Comparison

Incremental ELM Quest 2 vs Swipebound

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

Swipebound

Engage in a grid-based rogue-lite where every swipe moves all elements, including enemies and items. Collect weapons, merge matching items to forge stronger gear, and strategically outmaneuver opponents. Choose from three distinct modes, each offering a unique challenge and progression path.

Highlights
  • Swipe-to-slide grid movement
  • Item merging and forging
  • Permanent cross-run upgrades
  • Three distinct game modes
  • Global and friends leaderboards
  • Unlockable adventurer portraits
Features
Read full description

Swipebound is a grid-based rogue-lite where every swipe sends all tiles sliding across the grid! Collect weapons, dodge enemies, merge matching items to forge stronger gear. ***THE GRID IS YOUR BATTLEFIELD*** Each swipe moves everything: your warrior, every enemy, every item on the board. Pick up a sword by swiping into it. Slide two matching swords together to forge a higher level. Combine treasure chests to multiply your gold. Every move shifts the whole board. Plan three steps ahead or get cornered! ***OUTLEVEL OR DIE*** Combat is a numbers game. A Level 2 sword defeats Level 2 enemies and below. Swipe into anything stronger and you take the hit. Enemies spawn from the edges, scale with every turn, and can slide into you when you vacate a tile. Stay ahead of the curve or get overwhelmed. ***THREE MODES, THREE FATES*** Squire: 5×5 grid, swords only, no HP or damage. A pure survival puzzle where positioning is everything and only gridlock ends your run. Adventure: Full bidirectional combat with swords and shields. Revives available. The classic experience with global leaderboards. Cursed: 4×4 grid. No revives, no shop bonuses, no consumables. One life. No safety net. A separate high-stakes leaderboard. ***BUILD BETWEEN RUNS*** Earn gold from treasure chests and spend it in the shop between attempts. Raise your max HP permanently with Fortitude upgrades. Start runs pre-equipped through the Starting Armory. Carry scrolls that teleport, swap, or wipe the board clean when the grid turns against you. Every run, you grow a little stronger. ***FEATURES*** Fluid swipe-to-slide grid movement Kill streak bonus scoring system Deep enemy tier system (Basic Enemy >> Ancient Enemy) 40 unlockable adventurer portraits Merge and combine mechanics Global and friends leaderboards Permanent cross-run upgrades Portrait and landscape support Three separate game modes No forced ads, ever

Screenshots

Incremental ELM Quest 24 screens
Swipebound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Swipebound at none against Incremental ELM Quest 2's 16. Swipebound also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Incremental ELM Quest 2's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (49 vs 2). On price, update cadence and device support 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. Swipebound asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Swipebound holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Incremental ELM Quest 2 has 49 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Incremental ELM Quest 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of Swipebound's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Incremental ELM Quest 2 ships an update every 4 days, Swipebound weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Incremental ELM Quest 2 versus Swipebound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIncremental ELM Quest 2Swipebound
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (49 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings49 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB99 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperEric MarinNICHOLAS CHAD MATTINSON

Customer experience

Incremental ELM Quest 2

All ratings49 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%

Swipebound

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
None

Swipebound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Incremental ELM Quest 2 free?
Incremental ELM Quest 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swipebound free?
Swipebound is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Swipebound?
Swipebound is rated higher. Incremental ELM Quest 2 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Swipebound averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Swipebound have ads?
Swipebound shows ads; Incremental ELM Quest 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, Incremental ELM Quest 2 or Swipebound?
Incremental ELM Quest 2 ships an update every 4 days, and Swipebound weekly. Most recently, Incremental ELM Quest 2 was updated on October 16, 2026 and Swipebound on October 10, 2026.

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