Comparison

Aetherium Hearts vs Dark Slayer

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

Head to head
About

Aetherium Hearts

Features
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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.

About

Dark Slayer

Features
Read full description

The Abyss has opened its eyes. On the day darkness devoured the world — a single sword became flame. Dark Slayer is a dark-fantasy hack & slash RPG rendered in pixel art. Mow down hordes of demons with spectacular skills, farm ever-stronger gear, and forge your own hero. ■ 7 Classes, 7 Playstyles - Barbarian: a melee whirlwind that slaughters from the heart of the horde - Sorceress: master of fire, frost, and lightning - Demon Hunter: a cold-blooded marksman with arrow storms and traps - Necromancer: lord of death commanding skeleton legions - Paladin: guardian of light with iron defense and holy power - Assassin: a shadow dancer who stacks combos into lethal bursts - Druid: a wild shaman who shifts into wolf and bear and calls down storms and beast packs ■ Endless Gear Farming - Randomly rolled rarities and affixes — chase that one perfect drop - Endless enhancement, with destruction risk and protection charms - Gems, treasure chests, and set items to collect ■ Endgame Content - Infinite Abyss: climb ever-deeper floors and test your limits - Hell Keys & Sanctum battles: daily challenges, top rewards - PvP Arena: duel other heroes - Auction House: trade your loot with other players - Leaderboards: compete on power score and Abyss depth ■ Play Your Way - Offline rewards: keep growing while you rest - Auto-battle support — let it grind, take the boss fights yourself - Cloud save: continue on any device Now, hunt the Abyss. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dark-slayer-rosy.vercel.app/privacy.html

Screenshots

Aetherium Hearts4 screens
Dark Slayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aetherium Hearts at none against Dark Slayer's 8. Dark Slayer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Dark Slayer sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Aetherium Hearts asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aetherium Hearts ships an update fortnightly, Dark Slayer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Aetherium Hearts versus Dark Slayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAetherium HeartsDark Slayer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB95 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperHitoshi IgarashiHyunwoo Kim

In-app purchases

None

Aetherium Hearts

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

Dark Slayer

Subscriptions1
  • Slayer Pact$3.991 Month
One-time7
  • Soul Stones ×100$0.99
  • Slayer Starter Pack$0.99
  • Soul Stones ×550$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Soul Stones ×1,200$7.99
  • Remove Ads (Lifetime)$13.99
  • Soul Stones ×3,000$17.99
  • Soul Stones ×6,600$34.99

Questions

Is Aetherium Hearts free?
Aetherium Hearts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dark Slayer free?
Dark Slayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Aetherium Hearts or Dark Slayer have ads?
Both Aetherium Hearts and Dark Slayer show ads.
Which is updated more often, Aetherium Hearts or Dark Slayer?
Aetherium Hearts ships an update fortnightly, and Dark Slayer every 9 days. Most recently, Aetherium Hearts was updated on October 11, 2026 and Dark Slayer on October 26, 2026.

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