Root Down vs Tempire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Root Down
An original abstract strategy game for two players with unique movement rules. Figure out how to move your pieces to capture your opponent's and win. Offers AI play and pass-and-play modes with variable setups.
- Abstract strategy gameplay
- Unique piece movement rules
- AI opponent
- Pass-and-play mode
- Variable game setups
Read full descriptionHide full description
Root Down is an original abstract strategy game designed by Martin Grider for 2-players. It's rules about which pieces you can move are a little quirky, but once you figure it out, it's very quick to play, and has some interesting gameplay mechanics. In Root Down, you have two types of pieces. There are "kicker" pieces that must be next to a "root" piece to move. (Root pieces cannot move.) Kickers can only move exactly as far as the number of kickers next to the root. After a kicker moves, it "kicks" all of the neighboring pieces, then settles down into a new "root" piece. If you kick one of your own root pieces, it becomes another "kicker"! Kicking an opponent's root does the same, and if you kick it again before it has a chance to move, you'll to capture it! The game features an AI player, as well as pass-and-play options. There are several variable setups to chose from. Each one plays slightly different. Please use the "send feedback" button to send me your input, or email me: rootdown@abstractpuzzle.com
Tempire
Experience a unique blend of chess and real-time strategy. Compete against friends or AI in fast-paced matches. This game offers an ad-free, free-to-play experience.
- Chess variation
- Real-time action
- Online multiplayer
- AI opponent
- Ad-free gameplay
- Free to play
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tempire is a variation on chess that brings tense real-time action to the classic turn-based board game. Play online with friends or against challenging AI, all for free and without ads. Tempire was made by Greg March and Matthew Jee, with music by Jacob Rhein.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Tempire at 5.0 against Root Down's 4.0. Tempire also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Tempire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
Root Down ships an update every 27 months, Tempire every 23 months. The most recent releases landed on June 7, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Root Down | Tempire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | Every 23 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Martin Grider | Matthew Jee |
Customer experience
Root Down
Tempire
In-app purchases
Root Down
No in-app purchases
Tempire
No in-app purchases
