A Dark Room vs Eldrum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
A Dark Room
Awaken in a mysterious world with a throbbing head and blurry vision. Follow the voices' instructions to survive and explore this text-based adventure. Experience a game free from ads, loot boxes, in-app purchases, and tracking, fully playable with VoiceOver.
- Text-based adventure
- Survival mechanics
- Exploration
- Resource management
- VoiceOver compatible
- No ads or IAP
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awake. head throbbing. vision blurry. the voices say to survive. - One of Apple's most downloaded apps of 2014. - Ranked in the top 10 games in 70 countries, #1 app overall in 7 countries. - No ads, no loot boxes, no IAP, no tracking. - 100% playable via VoiceOver. - Relive the glory days of gaming from the era of Zork.
Eldrum
Embark on a text-based RPG adventure where your choices shape the narrative. Explore a world of warring factions, gather equipment, and develop your character. Discover secrets and multiple endings in this immersive interactive fiction.
- Text-based choices adventure RPG
- Character building and equipment
- Multiple endings
- Over 8 hours of playtime
- Secrets to discover
- Supports phones and tablets
- Accessible for blind/low-vision players
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Try before you buy! Eldrum: Untold is free to try up to a certain point in the story where you’ll be offered to purchase the full game in order to continue. Eldrum: Untold is an immersive text-based RPG adventure, combining old school CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) features with modern twists. PLOT You wake up on a beach - shipwrecked, confused and traumatized. Follow the footprints and you will find a fellow survivor in the wilderness. She is a nomad, who seems to have endured the same traumatic experiences. Together, you embark on a quest for answers and retribution. As you venture through the world to discover the truth in this interactive fiction, you’ll gather equipment and forge your character. The lands of Tem Khiris are drenched in blood. You must figure out a way to survive in this world of warring states and rival tribes. Proceed with caution, for death lurks around every corner. Poor decisions will soon send you on a one-way trip to the Underworld. FEATURES - Nostalgic table-top RPG style - Many secrets to discover - Equip and build your character - Over 8 hours of playtime (Estimated, single play-through) - Multiple endings - Replay-ability with different play styles opening up different locations, NPCs and gear - Text based choices adventure RPG - Supports phones as well as tablets - Accessible to blind and low-vision players Choose wisely, your decisions matter! IN THE NEWS “A full-on RPG, complete with character progression, inventory management, and NPC interactions ... The character development and combat systems find that sweet spot between being too simplistic to matter and becoming a bloated distraction.” – Gamespace.com “Untold is a really solid and convenient package. It delivers feelings of grand adventure while allowing you to experiment and explore, and it does this pretty much all through text. It may not satisfy folks looking for a flashier, more action-packed experience, but Untold's restraint is exactly what makes it so impressive and refreshing.” – 148apps.com JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://discord.eldrum.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Eldrum at Free against A Dark Room's $1.99. Eldrum also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). A Dark Room's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#29 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Eldrum is free to download; A Dark Room costs $1.99 up front. Eldrum sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. A Dark Room asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for A Dark Room against 4.7 for Eldrum. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 87% of Eldrum's.
A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, Eldrum every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | A Dark Room | Eldrum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better | 4.7 (1.4K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.7% of reviews — better | 86.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K — better | 1.4K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #29 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 159 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Amirali Rajan | Act None |
Customer experience
A Dark Room
Eldrum
Bugs and requests
A Dark Room
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Eldrum
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional softlocks/progression blockers
- Typos and minor text issues
Requested features
4 requests- More content/story expansions
- Ability to carry over progress/decisions to sequels
- Additional languages (e.g., Russian, Spanish)
- Improved inventory/save management
In-app purchases
A Dark Room
No in-app purchases
Eldrum
- Upgrade from Basic to Premium$1.99
- Basic$4.99
- Premium$5.99
