! Simple to learn, challenging to master.
TamaShell
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TamaShell is a virtual pet that lives entirely inside a fake computer terminal. Hatch an egg, then keep your pet fed, clean, rested, and happy using simple typed commands or on screen buttons. Your pet keeps living in real time, even while the app is closed, so a few days of neglect will actually catch up with you. Along the way there is a full day and night cycle, a coin economy you can earn by putting your pet to work, a shop for food and room decorations, and more... who knows what hides away in the terminal? If your pet dies, it does not just disappear. Reset and start the next generation. Raise a pet. Keep the terminal alive.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: AsciiLings Retro Rescue at weekly against TamaShell's monthly. AsciiLings Retro Rescue also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. AsciiLings Retro Rescue sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TamaShell sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AsciiLings Retro Rescue ships an update weekly, TamaShell monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AsciiLings Retro Rescue | TamaShell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 โ better | 17.6 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vertolini | KAMIL BARCZAK |
In-app purchases
AsciiLings Retro Rescue
- Adventure Pack$0.99
TamaShell
- Cat Form$1.99
- Robot Form$1.99
- $ theme creator -enable$3.99
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- TamaShell Pro Set$5.99
Questions
Is AsciiLings Retro Rescue free?
Is TamaShell free?
Do AsciiLings Retro Rescue or TamaShell have ads?
Which is updated more often, AsciiLings Retro Rescue or TamaShell?
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