Comparison

Iron Descent vs Aetherium Hearts

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

Head to head
About

Iron Descent

Embark on a roguelike dungeon crawl where each playthrough offers a unique, procedurally generated labyrinth. Choose from distinct hero classes, battle diverse enemies, and gather loot to survive increasingly dangerous depths. Return to town between runs to upgrade and prepare for the ultimate challenge.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated dungeons
  • Three distinct hero classes
  • Loot and gear system
  • Hub town with shops and quests
  • Offline play
  • Retro visuals and soundtrack
Features
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Iron Descent is a classic roguelike dungeon crawler for your pocket. Every run drops you into a freshly generated labyrinth where one wrong step can end everything. Choose your hero. Descend into the dark. See how deep you can go. **CHOOSE YOUR CLASS** Three heroes, three ways to play: • Warrior - heavy armor, heavy hits. Wade into the fray and outlast anything. • Rogue - fast, deadly, and dripping with poison. Dual-wield your way through the horde. • Mage - bend the dungeon to your will with a spell book of destruction, restoring mana with every kill. **DESCEND 10 DEADLY FLOORS** The dungeon is never the same twice. Rooms, corridors, traps, and treasure are procedurally generated every run, so no two descents play alike. Explore by torchlight, reveal the map one tile at a time, and never trust an empty room. **FIGHT - OR DIE** Orcs, trolls, goblins, rats, and worse prowl the depths, each with its own behavior. Some hunt you the moment they catch your scent; others lie in wait. That chest in the corner? It might have teeth. Face down the Orc Warlord at the dungeon's midpoint and the Demon Lord waiting at the very bottom. **LOOT, GEAR, AND GLORY** Crack open chests, gather gold, and equip weapons, armor, and rings suited to your class. Sip potions, read scrolls, and pray at shrines for a blessing - or a curse. Every upgrade is another step toward surviving the descent. **RETURN TO TOWN** Between runs, regroup in town. Shop for fresh gear, pay the healer to patch your wounds, and take on quests from the board for extra gold and glory. Then it's back down into the dark. **CLAIM THE DARK CRYSTAL** Deep beneath the earth lies the Dark Crystal. Reach it, seize it, and carry it back to town alive to claim victory. Few will make it. Will you? **FEATURES** • Three distinct classes with unique playstyles • 10 procedurally generated floors - endless replayability • Two epic boss battles • Traps, mimics, shrines, and hidden loot • A hub town with a shop, healer, and quest board • Striking retro dungeon visuals and an atmospheric original soundtrack • Save and continue your run anytime • Fully playable offline Grab a torch. Draw your blade. The descent begins.

About

Aetherium Hearts

Features
Read full description

Raise adventurers in Selwyn, town of the Ash Marches, and send them down into the labyrinths. The expedition runs by itself — they walk, they fight, they gather, and sometimes they fall. Those who come back bring the whole of it with them, written up by an AI as a single tale. No two are ever the same. ◆ Three labyrinths The Ashen Corridor, the Frostcrystal Archive, the Ember Crucible. Each runs to a different depth and a different danger, and at the bottom of each an Aetherium Heart lies sleeping. ◆ It runs on its own Once they are down there, they walk and fight on their own feet. The descent continues while the app is closed. ◆ Tales The record of a returning expedition is woven into prose by an AI. Send it straight to X, Threads, Bluesky or Discord. ◆ The town and your company An armoury, a general store, a forge, the guild, a temple, a shrine — Selwyn holds nine places to go. You can also go looking for an adventurer who has gone missing. ◆ Standings Set the Aetherium Hearts you have offered at the Shrine of Astel against every adventurer in every town. Japanese and English, switching with your device. Free to play, with no in-app purchases.

Screenshots

Iron Descent4 screens
Aetherium Hearts4 screens

Verdict

The call

Iron Descent and Aetherium Hearts are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Iron Descent ships an update every 3 weeks, Aetherium Hearts fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Iron Descent versus Aetherium Hearts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIron DescentAetherium Hearts
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB55 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPastime Foundry, LLCHitoshi Igarashi

In-app purchases

None

Iron Descent

No in-app purchases

None

Aetherium Hearts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Iron Descent free?
Iron Descent is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aetherium Hearts free?
Aetherium Hearts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Iron Descent or Aetherium Hearts have ads?
Both Iron Descent and Aetherium Hearts show ads.
Which is updated more often, Iron Descent or Aetherium Hearts?
Iron Descent ships an update every 3 weeks, and Aetherium Hearts fortnightly. Most recently, Iron Descent was updated on October 24, 2026 and Aetherium Hearts on October 11, 2026.

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