Comparison

Incremental ELM Quest 2 vs Rootflux

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

Head to head
About

Incremental ELM Quest 2

Explore a world where elemental forces are merging, cataloging creatures and uncovering a deep mystery. This offline RPG features extensive progression systems, a vast bestiary, and a narrative told through field reports. Earn rewards even while offline.

Highlights
  • Catalog over 4000 unique creatures
  • Level up over 300 hero classes
  • Explore elemental portals
  • Offline progression
  • Narrative told through field journals
  • Deep progression systems
Read full description

A free incremental RPG you can play entirely offline. No ads, no paywall, and every goal in the game is reachable without spending a cent. The world's eight elemental forces were once held apart. Now they are bleeding together, and everything is changing. You are a Cataloguer: a licensed scholar sent into the saturated zones to document what lives there. Encounter creatures, record them, and fill the Manifest, one species at a time. The more you catalogue, the more the world opens up, and the closer you come to the thing nobody wants to talk about: why everything is falling apart. If you've always wanted to play a uniquely idle monster collecting adventure with the patience of a nature documentary and the wit of a dungeon crawl, this is your chance. Explore portals, return to new species and new regions, and watch the Manifest fill in like a field journal. WHAT YOU'LL FIND • Over 4,000 creatures to find, fight, and catalogue. Each holds a small piece of the overall narrative. • Over 300 classes to equip and level up. Send your hero into elemental portals and take control as battles unfold. • Offline progression that unlocks early and never stops: your hero keeps earning and your disciples keep hunting while the app is closed. • Every portal is graded. The threat ratings are, unfortunately, accurate. • 16 narrators bring the world alive through their lost dossiers. Sixteen cataloguers came before you and its on you to find out why they stopped writing. • Deep progression: level classes, raise disciples, study at the university, upgrade your guild license, master insignias, power up skills, and more. • Rare enemy variants, an ever-expanding ladder of achievements, and Game Center leaderboards (purely optional). FAIR BY DESIGN The whole game is offline, free, and ad-free. The optional purchases are purely cosmetics that support a solo, part-time developer. I'm an incremental game fan who got bored waiting for the next one to drop. Made by one person as a part-time passion project. Thank you for giving it a shot!

About

Rootflux

An idle game focused on subterranean exploration and growth. Players expand a root network, gather resources, and break through underground layers to build a deeper living system. Features include idle growth, network expansion, and long-term progression systems.

Highlights
  • Idle nutrient growth
  • Expanding root network
  • Transport and absorption upgrades
  • Breakthrough strata
  • Seedfall and automation systems
Features
Read full description

Rootflux is an idle growth game about sending roots deeper underground. Grow new roots, gather nutrients, strengthen your transport network, break through strata, and gradually build a wider and deeper living system. Features: - Idle nutrient growth over time - A root network that visibly expands as you play - Upgrades for transport, absorption, branching, and depth - Permanent growth through strata breakthroughs - Longer-term systems including seedfall, challenges, and automation Rootflux will continue to grow through frequent updates with new systems, balance changes, and usability improvements.

Screenshots

Incremental ELM Quest 24 screens
Rootflux4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Incremental ELM Quest 2 at none against Rootflux's shown. Incremental ELM Quest 2 also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (85% vs 61%). Rootflux's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Incremental ELM Quest 2 sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Rootflux sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Incremental ELM Quest 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 78 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Incremental ELM Quest 2's written reviews are positive against 61% of Rootflux's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Incremental ELM Quest 2 ships an update every 4 days, Rootflux every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Incremental ELM Quest 2 versus Rootflux: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIncremental ELM Quest 2Rootflux
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (53 ratings) — better4.4 (78 ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better61.4% of reviews
Number of ratings5378 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size192 MB161 MB
Age rating+94+
DeveloperEric MarinIdle System, Inc.

Customer experience

Incremental ELM Quest 2

All ratings51 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%

Rootflux

All ratings78 ratings
Positive85.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive61.4%
Neutral15.8%
Negative22.8%

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Incremental ELM Quest 2

One-time16
  • Cosmetic: D- Pack$0.99
  • Support Tip$0.99
  • Support Coffee$4.99
Show 13 more
  • Cosmetic: S- Pack$6.99
  • Cosmetic: SS- Pack$7.99
  • Cosmetic: S+ Pack$7.99
  • Cosmetic: SS+ Pack$8.99
  • Cosmetic: SSS- Pack$9.99
  • Cosmetic: SSS Pack$9.99
  • Cosmetic: SSS+ Pack$9.99
  • Cosmetic: Letter of Patronage$9.99
  • Support Lunch$9.99
  • Cosmetic: Founder's Edition$19.99
  • Support Dinner$19.99
  • Support Updates$29.99
  • Support Next Game$49.99
3 purchases

Rootflux

One-time3
  • Ad-Free Pass$2.99
  • Dandelion$4.99
  • Spider$4.99

Questions

Is Incremental ELM Quest 2 free?
Incremental ELM Quest 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rootflux free?
Rootflux is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Rootflux?
Incremental ELM Quest 2 is rated higher. Incremental ELM Quest 2 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while Rootflux averages 4.4 from 78 ratings.
Do Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Rootflux have ads?
Rootflux shows ads; Incremental ELM Quest 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Rootflux?
Incremental ELM Quest 2 ships an update every 4 days, and Rootflux every 3 days. Most recently, Incremental ELM Quest 2 was updated on October 25, 2026 and Rootflux on October 25, 2026.

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