Comparison

Ariana and the Elder Codex vs Wish Upon a Cat

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

Head to head
About

Ariana and the Elder Codex

Embark on a 2D action RPG adventure as a magical librarian who enters ancient books to restore lost magic. Battle monsters, master elemental spells, and customize your abilities to save the world.

Highlights
  • 2D side-scrolling action RPG
  • Dynamic anime action combat
  • Master elemental magic and transformations
  • Customize spellbook with 30+ spells
  • Craft magic items and accessories
  • Time attack and repair point challenges
  • Metroidvania exploration
Read full description

MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED - Exclusive to Crunchyroll Mega and Ultimate Fan Memberships STEP INTO A LIVING NOVEL AND RECLAIM THE WORLD'S LOST MAGIC! Dive into an enchanting fantasy world in Ariana and the Elder Codex, a gorgeous 2D side-scrolling action RPG. Take on the role of Ariana Virellis, a young, powerful magical librarian who protects a vast library and possesses the unique ability to venture inside the world’s ancient books. When the Seven Hero Codices are vandalized, magic vanishes from the realm. Now, Ariana must travel inside these corrupted tomes—experiencing their stories as a living fantasy novel brought to life. Defeat monsters, repair the damaged pages, and restore magic to civilization! DYNAMIC 2D ANIME ACTION & RPG COMBAT Enjoy a fast-paced 2D action platformer blending hack-and-slash combat with tactical JRPG depth. Explore beautiful worlds, exploit elemental weaknesses, and cast powerful spells to break enemy posture. Once they are stunned, unleash devastating combos for massive critical damage! MASTER ELEMENTAL MAGIC & TRANSFORMATIONS Master a deep magic system governed by opposing elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. As you restore each corrupted codex, you unlock the ability to trigger a stunning elemental form change. Transform Ariana by channeling a chosen element, dramatically boosting your spell power, unlocking new navigation skills, and causing explosive elemental bursts on impact. CUSTOMIZE YOUR SPELLBOOK With 30+ unlockable magic spells and abilities, you can completely customize your strategy. Mix, match, and equip your spells across six dynamic slots to build a loadout that perfectly suits your personal playstyle. Prefer a defensive tank build or an all-out elemental mage setup? The choice is yours. CRAFT POWERFUL MAGIC ITEMS & ACCESSORIES Mitigate environmental hazards and brutal challenges by unlocking, crafting, and equipping unique Magic Items. Equip up to five accessories within your equipment cost limit to gain crucial buffs like reduced knockback, enhanced critical hit rates, faster health recovery, and massive elemental stat boosts. THRILLING TIME ATTACK & REPAIR POINT CHALLENGES The adventure is about more than combat. Take on specialized platforming trials at Altered Points throughout the world. Sprint through tight, technical time attack platformer layouts, dodging traps and utilizing precision movement to reach the exit as quickly as possible. Clear these Repair Points efficiently to earn permanent HP upgrades and powerful rewards! KEY FEATURES: A Gorgeous Living Novel: Fall in love with an exquisite, hand-drawn art style that makes every stage feel like an illustration come to life. Intense Boss Battles: Face formidable guardians requiring sharp reflexes, smart spell timing, and quick dodging. Metroidvania Exploration: Revisit previously unreachable areas across interconnected side-scrolling worlds as you unlock new elemental mobility and librarian magic. Epic Story-Driven Adventure: Immerse yourself in rich fantasy library lore, deep NPC interactions, and an emotional tale of restoration. Are you ready to fix history and save magic? Download Ariana and the Elder Codex today and begin your magical librarian adventure! ---- Crunchyroll Premium members enjoy an ad-free experience, with full access to Crunchyroll's library of over 1,300 unique titles and 46,000 episodes, including simulcast series that premiere shortly after airing in Japan. In addition, membership offers special benefits including offline viewing access, discount code to Crunchyroll Store, Crunchyroll Game Vault access, streaming simultaneously on multiple devices, and more! https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/privacy/ https://www.crunchyroll.com/games/terms/

About

Wish Upon a Cat

Embark on a dimensional adventure to chase a mischievous cat causing chaos across realities. Journey through various worlds, meet familiar characters, and uncover the feline's true desires to restore balance and find your way home.

Highlights
  • Dimensional adventure gameplay
  • Chase a rogue cat across realities
  • Journey through multiple worlds
  • Meet familiar characters
  • Uncover feline's desires
  • Restore balance to dimensions
Read full description

"If I knew things were going to end up like this, I would've just apologized in the first place…" It's your best friend's birthday—but after a recent fight with her, you're not exactly on speaking terms. Before you even have a chance to wallow in regret, though, a burst of light erupts from your computer screen and sucks you into an alternate dimension—where a rather snarky mouse gives you the rundown. A rogue cat with a bad attitude has been leaping between realities and causing all sorts of dimensional mayhem—and if something isn't done to stop it, it might very well cause another big bang. And you DEFINITELY don't want that. With no other options available, you set off in pursuit of the feisty feline—not just to restore balance to the dimensions, but because it's the only way you'll ever make it back home. In this short-but-sweet adventure, you'll journey through the many worlds of Odencat games like Bear's Restaurant and Meg's Monster, meeting dozens of familiar friends along the way on your search for the runaway cat. Why did it throw the dimensions out of whack? What is it this little kitty-cat truly desires? And when all is said and done—what will YOU wish for?

Screenshots

Ariana and the Elder Codex4 screens
Wish Upon a Cat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wish Upon a Cat at 97% against Ariana and the Elder Codex's 50%. Wish Upon a Cat also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). Ariana and the Elder Codex's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). 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. Wish Upon a Cat sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Ariana and the Elder Codex asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Wish Upon a Cat holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Wish Upon a Cat has 227 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Ariana and the Elder Codex's written reviews are positive against 97% of Wish Upon a Cat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ariana and the Elder Codex ships an update every 3 days, Wish Upon a Cat daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Ariana and the Elder Codex versus Wish Upon a Cat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAriana and the Elder CodexWish Upon a Cat
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (6 ratings)4.9 (227 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews97.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6227 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB137 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCrunchyroll, LLCOdencat Inc.

Customer experience

Ariana and the Elder Codex

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Wish Upon a Cat

All ratings103 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.6%

In-app purchases

None

Ariana and the Elder Codex

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Wish Upon a Cat

One-time4
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Bronze Sponsor$0.99
  • Silver Sponsor$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Gold Sponsor$4.99

Questions

Is Ariana and the Elder Codex free?
Ariana and the Elder Codex is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wish Upon a Cat free?
Wish Upon a Cat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ariana and the Elder Codex or Wish Upon a Cat?
Wish Upon a Cat is rated higher. Ariana and the Elder Codex averages 3.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Wish Upon a Cat averages 4.9 from 227 ratings.
Do Ariana and the Elder Codex or Wish Upon a Cat have ads?
Wish Upon a Cat shows ads; Ariana and the Elder Codex does not.
Which is updated more often, Ariana and the Elder Codex or Wish Upon a Cat?
Ariana and the Elder Codex ships an update every 3 days, and Wish Upon a Cat daily. Most recently, Ariana and the Elder Codex was updated on October 31, 2026 and Wish Upon a Cat on November 9, 2026.

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