Comparison

Sisyphos vs Notebook Artillery

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

Head to head
About

Sisyphos

Experience the Sisyphean task of pushing a rock uphill. This game offers a unique, philosophical challenge that explores themes of futility and perseverance. It's a minimalist yet profound gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Push a rock uphill
  • Philosophical gameplay
  • Minimalist design
  • Humility and ego destruction themes
Features
Read full description

Sisyphos lets you experience the joy and pain of pushing a rock up a mountain. "A lesson in humility—a destruction of the human ego" - killscreensdaily.com "Utterly ridiculous ,utterly pointless and utterly brilliant" pocketgamer.com

About

Notebook Artillery

Engage in strategic cannon combat with this arcade-simulation-action game. Adjust firing angle and powder to hit targets or opponents, accounting for wind and random stage layouts. Features hand-drawn art and multiple game modes.

Highlights
  • Adjust firing angle and powder
  • Account for wind and stage layouts
  • Solo target practice mode
  • CPU opponent
  • Local multiplayer vs mode
  • Hand-drawn game art
  • Unlockable stickers
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Apple called it "sketchy — in a good way." Multiple-time Game of the Day in 80+ countries. Nintendo Force gave it 8.5/10. And it started as a doodle. Once upon a time in a middle school computer lab, a student ignored every assignment for an entire semester to fire cannons at a friend. That student grew up, spent 20 years making games professionally, and eventually decided the world needed a proper love letter to that wasted time. This is it. Notebook Artillery is a hand-drawn artillery game inspired by the classic Mac game that got confiscated off school computers everywhere. Set your angle. Load your powder. Fire. Account for the wind. Try not to hit your own tower. Play your way: Solo target practice — break floating targets across randomly generated stages VS CPU — take on a computer opponent Local multiplayer — challenge someone in the same room What makes it feel different: Every frame hand-drawn in Procreate — ruled lines, coil binding, pencil textures, the whole notebook aesthetic Trees splinter. Towers explode. Cannonballs collide mid-air. Wind changes everything. Read the flag. Use your shot trails. Unlock stickers by pulling off feats — first-shot eliminations, mid-air collisions, and yes, accidentally destroying your own tower Randomly generated stages mean no two games play the same Made by one person, with audio by Kevin Samuels and Switch/console ports by PolyCrunch Games. No AI tools were used in making this game. All art hand-drawn. Developed in GameMaker Studio.

Screenshots

Sisyphos4 screens
Notebook Artillery4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sisyphos at Free against Notebook Artillery's $0.99. Sisyphos also leads on ads (none vs shown). Notebook Artillery's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On review sentiment, ratings volume, monetization model 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

Sisyphos is free to download; Notebook Artillery costs $0.99 up front. Sisyphos sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Notebook Artillery asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notebook Artillery holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 371 and 148 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 82% and 81% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sisyphos ships an update every 2 months, Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Sisyphos versus Notebook Artillery: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSisyphosNotebook Artillery
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.2 (371 ratings)4.5 (148 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.7% of reviews — better81.4% of reviews
Number of ratings371 — better148
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#195 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFlorian GroligAustin Ivansmith

Customer experience

Sisyphos

All ratings371 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive81.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative14.4%

Notebook Artillery

All ratings148 ratings
Positive87.2%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews86 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative8.1%

User reviews

Sisyphos

From 371 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Captures the essence of the Sisyphus myth
  • 🤔 Thought-provoking and meditative gameplay
  • 🕰️ Satisfying to pass time
  • 🧠 Helps with mental health and coping

Room to improve

  • 🥱 Repetitive and monotonous
  • 😩 Extremely frustrating and demoralizing
  • 🤯 Rage-inducing at times
  • 🤷‍♀️ Unclear purpose or objective

Notebook Artillery

From 148 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging gameplay
  • 👍 Charming hand-drawn visuals
  • 🎨 Creative twist on artillery games
  • 💡 Simple yet effective mechanics
  • 🕹️ Satisfying challenge of mastering angles and power

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🤖 Erratic AI behavior
  • 🕹️ Controls could be improved for one-handed play
  • 🎨 Pixelated terrain graphics
  • 🕹️ Lacking difficulty settings or progression

Bugs and requests

Sisyphos

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes or freezes
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Audio issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Endless hill mode
  • Character customization options
  • Varied landscapes or biomes
  • Progression system or achievements

Notebook Artillery

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on iOS 12 and 13 on iPad Pro
  • Inconsistent animation speeds

Requested features

7 requests
  • Online multiplayer
  • Campaign mode with objectives
  • Weapon/tower upgrades
  • Customization options
  • Special game modes (speed run, boss battles, etc.)
Show 2 more
  • Ability to save and continue games
  • Detailed badge/achievement system

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Sisyphos

One-time5
  • A MODEST OFFERING2 variants$0.99
  • A GENEROUS OFFERING$1.99
  • A GENEROUS OFFERING$2.99
Show 2 more
  • THE GODS ARE DELIGHTED$4.99
  • THE GODS ARE DELIGHTED$5.99
None

Notebook Artillery

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sisyphos free?
Sisyphos is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notebook Artillery free?
Notebook Artillery costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sisyphos or Notebook Artillery?
Notebook Artillery is rated higher. Sisyphos averages 4.2 out of 5 from 371 ratings, while Notebook Artillery averages 4.5 from 148 ratings.
Do Sisyphos or Notebook Artillery have ads?
Notebook Artillery shows ads; Sisyphos does not.
Which is updated more often, Sisyphos or Notebook Artillery?
Sisyphos ships an update every 2 months, and Notebook Artillery every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sisyphos was updated on September 21, 2026 and Notebook Artillery on September 23, 2026.

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