Incremental ELM Quest 2 vs Idle Mage Academy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Catalog over 4000 unique creatures
- Level up over 300 hero classes
- Explore elemental portals
- Offline progression
- Narrative told through field journals
- Deep progression systems
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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!
Idle Mage Academy
Rise from a failing student to a legendary archmage through idle training and strategic growth. Your spells and rewards accumulate even when you're offline. Progress through the academy, unlock new abilities, and compete globally.
- Idle growth and offline rewards
- Webnovel-style narrative
- Unlock new spells and dungeons
- Library research for permanent buffs
- Duel Club for tactical combat
- Rebirth system for endless progression
- Global online ranking
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"I was the worst dropout at the academy. Then I turned back time to become an archmage." Start as the weakest failing student of the Mage Tower and rise, one log line at a time, into a legendary archmage. Your training never stops — even when the screen is off. ■ Idle growth — spells train themselves; rewards pile up while you're away. ■ Webnovel-style log — read your underdog's struggle unfold in real time. ■ Year 1 to Archmage — promotions unlock new spells, libraries, and dungeons. ■ Library research — gather Knowledge for permanent power-ups. ■ Duel Club — pick your tactics and outwit rivals. ■ Rebirth system — reach Archmage, return to school, and grow forever via Engravings. ■ Dimension dive & online ranking — compete worldwide for the deepest floor. Easy in one hand, endlessly deep. Enroll in the Mage Tower today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Incremental ELM Quest 2 at 4.6 against Idle Mage Academy's 4.0. Incremental ELM Quest 2 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Idle Mage Academy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (100% vs 81%). On price 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. Incremental ELM Quest 2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Mage Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Incremental ELM Quest 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Incremental ELM Quest 2 has 54 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Incremental ELM Quest 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Idle Mage Academy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Incremental ELM Quest 2 ships an update every 4 days, Idle Mage Academy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Incremental ELM Quest 2 | Idle Mage Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (54 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 54 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 192 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | +9 | 4+ |
| Developer | Eric Marin | SONGHWA CHAE |
Customer experience
Incremental ELM Quest 2
Idle Mage Academy
In-app purchases
Incremental ELM Quest 2
- Cosmetic: D- Pack$0.99
- Cosmetic: S- Pack$6.99
- Cosmetic: SS- Pack$7.99
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- 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
- Cosmetic: Founder's Edition$19.99
Idle Mage Academy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Incremental ELM Quest 2 free?
Is Idle Mage Academy free?
Which has better reviews, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Idle Mage Academy?
Do Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Idle Mage Academy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Idle Mage Academy?
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