Nova Rogues vs Skybeard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nova Rogues
Engage in a fast-paced, one-thumb space shooter with roguelike elements. Dodge enemy fire while your weapons auto-attack, and strategically choose upgrades to create powerful, unique builds for each run. Explore a branching galaxy map and battle distinct factions and bosses.
- One-thumb drag to dodge controls
- Auto-firing weapons
- Synergistic upgrade system
- Branching galaxy map progression
- Three distinct enemy factions
- Multiple playable ships
- Quick 10-30 minute runs
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Nova Rogues is a one-thumb roguelite space shooter. Drag to fly. Your guns fire while your thumb is down, and every run you build a new ship from the upgrades you choose. FLY THROUGH A GATE, PICK YOUR UPGRADE Before each fight, gates open on the battlefield. Fly into the one you want and stay until its ring fills. Reroll the choices, or skip the pick. A NEW BUILD EVERY RUN • 85 upgrades in four rarities, from Common to Legendary • Chain crits, pierce, multishot, drones, elements and more • 49 modules to collect and equip before you launch THREE SHIPS The all-round Falcon, the precision Manta and the close-combat Hammer. Each flies differently and has its own abilities. CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE A branching map of fights, elites and shops. Pick your route, your risk and your rewards, then face the Talon, the Brood and the Verge, and their bosses. Bosses warn you before their big attacks, so every hit is fair. FOUR DIFFICULTIES Casual, Standard, Challenging and Nightmare. Start relaxed, then see how far you can push. MORE TO PLAY FOR • 30 challenges with fixed ships and rules • Milestones, badges and leaderboards • Leave mid-run and continue later • Available in 10 languages FREE TO PLAY Nova Rogues is free. The optional No Forced Ads purchase removes forced ads and banners, lets you play offline, and makes revives instant. The two daily bonus-chest ads stay optional for everyone. Think fast. Fly smart. Build broken.
Skybeard
Pilot eleven unique flying machines through diverse worlds and challenging levels. Master each machine's distinct controls and unlock secrets. Customize your professor and compete on leaderboards.
- Eleven unique flying machines
- Five worlds with 50 levels
- Three difficulty rounds per level
- Machine customization
- Endless mode
- Leaderboards and achievements
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Professor Skybeard has a long white beard, a workshop full of ideas and eleven flying machines that are just waiting for their test pilot: you. You fly every machine with just one finger – and every one completely differently. The Zeppelin climbs at a leisurely pace for as long as you hold. The Spaceship gives thrust, the Magnet Capsule follows your finger, the Pogo Spring wants to be wound up, and the Balloon heats up with a delay. You've barely mastered one machine before you have to feel your way into the next. FIVE WORLDS, 50 LEVELS From Hill Country through the Coast with its gusts and caves, the Desert with its heat fields and the Night Sky with beacons and shooting stars, all the way into the Thunderstorm – with lightning, tailwinds and electric shocks that swap up and down. THREE ROUNDS PER LEVEL Explore with checkpoints, Trial with five stars, Master Flight with no safety net. And behind the third star, every level hides a secret star – for the brave only. RELAYS AND THE GRANDE FINALE In relay levels the machine changes in mid-flight. In the Grande Finale you fly all eleven in a row: 99 gates straight through every world. HARD, BUT FAIR A computer pilot has flown every level with room to spare. So it can always be done – you just have to be able to do it. After a crash you're back in the air at once, no waiting. THE WORKSHOP With the gears from every flight you build new machines, paint them in chrome and gold, and give the Professor a beard, hat and flight trail to your taste. LANDSCAPE ON iPad AND iPhone Duo On big screens, Skybeard becomes the inventor’s book: the Professor’s notebook on the left, the level on the right – or close the notebook and fly across the full width. Half-folded, iPhone Duo turns into a handheld console: the game on top, the control desk below. Your finger never covers the machine again. ALSO INCLUDED • Test Field with flight school for every machine • Endless mode for every world, each with its own record • Bonus Party for every world with all 30 stars • The Professor's diary • Leaderboards and achievements in Game Center • In 12 languages Skybeard is free to play. Ads only appear between levels or voluntarily in return for a reward, and can be switched off with a one-time purchase. No purchase is needed – you can fly everything without one.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Nova Rogues at 4 against Skybeard's 1. Nova Rogues also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Nova Rogues sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Skybeard sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Nova Rogues against 5.0 for Skybeard. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.
| Parameter | Nova Rogues | Skybeard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | — |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 409 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | utku sahin | Michael Rademacher |
In-app purchases
Nova Rogues
- Pilot Starter Kit$2.99
- No Forced Ads$3.99
- Supporter Bundle$5.99
Skybeard
- Starter Pack$1.99
- Gear Crate$1.99
- Gold Pack$3.99
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- No Ads$4.99









