Comparison

Supernova vs The Long Descent

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

Head to head
About

Supernova

An idle space tycoon game where you fuse hydrogen to grow and detonate stars. Earn permanent power-ups with each supernova to accelerate future runs. Features offline progress and a visually evolving star.

Highlights
  • Fuse hydrogen to create and grow stars
  • Offline progress and production
  • Visually evolving star stages
  • Prestige system with supernova cinematics
  • Deep multiplier stacking and research upgrades
  • Daily missions and streaks
  • Fully offline gameplay
Read full description

Fuse hydrogen into a living star. Grow it. Then blow it up — on purpose. SUPERNOVA is a premium-feel idle game about running a cosmic forge. Tap to spark fusion, build 12 generators from Hydrogen Wisp to Singularity Seed, and watch your star physically evolve — protostar, blue giant, red supergiant — until it is ready to collapse. Detonating it is the point: every supernova grants Neutron Cores, permanent power that makes each new universe faster than the last. WHY YOU'LL STAY • Real progress while you're away — production continues offline (extend the cap up to 24 hours with research), and a welcome-back doubler greets your return • A star that actually changes — five visual stages, rendered live, no canned art • Prestige that feels like a finale — a hand-built supernova cinematic, then a stronger start • Numbers that get gloriously big — Million, Septillion, and far beyond • Milestones every few minutes early on, deep multiplier stacking later • Daily missions and streaks that respect your time • 20 research upgrades that shape every run FAIR BY DESIGN • No ads. None. • No energy bars, no forced waits, no progress walls • Fully offline — no account, no sign-in, no internet required • Nothing collected, nothing tracked • Optional purchases exist (time warps, photons, a one-time Supporter Pack), and the entire game is balanced to be completed without spending anything THE LOOP 1. Tap your star and let generators forge Stardust 2. Hit ownership milestones — each one doubles a generator's output 3. Buy research, stack a Photon Surge boost, fill your Piggy Bank 4. Reach collapse readiness... and go SUPERNOVA 5. Keep your Neutron Cores forever. Start again, faster. Built by a solo developer in SwiftUI and SpriteKit. Every pixel is procedural — no asset packs, no stock art. Dark theme, tuned haptics, Reduce Motion respected. Your first universe is waiting. It starts with one atom.

About

The Long Descent

Embark on an idle deep-sea adventure, piloting an exploration probe to uncover the mystery of a silent ocean. Harvest energy, discover unique species, and upgrade your vessel as you descend through increasingly challenging zones. Enjoy offline progress and optional purchases to support development.

Highlights
  • Idle deep-sea exploration
  • Harvest energy and upgrade ship
  • Discover and catalogue species
  • Skippable reflex minigame
  • Offline progress
  • Fully painted world
Features
Read full description

The ocean went silent. You're being sent down to find out why. The Long Descent is an idle deep-sea odyssey: pilot the last exploration probe, harvest energy from the dark, and descend through 31 hand-written zones — from the sunlit shallows to places the sea itself doesn't talk about, and past them into a deep with no floor. DESCEND — Every zone multiplies your output and deepens the story. Your pressure hull must be re-certified at each boundary: reinforce the ship, watch it visibly armor up, and push past the wall. DISCOVER — Catalogue 93 painted deep-sea species, each with its own lore and passive bonus. Rare editions (Shiny → Abyssal) make every sighting a roll of the dice. DIVE — A skippable reflex minigame: steer by headlamp through painted mines and jellyfish for an energy burst. The deeper you go, the dimmer your light. REFIT — Surface, trade your depth for Cores, and descend again — permanently stronger. ◆ Fully painted world: ship, creatures, machines, story vistas ◆ Offline progress — your drones keep working while you're away ◆ Plays in minutes-a-day sips or long hauls; no energy timers on gameplay ◆ No forced ads, ever — every ad is a button you choose to press, and it pays you for pressing it ◆ No account, no server — your save lives on your device ◆ Analytics are opt-in, anonymous, and off until you say otherwise ◆ Optional Pearl bundles support development — the weekly featured bundle carries real bonus Pearls, and there are no fake sales here The road on the seabed is paved, straight, and older than the coastlines above. Who built a road down here? Descend and find out.

Screenshots

Supernova4 screens
The Long Descent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Supernova at none against The Long Descent's shown. Supernova also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days) and device support (5 vs 3). The Long Descent's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Supernova sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and The Long Descent sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Supernova against 4.5 for The Long Descent. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 38 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Supernova's written reviews are positive against 73% of The Long Descent's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Supernova ships an update every 2 days, The Long Descent every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Supernova versus The Long Descent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSupernovaThe Long Descent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (82 ratings)4.5 (38 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews — better73.3% of reviews
Number of ratings82 — better38
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB42 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperHUGO ANATOLE PAUL MORICEAUShai Ankori

Customer experience

Supernova

All ratings79 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral7.9%
Negative15.8%

The Long Descent

All ratings29 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Supernova

One-time10
  • 50 Photons$0.99
  • Time Warp: 4 Hours$1.99
  • Break the Piggy Bank$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Automation Core$3.99
  • Supporter Pack$4.99
  • Time Warp: 24 Hours$4.99
  • 300 Photons$4.99
  • 700 Photons$9.99
  • Time Warp: 7 Days$14.99
  • 1600 Photons$19.99
10 purchases

The Long Descent

One-time10
  • Aurora Hull$1.99
  • Deep Start$2.99
  • Remove Ads$3.99
Show 7 more
  • Abyssal Engine$4.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack$4.99
  • Premium Season Track$4.99
  • Deep Permit$9.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack II$9.99
  • 1,200 Pearls (+240 bonus)$9.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack III$19.99

Questions

Is Supernova free?
Supernova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Long Descent free?
The Long Descent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Supernova or The Long Descent?
The Long Descent is rated higher. Supernova averages 4.5 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while The Long Descent averages 4.5 from 38 ratings.
Do Supernova or The Long Descent have ads?
The Long Descent shows ads; Supernova does not.
Which is updated more often, Supernova or The Long Descent?
Supernova ships an update every 2 days, and The Long Descent every 9 days. Most recently, Supernova was updated on November 10, 2026 and The Long Descent on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons