Comparison

Chosen's MUD Client vs DustFall

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

Head to head
About

Chosen's MUD Client

Features
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A modern client for Ancient Anguish — the text-based multiplayer fantasy world that's been running continuously since 1991 — built for iPhone and iPad. If you've played AA before, welcome home. If you haven't: a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) is a text-driven online game where words do the work pictures do in most games. You read a room, decide what to do, and type a command. It's theatre of the mind, with thousands of other players writing the scenes with you. This client is a purpose-built front end for AA — a cockpit that knows how its prompt works, how its areas sound, and how its culture plays. WHAT'S INSIDE • A real terminal — Full telnet with automatic negotiation (NAWS, TTYPE, SGA, ECHO). GMCP- and MCCP-aware. ANSI 16/256/truecolor rendering with bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, inverse. 5,000-line scrollback with drag-to-select auto-copy and clickable URLs. Snaps to the bottom on every command you send. • Tap-to-send links — Data-driven text link rules turn matched MUD output into tappable shortcuts. "The dark door is closed." becomes a tap that sends "open dark door". Edit rules in Settings with a live preview. Display only: nothing fires until you tap. • Game-state HUD — 30+ configurable elements across vitals, combat (aim, attack, defend, wimpy), experience (lifetime and session XP-per-minute), character, wealth, world (game time, reboot countdown), and survival (hunger, thirst, drunk, poison, alignment, followers, and more). The client rebuilds your prompt and syncs it to the MUD. • Mobile-first input — Eight-direction D-Pad with a door action, customizable Quick Commands with an icon catalog, and a history chip that re-sends any of your last five commands plus smart counterparts (enter ↔ leave, open ↔ close). Star up to three aliases for one-tap mobile slots; long-press a slot to edit. • Triggers (Immersions) — Pattern-matched rules that highlight, gag, or play sounds on matching text. Display only — never auto-send. Respects Ancient Anguish's no-bots rule by design. • Aliases — Short keywords that expand into full commands with $0/$1/$2 variable substitution and ; chaining. Ships with sensible defaults. Recursion-safe. • Area-based ambient music — The client detects your location from coordinates or room descriptions and crossfades between tracks. Pick area tracks and battle themes from your native Apple Music library, or load your own files. • Chat, Tells, Party, and Notes — Floating, dockable, resizable social panels. Tabs or independent windows. Autocomplete for recipients. Optionally hidden from the main log so your adventure keeps its thread. • Themes & accessibility — RPG Dark (the default), Classic Dark, and High Contrast (built for low-vision players). Scalable fonts (8–32 pt), input-line wrap slider, and native VoiceOver support. PRIVACY No analytics. No tracking. No ads. No third-party SDKs. Credentials, aliases, triggers, and settings stay on your device. The only network traffic is your single connection to the MUD server — you control the host. NEW PLAYERS The MUD is free to play. Create a character, follow the newbie area, and type `newbie hello!` to say hi. The community is famously welcoming. This is an independent third-party client, developed in coordination with the AA team and promoted on the official Connect page at https://anguish.org/connect.php. The game has been continuously operated by its own team since 1991. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Optional Support tiers are auto-renewable monthly subscriptions (Small $1.99, Medium $3.99, Large $5.99 USD). Purely cosmetic — nothing is gated. Charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Auto-renews unless cancelled 24h before period end. Manage anytime in Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ancient-anguish.duckdns.org/privacy.html Adventure awaits. See you in the realms.

About

DustFall

Embark on a narrative-driven RPG where your real-world steps advance a post-apocalyptic story. Make impactful choices that shape your journey, interact with diverse characters, and face the harsh realities of a ruined world. Experience a unique adventure that blends physical activity with engaging gameplay.

Highlights
  • Real-world step tracking for in-game progression
  • Branching narrative with meaningful choices
  • Over 300 scenes and multiple endings
  • Companion and faction system
  • Offline play
  • Hardcore permadeath mode
Features
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DustFall is a narrative RPG set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. You were born underground, in Refuge 19, knowing nothing of the world outside. When the water starts running out, you must step into a desert of ruins, caravans and survivors who learned to live without hope. EVERY STEP COUNTS, LITERALLY DustFall moves forward with your real steps. The pedometer turns your everyday walks into miles across the wasteland: the commute, a stroll, the way home… it all pushes the story forward. Walk in real life, advance in the game. CHOICES THAT WEIGH There are no easy answers. Do you help the gravedigger who gives water away, or find out where he gets it? Do you heal the wounded dog and gain a companion, or travel on alone and light? Your choices change the world, your reputation among the factions and the ending of your journey. A WORLD WITH ITS OWN VOICE Talk to everyone: every character holds a piece of the wasteland. The Changed, the caravan traders, the scrap cults, the pirate radio in the background. A world painted in oils to lose yourself in. HARDCORE MODE Think you're tough? Turn on permadeath: if you fall, your save is wiped. • Narrative RPG with real choices and consequences • Over 300 scenes and a dozen endings • Companions, factions, dark humour and tenderness • Offline, no accounts, no purchases • Free, with ads; rewarded ads are always optional • In 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Russian, Italian, Turkish, Polish and Indonesian Leave the refuge. The wastes are waiting.

Screenshots

Chosen's MUD Client4 screens
DustFall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Chosen's MUD Client at none against DustFall's shown. Chosen's MUD Client also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). DustFall's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chosen's MUD Client ships an update every 2 months, DustFall every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Chosen's MUD Client versus DustFall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChosen's MUD ClientDustFall
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB174 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSami LamtiAdrian Flores

In-app purchases

None

Chosen's MUD Client

No in-app purchases

None

DustFall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chosen's MUD Client free?
Chosen's MUD Client is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DustFall free?
DustFall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chosen's MUD Client or DustFall have ads?
DustFall shows ads; Chosen's MUD Client does not.
Which is updated more often, Chosen's MUD Client or DustFall?
Chosen's MUD Client ships an update every 2 months, and DustFall every 4 days. Most recently, Chosen's MUD Client was updated on October 16, 2026 and DustFall on October 18, 2026.

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