Comparison

Tavern Crawl vs Aetherium Hearts

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

Head to head
About

Tavern Crawl

Features
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You are Otter — a retired legendary adventurer who traded his sword for a bar towel. You run The Parsonage, a tavern on the edge of civilisation. When your oldest friends come knocking with talk of dark forests and ancient evils, you grab a bottle of something strong and head straight into danger. One last ride. Tavern Crawl is a single-player medieval fantasy RPG that blends tavern management, turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and AI-powered NPC conversation into one deeply interconnected experience. FEATURES: - Tavern Management: 10 upgrades, seasonal events, staff, and legendary parties - Adventure & Combat: 10 regions, 8 elements, dual tech combos, turn-based strategy - The Cellar Depths: 100-floor dungeon with 51 monsters, mini-bosses, and a final boss - AI-Powered NPCs: 10 characters who know your story and evolve with your choices - Crafting: 97 recipes across forge, alchemy, and enchanting - Quests & Bounties: 78 quests, 7 NPC chain quests, 10 multi-day expeditions - 5 legendary artifacts with hidden multi-step quests - 42 achievements, 6 minigames, 4 seasons - No ads. No paywalls. No energy timers. Just a tip jar. Welcome to The Parsonage. Moira's already poured your drink.

About

Aetherium Hearts

Features
Read full description

Raise adventurers in Selwyn, town of the Ash Marches, and send them down into the labyrinths. The expedition runs by itself — they walk, they fight, they gather, and sometimes they fall. Those who come back bring the whole of it with them, written up by an AI as a single tale. No two are ever the same. ◆ Three labyrinths The Ashen Corridor, the Frostcrystal Archive, the Ember Crucible. Each runs to a different depth and a different danger, and at the bottom of each an Aetherium Heart lies sleeping. ◆ It runs on its own Once they are down there, they walk and fight on their own feet. The descent continues while the app is closed. ◆ Tales The record of a returning expedition is woven into prose by an AI. Send it straight to X, Threads, Bluesky or Discord. ◆ The town and your company An armoury, a general store, a forge, the guild, a temple, a shrine — Selwyn holds nine places to go. You can also go looking for an adventurer who has gone missing. ◆ Standings Set the Aetherium Hearts you have offered at the Shrine of Astel against every adventurer in every town. Japanese and English, switching with your device. Free to play, with no in-app purchases.

Screenshots

Tavern Crawl4 screens
Aetherium Hearts4 screens

Verdict

The call

Tavern Crawl and Aetherium Hearts are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tavern Crawl ships an update every 9 days, Aetherium Hearts every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Tavern Crawl versus Aetherium Hearts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTavern CrawlAetherium Hearts
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB44 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperAdam OttHitoshi Igarashi

In-app purchases

None

Tavern Crawl

No in-app purchases

None

Aetherium Hearts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tavern Crawl free?
Tavern Crawl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aetherium Hearts free?
Aetherium Hearts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tavern Crawl or Aetherium Hearts have ads?
Both Tavern Crawl and Aetherium Hearts show ads.
Which is updated more often, Tavern Crawl or Aetherium Hearts?
Tavern Crawl ships an update every 9 days, and Aetherium Hearts every 11 days. Most recently, Tavern Crawl was updated on September 12, 2026 and Aetherium Hearts on September 25, 2026.

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