Hoplite vs holedown
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hoplite
Engage in challenging turn-based tactical combat on small maps. Strategize your moves carefully to overcome procedurally generated levels and unlock upgrades. Compete with friends on leaderboards and test your skills in daily challenges.
- Turn-based tactical movement
- Procedurally generated levels
- Quest mode with upgrades
- Challenge mode with daily challenges
- Leaderboard rankings
- Hard but fair gameplay
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"Blanket recommendation for this one." - Pocket Tactics (5 stars) "It's very simple to learn, but there's a huge amount of depth to the game" - Touch Arcade (5 stars) Hoplite is a turn-based strategy game focusing on tactical movement around small maps. This game is designed to be hard, yet fair. You'll need to think before you act if you hope to win. Every move counts! Quest Mode: • Make strategical choices to upgrade your abilities as you dive deeper into the underworld. • Earn achievements and unlock access to new upgrades. • Procedurally generated levels give a new experience every play. • Challenge your friends and see how you rank on the leaderboard. Challenge mode: • Jump straight into the action with a randomized set of upgrades. • Try to beat the daily challenge or play predetermined challenges at two difficulty levels.
holedown
Dig deep underground by strategically shooting balls to break blocks and reach planet cores. Collect crystals for upgrades and master bouncing patterns in this charming, minimalist game with an original soundtrack. Enjoy hours of gameplay with procedurally generated planets and multiple modes.
- Dig through six planets
- Collect crystals for upgrades
- Procedurally generated planets
- Original space acid soundtrack
- Endless play mode
- Intuitive one-handed play
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Dig deep underground by shooting balls and breaking blocks, traversing your way to the planet cores. With limited shots per round and some blocks fixed firmly to the wall, thoughtfully strategize and aim for maximum impact. Knock down as many blocks as possible while collecting crystals for upgrades and getting deeper beneath the surface. Choose your ideal upgrades such as more starting balls, more shots per round, or storing more crystals, based on your play style and overall strategy. Work your way into the procedurally generated planets with a delightful spectacle of bouncing as you get closer to the planet’s core. Balance your plan between ball bouncing patterns and unpredictable, surprising bounces in this mesmerizing and curious game oozing with charm. Immerse yourself in a world of extravagant minimalistic art while jamming out to an original space acid soundtrack as you feel the satisfaction of digging further underground. Features: • Six planets to dig through • Original soundtrack of seven diverse and space-acid themed tunes • A tight experience with 5+ hours of gameplay’ • Intuitive, one-handed play • Endless play mode • 5 achievements • 11 leaderboards • Split view support • Toggle for screen shake
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hoplite at 4.7 against holedown's 4.3. Hoplite also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 72%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Hoplite costs $3.99 and holedown $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Hoplite holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 787 and 398 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Hoplite's written reviews are positive against 72% of holedown's.
Hoplite ships an update every 3 months, holedown every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hoplite | holedown |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (787 ratings) — better | 4.3 (398 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 90.8% of reviews — better | 71.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 787 — better | 398 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #54 — better | #131 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 77 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Douglas Cowley | webbfarbror AB |
Customer experience
Hoplite
holedown
User reviews
Hoplite
From 787 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple yet deep gameplay
- 👍 Addictive and challenging
- 🕹️ Elegant and intuitive controls
- 💎 Excellent value for money
- 🔍 Surprising depth and strategy
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or compatibility issues
- 🔧 Lack of landscape mode support
- 🔊 Mutes music/podcast playback
- 🕹️ Accidental moves due to controls
holedown
From 398 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Satisfying physics and animations
- 🎨 Charming visuals and audio
- 💰 Fair pricing, no ads or IAPs
Room to improve
- 🔚 Short campaign length
- 🔁 Lack of replayability after completion
- 🔇 No option to disable sound effects
- 🐛 Occasional save data loss
Bugs and requests
Hoplite
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on launch with certain OS versions
- Agility upgrade not functioning properly
Requested features
4 requests- More game modes or levels
- Customization options for the character
- Landscape mode support
- Ability to start at higher levels
holedown
Reported bugs
3 issues- Save data randomly resets
- Gameplay freezes after certain actions
- Sound effects not working properly
Requested features
4 requests- More planets/levels
- Diverse block types and gameplay mechanics
- Ability to skip crystal counting animation
- Cloud save sync between devices
In-app purchases
Hoplite
No in-app purchases
holedown
No in-app purchases
