Comparison

Backpack Castle Heroes vs Dead By Extraction

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

Head to head
About

Backpack Castle Heroes

Defend your castle in this casual tower defense game. Strategically place heroes and weapons to survive endless enemy waves. Enjoy roguelike elements with random upgrades and merge mechanics for a unique strategic experience.

Highlights
  • Tower defense gameplay
  • Strategic unit placement
  • Endless enemy waves
  • Roguelike random upgrades
  • Hero and gear merging
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Are you ready to defend your tiny castle? Tiny Castle Guardians is a casual game that delivers the fun of fight and strategy in a tower defense (TD) experience. Place your hero units and weapons to protect your castle defense fortress, survive endless enemy waves, and enjoy the thrill of a truly strategic defense game! Hold off the incoming waves and keep the fight going. With auto battles, you’ll defeat enemies and gain EXP—then choose from 3 random upgrades each time. Your choices shape every run, letting you experience a fresh roguelike, random-powered playstyle again and again! Merge your hero and gear to power up even further. Clear stages to earn resources and upgrade your stats continuously. Collect cards to complete your build, strengthen your strategy, and survive tougher and tougher waves! Simple controls that are easy to pick up, but packed with strategic depth. A bit of luck and one decision can completely change the flow of the fight. Play offline anytime, anywhere. Jump into this casual game and enjoy the satisfying growth of merge, strategy, and roguelike tower defense in Tiny Castle Guardians! ----- - Support: support@treeplla.com - Terms of Service: https://termsofservice.treeplla.com/ - Privacy Policy: https://privacy.treeplla.com/language

About

Dead By Extraction

Explore abandoned ruins, scavenge for valuable scrap, and fight off supernatural entities. Craft unique builds with powerful tools and rescue survivors to rebuild your sanctuary. Escape before the ruins claim you forever in this roguelike survival experience.

Highlights
  • Scavenge for scrap in abandoned buildings
  • Fight off ghouls with exorcist tools
  • Roguelike combat with triple-threat evolution
  • Collect over 50 unique Talismanic Tools
  • Rescue survivors to rebuild your camp
  • Explore 8+ distinct gothic environments
Features
Read full description

The sun set long ago in the world you knew, leaving behind only the ink-stained silence of the discarded. Welcome to the grey between life and loss—a sketchbook of crumbling brick and forgotten dust where the architecture is as hungry as the ghosts. You are a Scavenger, a flickering candle in a forest of grey, rummaging through the ribcages of dead buildings to reclaim the scrap of the past. But beware: every hallway is a throat waiting to swallow you whole, and every shadow has a name. Escape the ruins... or become part of them. THE LOOP: SEARCH. FIGHT. ESCAPE. The rules of the ruin are simple but deadly. Enter the zone, fill your pockets with relic scrap, and find the extraction point before the clock strikes midnight. • Scavenge the Shadows: Rummage through the rot of schools, hospitals, and houses to find the materials you need. • Banish the Residents: Use ancient exorcist tools to fight back the ghouls that haunt the halls. • The Final Run: If you don't reach the exit in time, the ruins will claim you—and everything you’ve gathered—forever. CRAFT YOUR CURSE: Roguelike Combat No two descents into the dark are the same. As you battle through the corridors, the ghosts you defeat grant you flickering memories of power. • Triple-Threat Evolution: Choose between three twisted power-ups in the heat of battle to evolve your survival. • Synergize to Survive: Will you focus on blinding light, serrated steel, or protective charms? Your build is the only thing between you and a permanent stay in the ward. ARSENAL OF THE EXORCIST With over 50 unique Talismanic Tools to collect, your playstyle is yours to define. From rusted ritual blades to spectral lanterns, every tool features a deep Perk Tree. SHELTER OF SCRAP: Camp Operation You aren't the only one trapped in the grey. Deep within the ruins, you’ll find "The Broken"—hostages of the haunts who are waiting for a savior. • Rescue & Rebuild: Bring survivors back to your camp to unlock specialized shops and powerful services. • Management of the Macabre: Your camp is your only sanctuary. Use your extracted loot to fortify your home and prepare for the next night. GAME FEATURES: • Gothic Hand-Drawn Art: A beautiful eerie world inspired by classic lite-horror sketches. • High-Stakes Extraction: The thrill of "Search-Fight-Extract" compressed into bite-sized, casual sessions. • Urban Exploration (Urbex): Explore 8+ distinct environments, from the Hollow High School to the Echoing Offices. • Endless Variety: Dozens of heroes to unbind and hundreds of weapon/perk combinations to master. THE RUINS ARE CALLING. WILL YOU ANSWER, OR WILL YOU FADE?

Screenshots

Backpack Castle Heroes4 screens
Dead By Extraction4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Backpack Castle Heroes at none against Dead By Extraction's shown. Dead By Extraction's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Backpack Castle Heroes sells 17 one-off in-app purchases and Dead By Extraction sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Backpack Castle Heroes against 4.6 for Dead By Extraction. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 772 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 34% of Backpack Castle Heroes's written reviews are positive against 29% of Dead By Extraction's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backpack Castle Heroes ships an update every 11 days, Dead By Extraction every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Backpack Castle Heroes versus Dead By Extraction: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackpack Castle HeroesDead By Extraction
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better4.6 (772 ratings)
Positive reviews33.9% of reviews — better28.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.6K — better772
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size261 MB413 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperNeptune CompanyPIXEL RABBIT LIMITED

Customer experience

Backpack Castle Heroes

All ratings1,187 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral4.6%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive33.9%
Neutral8.5%
Negative57.6%

Dead By Extraction

All ratings771 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive28.7%
Neutral19.0%
Negative52.3%

In-app purchases

17 purchases

Backpack Castle Heroes

One-time17
  • onetime_event_level_1_package$0.99
  • Gem Sail 1_1$0.99
  • onetime_event_level_2_package$1.99
Show 14 more
  • Starter Package 1$1.99
  • ingamespeed_boost_package$2.99
  • No Forced Ads$3.99
  • Legend_Weapon_Package_100005$4.99
  • Legend_Weapon_Package_100004$4.99
  • Gem Sail 1_2$4.99
  • Bless_Package_10002$6.99
  • No Forced Ads And Currency Package$6.99
  • Gem Sail 1_3$9.99
  • ArtureHero_1004$11.99
  • VVIP_NoAds_Package_103$14.99
  • VVIP_NoAds_Package_102$18.99
  • Gem Sail 1_4$19.99
  • Gem Sail 1_5$49.99
7 purchases

Dead By Extraction

One-time7
  • Aid Pack 4$0.99
  • Aid Pack 1$4.99
  • Aid Pack 2$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Aid Pack 5$19.99
  • Aid Pack 3$29.99
  • Aid Pack 6$49.99
  • Aid Pack 7$99.99

Questions

Is Backpack Castle Heroes free?
Backpack Castle Heroes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dead By Extraction free?
Dead By Extraction is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backpack Castle Heroes or Dead By Extraction?
Backpack Castle Heroes is rated higher. Backpack Castle Heroes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Dead By Extraction averages 4.6 from 772 ratings.
Do Backpack Castle Heroes or Dead By Extraction have ads?
Dead By Extraction shows ads; Backpack Castle Heroes does not.
Which is updated more often, Backpack Castle Heroes or Dead By Extraction?
Backpack Castle Heroes ships an update every 11 days, and Dead By Extraction every 2 weeks. Most recently, Backpack Castle Heroes was updated on October 31, 2026 and Dead By Extraction on October 22, 2026.

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