ISSEN vs Big Bran
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ISSEN
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ISSEN is a calm-then-explosive samurai timing game. Breathe, focus, and release a single perfect stroke. In the stillness of a sumi-e ink world, one flash of the blade decides everything. THE WAY OF ONE CUT Wait for the moment. Swipe one arc to slash every target in range. A dead-center cut becomes a True Issen - time slows, ink bursts across the screen, and your combo soars. One stroke can cut several at once. A SUMI-E INK WORLD Hand-painted Japanese ink-wash visuals: black sumi ink, a single stroke of vermilion, and the beauty of empty space. Stillness and motion in sharp contrast - quiet calm, broken only by the flash of your blade. BREATH AND FOCUS Land True Issen cuts and keep your combo to fill the Breath gauge. Release it to enter focus: the world slows, the cut window widens, and you chain huge combos in the decisive moment. READ THE FLAMES - Red: cut it - a dead-center hit is a True Issen - Blue: timing targets to read and slash - Gold: cuts only on a perfect center hit - a big bonus that restores a life MORE TO MASTER - Boss duels: one-on-one showdowns - Daily Cut: a fixed daily challenge, the same for everyone - Dojo: unlock 6 blade-trail skins - Records and encyclopedia: chase your personal bests - Stage select: replay any cleared stage FEATURES - Pure one-stroke control - easy to learn, deep to master - Satisfying slow-motion on every perfect cut - Original Japanese instrumental soundtrack (shakuhachi and koto) - 12 languages supported - One-handed, portrait play - No internet required after install Free to play, supported by ads. Breathe. Focus. The world slows. Then - one flash.
Big Bran
Engage with a unique platformer where you control a flipping bottle that throws cups. Collect coins to interact with live streams, send messages, and even control stream timers. Upgrade abilities and play through hundreds of levels or an endless mode.
- Physics-based bottle flips
- Cup throwing mechanics
- Live stream message interaction
- Stream timer control
- Hundreds of levels
- Endless mode
- Permanent ability upgrades
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Did @BigBranTrickshots send you here from a livestream? You’re in the right place! If you just stumbled upon this game, welcome! Big Bran does water-bottle and cup-throwing trick shots on platforms like YouTube. So he created a bottle flip platformer game where you play as the flipping bottle that throws cups at obstacles and enemies. Ultimately, you will take control of his real livestreams using coins you collected during gameplay. HAVE FUN! Jump right in to have fun, collect coins and orb points and use your coins on the Send MSG tab to interact with and even control the timer on Big Bran’s livestream. - Send Messages that show up directly on screen in BigBran’s livestream - - Big Bran must be live when you send the message - - Messages are moderated so irrelevant, political or inappropriate messages will not be shown. - - Approved messages will show on screen in the livestream when he’s live and be read out loud by our specialty text-to-speech voice. - - Approved messages will also occasionally show in the background of gameplay - Send Sound Effects into the stream when Big Bran is live. - Extend the timer: this is one of the most fun uses of the app. Collected coins can be used to add 1 or 2 minutes at a time to Big Bran’s livestreams* Login with the account you already have from the website or create a new one easily with Game Center connected to your Apple Account. PLAY: • LEVELS 1-100 Horizontal Gameplay • LEVELS 101-200 Vertical Gameplay • Play Endless mode and try to beat your best distance. POWER UP: Collect blue water orbs and coins while you play. Upgrade permanent abilities such as Fire Range and Super Jump to help you get through tougher stages. BE PART OF THE STREAM: During supported Big Bran live streams, use your coins to send moderated messages that can appear on the stream. Choose a message size and speech style before sending it. SAVE YOUR PROGRESS: Sign in with Game Center or a Big Bran account to save your progress, upgrades, and rewards. FEATURES: • Touch controls designed for mobile • Levels, Endless mode, and more • Physics-based bottle flips and platforming • Collectible coins and water orbs • Permanent ability upgrades • Log In With Game Center • Optional live stream interaction Big Bran Premium – $2.99/month Removes ads. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of $2.99/month. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Big Bran is free to play and includes optional in-app purchases. Terms of Use: https://bigbranlive.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://bigbranlive.com/privacy.html *Big Bran’s livestream timer, which shows up on the Send MSG tab during his live-streamathons, show speed multipliers of different types as the stream gets longer so adding time may not always equal 1-2 realtime minutes. Only add time with this in mind.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ISSEN at none against Big Bran's 5. Big Bran's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Big Bran sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. ISSEN asks for nothing beyond the download.
ISSEN ships an update every 4 days, Big Bran daily. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ISSEN | Big Bran |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 166 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenji Kobayashi | Branden Burch |
In-app purchases
ISSEN
No in-app purchases
Big Bran
- Big Bran Premium$2.991 Month
- 100 Coins$1.99
- 500 Coins$4.99
- 1,000 Coins$9.99
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- 15,000 Coins$99.99









