Comparison

Shadow Blade CM vs Castlevania

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Blade CM

Embark on a thrilling quest to become a legendary ninja. Navigate challenging levels filled with traps and enemies, utilizing stealth and combat skills. Master an array of weapons and explore a vibrant 3D world with smooth animations.

Highlights
  • 40 beautiful levels
  • Fast-paced ninja action
  • Deep combat with ninja weapons
  • Secret objects to find
  • Fantastic 3D world
  • Rewards for stealth
Features
Read full description

Kuro is a young man on his quest to become the Shadow Blade. He must seek the teachings of the last remaining ninja master. Reviews: Pocket Gamer - Gold Award 9/10 Touch Arcade - 4/5 'A great action platformer with smooth controls' 148 Apps 4.5/5 'a stylish trial platformer that's hard to put down' Gamezebo - 4/5 'An incredibly satisfying game.' Video Gamer - 9/10 'Easily one of the better mobile games in recent memory' Cult of Mac - 4/5 'Smooth as Silk' APPDAILY.RU - Probably the most colorful and exciting platformer on iOS App Advice - 'fast paced action and ridiculous ninja violence' You will guide him through challenging levels, around countless traps, sneaking past enemies or right over their dead bodies. You have to be fast, be stealthy, be aware of your environment. You have to be a ninja. Shadow Blade is a fast paced action platformer game for iOS with intuitive touch controls. It features intuitive touch controls and an array of weapons and challenging levels. Becoming a ninja is at your fingertips! Features: 40 beautiful levels to explore Fast paced platforming ninja action Deep combat with ninja weapons Secret objects to find Fantastic 3D world with smooth as silk character animations Rewards for playing sneakily! Follow us for the latest info and game news! • http://crescentmoongames.com/other-games/ • http://facebook.com/crescentmoongames • http://twitter.com/cm_games

About

Castlevania

Experience a classic action RPG on mobile. Explore a vast castle, battle unique enemies, and uncover secrets as Alucard. This port features updated controls and achievements.

Highlights
  • Direct port of the console classic
  • Play as Alucard
  • Jump, dash, and slash combat
  • Vast castle exploration
  • Game controller compatibility
  • New continue feature
  • Unlockable achievements
Read full description

The iconic game from the beloved Castlevania series finally comes to mobile. This direct port of the classic console action RPG lets you jump, dash and slash your way through Dracula’s vast castle as Alucard while encountering a unique array of enemies and characters along the way. Rediscover the world of Castlevania with one of its original groundbreaking games and renowned music and graphics. □Features Fully compatible with game controllers New continue feature Unlock achievements with hard-fought battle milestones Available in 6 languages: English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish

Screenshots

Shadow Blade CM1 screens
Castlevania4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shadow Blade CM at 85% against Castlevania's 54%. Shadow Blade CM also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 29 months). Castlevania's advantage is ratings volume (1.8K vs 77) and chart position (#8 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases, 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

Shadow Blade CM costs $1.99 and Castlevania $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shadow Blade CM holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Castlevania has 1.8K ratings behind it against 77, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Shadow Blade CM's written reviews are positive against 54% of Castlevania's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Blade CM ships an update every 3 weeks, Castlevania every 29 months. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Shadow Blade CM versus Castlevania: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow Blade CMCastlevania
Price$1.99 — better$2.99
Rating4.4 (77 ratings) — better3.9 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews — better53.7% of reviews
Number of ratings771.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 29 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#8 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better9.0
Further details — not scored
Size1006 MB326 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCrescent Moon Games LLCKONAMI

Customer experience

Shadow Blade CM

All ratings77 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews418 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral5.5%
Negative9.3%

Castlevania

All ratings1,791 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral9.3%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews1,109 reviews
Positive53.7%
Neutral11.6%
Negative34.7%

User reviews

Shadow Blade CM

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth controls
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🕹️ Satisfying gameplay
  • 💰 Good value for money
  • 🕹️ Challenging levels

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔧 Lack of optimization for newer devices
  • 🕹️ Controls can be frustrating
  • 📦 Short length of game

Castlevania

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Faithful port of a classic game
  • 🎮 Works well with controllers
  • 💰 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Unresponsive touch controls
  • 🔍 Small action buttons
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (clock room issue, save system issues)

Bugs and requests

Shadow Blade CM

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Controls not working properly
  • Graphical glitches and issues

Requested features

6 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Customization options
  • Multiplayer/co-op mode
  • Endless/survival mode
  • Boss battles
Show 1 more
  • Weapon/upgrade system

Castlevania

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Clock room not functioning properly
  • Save system issues (not saving, losing progress)
  • Audio issues (no sound, pitch/speed problems)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable controls and button layout
  • Original voice acting option
  • Improved cutscene quality
  • Cloud save support

In-app purchases

None

Shadow Blade CM

No in-app purchases

None

Castlevania

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadow Blade CM free?
Shadow Blade CM costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Castlevania free?
Castlevania costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadow Blade CM or Castlevania?
Shadow Blade CM is rated higher. Shadow Blade CM averages 4.4 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Castlevania averages 3.9 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Shadow Blade CM or Castlevania have ads?
Neither Shadow Blade CM nor Castlevania shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Blade CM or Castlevania?
Shadow Blade CM ships an update every 3 weeks, and Castlevania every 29 months. Most recently, Shadow Blade CM was updated on October 21, 2026 and Castlevania on October 21, 2026.

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