Comparison

Thornguard vs Shadow Command

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

Head to head
About

Thornguard

Features
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Thornguard is a tower defense roguelike where every run starts fresh. Choose a prophecy, build towers, draft abilities, collect relics, and see how far you can go. PROPHECIES Pick from 9 challenge tracks before each run. Four elemental prophecies throw themed enemy waves at you. Four tactical prophecies test specific strategies. One throws everything at you from wave one. Each prophecy has 6 difficulty levels with signature mechanics that intensify as you climb. Beat a level, earn a title. TOWERS Six tower types across four elements and two neutral. Fire beats Frost, Frost beats Lightning, Lightning beats Fire. Thorn plays by its own rules. Place your towers wisely โ€” the element matchup matters. ABILITIES Over 20 abilities to collect during a run. They cycle through a queue system โ€” draft them, wait for recharge, activate from your slots. Each ability has a branching upgrade tree from L1 through L3, so you can specialize your build as you go. RELICS After each wave, pick one of three relics. Over 60 relics across four rarities โ€” Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary. They stack and synergize to shape your strategy. No two runs build the same way. BOSS FIGHTS 10 bosses with unique mechanics โ€” summoning minions, shifting lanes, shielding themselves, draining your towers. Beat them for extra gold. FEATURES - 9 prophecy tracks with 6 difficulty levels each - 6 tower types across 4 elements - 20+ abilities with branching upgrade trees - 60+ relics across 4 rarities - 10 bosses with unique mechanics - 40+ enemy types across elemental families - Fully offline โ€” no internet, no accounts, no ads - All progress stored locally on your device Built for quick sessions. No internet required. No ads. No accounts. Just towers and bad decisions.

About

Shadow Command

Features
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Shadow Command is a tactical turn-based strategy game where hidden unit ranks, traps and flag capture decide the outcome. You never know what the enemy is hiding. Units are only revealed in combat โ€” and by then it may be too late. Outmaneuver, bluff and think one step ahead. FEATURES: โ€ข Four difficulty levels โ€” from beginner to expert AI using Monte Carlo search โ€ข Hidden units, traps and flag capture โ€ข Play offline โ€” no internet connection required โ€ข No ads, no in-app purchases โ€ข Dark tactical design with animated effects and sound design

Screenshots

Thornguard4 screens
Shadow Command4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shadow Command at none against Thornguard's 4. Thornguard's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Thornguard sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Shadow Command asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Thornguard versus Shadow Command: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThornguardShadow Command
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 โ€” better15.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size104 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNATHAN CARLISLE FOXKenneth Schroder

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Thornguard

One-time4
  • Bronze Supporter$0.99
  • Silver Supporter$2.99
  • Gold Supporter$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Champion$9.99
None

Shadow Command

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thornguard free?
Thornguard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow Command free?
Shadow Command is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Thornguard or Shadow Command have ads?
Neither Thornguard nor Shadow Command shows ads.

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