Comparison

Hopeless vs Vault!

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

Head to head
About

Hopeless

Defend cute Blobs from monsters on an abandoned planet in this fast-paced arcade shooter. Tap to fire, but be careful not to hit your friends or scare them too much. Survive increasingly intense waves of enemies and unlock new weapons and modes.

Highlights
  • Multi-touch fire system
  • Retro disco aesthetic
  • Two game modes
  • Unlockable rewards
  • Fast-paced reflex-based gameplay
  • Monster shooting mechanics
Features
Read full description

*** HUGE UPDATE: HOPELESS: SPACE SHOOTING IS NOW FREE!!! *** - New guns and upgrades! - New game modes! - Level up and get rewards! - Improved performance, tons of bug fixes, and much more! A weird abandoned planet, monsters lurking in the dark, and bright glowing lights... Could this planet be the end of the journey for the cute little Blobs? How long can you survive in this shooting game? Tap the screen to shoot the monsters. React quickly but be careful not to harm your friends. Fight fast, fight hard as the action gets more and more intense! Some monsters require two shots to kill. But be careful: don't let the Blobs get too scared or the'll kill themselves! Is it really all... HOPELESS? Key Features: • Multi touch fire system! • Quirky and funny retro disco feel • Two full game modes! • Simple and easy to learn: no tedious tutorial, simply jump right into the action! • Unlock rewards by completing missions! • Think fast, act fast! Test your skills and your reflexes to their limit. • Intense gameplay, as you try to save the Blobs against all odds. Keep yourself updated, more content coming soon! FOLLOW US: At our website: http://upopa.com/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopelessthegame On Twitter: https://twitter.com/UpopaGames Please email us with any new bugs or glitches.

About

Vault!

Experience thrilling pole vaulting with intuitive tap-and-hold controls. Navigate challenging environments, collect coins to unlock characters, and compete for the highest score. Enjoy endless arcade fun with physics-based challenges.

Highlights
  • Intuitive single-touch pole vaulting
  • Physics-based arcade action
  • Unlockable unique characters
  • Game Center support for competition
  • Coin collection for upgrades
Features
Read full description

Pole vaulting has never been so fun! Cascading cliffs, huge bouncy springs and those infuriating red balls! How far can you go? How long will you last? Can you get the highest score? Classic intuitive physics arcade action with easy to use, hard to master tap and hold controls, mean that things aren't as simple as they seem. Features: - Intuitive single touch pole vaulting gameplay. - Simple concept that anyone can grasp! - Collect coins to unlock unique characters - Full game centre support to compete with friends and foes Important information This game contains third party advertising which can be removed via a one time IAP. This game contains coins which can be collected within the game for free, bought with real money or via earned via promotions. This game contains cross promotion for other Nitrome games and this is not removed with the IAP for removal of ads.

Screenshots

Hopeless4 screens
Vault!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Hopeless at 96% against Vault!'s 71%. Hopeless also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (251 vs 77). Vault!'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 15 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Hopeless sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Vault! sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hopeless holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 251 and 77 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Hopeless's written reviews are positive against 71% of Vault!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hopeless ships an update every 15 months, Vault! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hopeless versus Vault!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHopelessVault!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (251 ratings) — better4.5 (77 ratings)
Positive reviews96.5% of reviews — better71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings251 — better77
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB121 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperUpopa Entertainment LtdNitrome

Customer experience

Hopeless

All ratings251 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral0.4%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive96.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative1.2%

Vault!

All ratings77 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral7.8%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews245 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative22.0%

User reviews

Hopeless

From 251 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Fun and entertaining
  • 👍 Great for reaction time
  • 👍 Nostalgic art style
  • 👍 Intense and adrenaline-rushing

Room to improve

  • 🔄 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🔄 Wish it was still updated
  • 🔄 "Gutted the first game" sentiment
  • 🔄 "Where's the original" sentiment
  • 🔄 "Gets challenging at later waves" sentiment

Vault!

From 77 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🎨 Retro graphics and animations
  • 💡 Innovative pole vaulting mechanic
  • 🎉 Great time-waster game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
  • 💰 Intrusive ads and in-app purchases
  • 🔁 Lack of content variety after unlocking all characters

Bugs and requests

Hopeless

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game was "gutted"
  • First game updated to a less desirable version

Requested features

10 requests
  • Update the game
  • Bring back the old version of the first game
  • Add an "original mode"
  • Make more games like this
  • Free roam game with different characters and weapons
Show 5 more
  • Build your own base
  • Update with more levels and guns
  • Update with more weapon selection
  • Update where you can shoot aliens to get blobs back
  • Make a zombie blob game

Vault!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pole glitching out after continuing from an ad
  • Respawning in unwinnable positions after continuing
  • Invisible walls causing unexpected deaths

Requested features

4 requests
  • More playable characters with unique abilities
  • Different game modes (e.g., time trial, challenges)
  • Varied environments and level designs
  • Customization options for the vaulting pole

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hopeless

One-time10
  • Unlock Mega Blaster$0.99
  • Refugee Blobs$0.99
  • Blob Expedition$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Coin Purse$1.99
  • Blob Caravan$2.99
  • Unlock Double Coins$2.99
  • Starter Pack$3.99
  • Coin Sack$4.99
  • Coin Lot$9.99
  • Coin Chest$19.99
4 purchases

Vault!

One-time4
  • Buy Coins 1$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Buy Coins 2$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Buy Coins 3$3.99

Questions

Is Hopeless free?
Hopeless is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Vault! free?
Vault! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hopeless or Vault!?
Hopeless is rated higher. Hopeless averages 4.8 out of 5 from 251 ratings, while Vault! averages 4.5 from 77 ratings.
Do Hopeless or Vault! have ads?
Both Hopeless and Vault! show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hopeless or Vault!?
Hopeless ships an update every 15 months, and Vault! every 5 months. Most recently, Hopeless was updated on November 9, 2026 and Vault! on November 1, 2026.

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