Comparison

Basic Buddies vs Alchemist's Engine

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

Head to head
About

Basic Buddies

Experience a fast-paced arcade game focused on vertical descent and precision movement. Navigate a continuously generating world with unique challenges and unlockable content. Master timing and control to survive longer and achieve higher scores.

Highlights
  • Four unique game modes
  • Endless vertically scrolling gameplay
  • Responsive mobile controls
  • Unlockable characters and customization
  • Coin-based progression
  • Designed for quick sessions
Features
Read full description

Descend fast. Survive longer. Master the descent. This is a fast-paced arcade-style game built around vertical descent, precision movement, and split-second decision making. Each run drops you into a continuously generating world filled with platforms, hazards, and opportunities to push just a little farther. The game features four distinct game modes, each offering a different way to play — from endless, score-chasing runs to survival-style challenges that test how long you can last under pressure. Whether you’re aiming for a clean, focused descent or pushing yourself through increasingly intense encounters, every mode rewards timing, control, and momentum. Features: - Four unique game modes with different rules and challenges - Endless, vertically scrolling gameplay - Smooth, responsive controls built for mobile - Unlockable characters and visual customization - Coin-based progression and optional rewards - Designed for quick sessions and high replay value Easy to learn but difficult to master, this game is all about control, rhythm, and surviving the descent.

About

Alchemist's Engine

Tend to a dormant engine in a ruined world by gathering fuel, crafting resources, and researching upgrades. Forge golems to assist in your tasks as you explore a labyrinthine mine and uncover a forgotten story.

Highlights
  • Feed and stoke the engine
  • Merge sparks on an alchemical table
  • Forge and upgrade golems
  • Research forgotten techniques
  • Explore a seeded labyrinth
  • Unravel the story
Features
Read full description

A sleeping engine. A blasted world. Tend to the fire. Alchemist's Engine is an incremental, crafting & adventure game. ▸ FEED THE FIRE - gather fuel, stoke the engine, and keep its heart burning. ▸ MERGE THE SPARKS - pluck sparks from the embers and merge them on the alchemical table into ever-brighter tiers. ▸ RAISE YOUR WORKFORCE - forge golems of stone, quartz, and metal who gather, haul, and craft while you plan. Feed them back to the engine when you outgrow them. ▸ GROW YOUR POWER - smelt bronze and steel, research forgotten techniques, and upgrade the engine from a cold firebox into a towering machine. ▸ DESCEND - torch by torch, explore a seeded labyrinth of mines: crystal chambers, sunken temples, flooded galleries, and stranger rooms the deeper you go. ▸ UNRAVEL THE STORY - cold hearths, sibling machines, and a sealed gate that has waited a very long time for you.

Screenshots

Basic Buddies4 screens
Alchemist's Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alchemist's Engine at none against Basic Buddies's 5. Alchemist's Engine also leads on ratings volume (8 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Basic Buddies sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Alchemist's Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Basic Buddies against 5.0 for Alchemist's Engine. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Alchemist's Engine has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic Buddies ships an update weekly, Alchemist's Engine every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Basic Buddies versus Alchemist's Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic BuddiesAlchemist's Engine
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings18 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB9 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAndrew HoffartJust Software LLC

Customer experience

Basic Buddies

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Alchemist's Engine

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Basic Buddies

One-time5
  • Small Coin Pack (100 Coins)$0.99
  • Medium Coin Pack (500 Coins)$2.99
  • Premium Upgrade (No Ads)$3.99
Show 2 more
  • Large Coin Pack (1,500 Coins)$4.99
  • Epic Coin Pack (5,000 Coins)$9.99
None

Alchemist's Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Basic Buddies free?
Basic Buddies is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Alchemist's Engine free?
Alchemist's Engine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Basic Buddies or Alchemist's Engine?
Basic Buddies and Alchemist's Engine are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Basic Buddies or Alchemist's Engine have ads?
Both Basic Buddies and Alchemist's Engine show ads.
Which is updated more often, Basic Buddies or Alchemist's Engine?
Basic Buddies ships an update weekly, and Alchemist's Engine every 4 days. Most recently, Basic Buddies was updated on October 12, 2026 and Alchemist's Engine on October 9, 2026.

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