Comparison

Shadow Blade CM vs Elderand

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

Elderand

Embark on a brutal, skill-based action platformer in a Lovecraftian world. Wield diverse weapons and customize your character with RPG elements to battle terrifying creatures and explore a dark, hand-drawn pixel environment. Collect loot to upgrade your arsenal and uncover the land's secrets.

Highlights
  • Skill-based combat
  • Metroidvania exploration
  • Lovecraftian horror themes
  • RPG character customization
  • Diverse weapon arsenal
  • Hand-drawn pixel art
  • Loot collection and crafting
Features
Read full description

Become the hero of an epic quest in Elderand, a metroidvania that will test your will and skill. Heads will literally roll in this gruesome, retro-inspired action platformer, where only the strong will survive in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures. Through the darkness and madness, promised glory awaits. Wield a variety of killing instruments and abilities to test your metal against towering, bone-chilling bosses. Explore a twisted Lovecraftian world shrouded in darkness and madness. RPG elements allow you to customize your battle experience to your liking, from your character’s appearance to skills, stats, and weapons. Slay or be slain as you collect glory and treasure in this nightmarish 2D world. Glory and riches await those who can spill the required blood and guts to collect it. KEY FEATURES: •Wield an arsenal of killing devices, including whips, swords, daggers, axes, bows, and more. From a magical staff that shoots bursts of energy to a giant sword, different weapons have different stats and capabilities, so find the ones that you enjoy battling beasts with the most! •Satisfying Metroidvania-style exploration meets terrifying Lovecraftian creatures in this detailed hand-drawn pixel world with glorious gothic aesthetics and handcrafted level design. •RPG elements let you customize your experience to best suit your play style, from your character’s appearance to their skills, stats, and weapons. Collect loot from exploration and fallen enemies and then use it to upgrade your weapons via crafting. •Travel to the many corners of this perilous land, such as an inviting village with merchants, a forest, a temple prison, floating islands, a cursed Cathedral, and the hellscape that is Elderand itself. •More than 60 different enemy types and around a dozen bosses for your slaying pleasure. •Collect lost letters and other correspondence from the poor souls who came before you to learn more about the darkness taking hold of this grim land.

Screenshots

Shadow Blade CM1 screens
Elderand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Shadow Blade CM at $1.99 against Elderand's $6.99. Shadow Blade CM also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (85% vs 74%). Elderand's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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 Elderand $6.99 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 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 36 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Shadow Blade CM's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Blade CM ships an update every 3 weeks, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Shadow Blade CM versus Elderand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow Blade CMElderand
Price$1.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.4 (77 ratings) — better4.2 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews85.2% of reviews — better73.7% of reviews
Number of ratings77 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size1006 MB818 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperCrescent Moon Games LLCPlug In Digital

Customer experience

Shadow Blade CM

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

Elderand

All ratings36 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative18.4%

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

Elderand

From 36 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game overall
  • 🗺️ Deep lore and world-building
  • 🎵 Amazing music and audio
  • ⚔️ Challenging yet approachable combat
  • 🎮 Excellent controller support (mostly)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Controls can be buggy and unresponsive
  • 🐛 Dash function sometimes not working
  • 🐛 Game freezes intermittently
  • 🐛 Bosses getting stuck in animations

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

Elderand

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Permanent crashes
  • Character spawning underneath level
  • R button for subweapon not working on Steelseries Nimbus
  • Dash function not working
  • Game freezing for a moment
Show 6 more
  • Bosses getting stuck in attack animations
  • Campfire menu broken (cannot select options)
  • Lost save data after updates
  • D-pad moves on screen and becomes unusable
  • Joystick teleports to random spots
  • Virtual joystick bug with attack key

Requested features

7 requests
  • Full controller remapping for bindings
  • Multiplayer PvP 'Invasions' system
  • Cloud saves (iCloud)
  • Adjustable button layout and size
  • Ability to track materials acquired
Show 2 more
  • New game+ option
  • Boss replayability

In-app purchases

None

Shadow Blade CM

No in-app purchases

None

Elderand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadow Blade CM free?
Shadow Blade CM costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elderand free?
Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadow Blade CM or Elderand?
Shadow Blade CM is rated higher. Shadow Blade CM averages 4.4 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.
Do Shadow Blade CM or Elderand have ads?
Neither Shadow Blade CM nor Elderand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Blade CM or Elderand?
Shadow Blade CM ships an update every 3 weeks, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Shadow Blade CM was updated on October 18, 2026 and Elderand on October 19, 2026.

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