NOLA Is Burning vs The Ascot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NOLA Is Burning
Embark on a text-based noir thriller set in New Orleans. Rescue your kidnapped lover from a dangerous gangster before dawn, making critical choices that shape your survival. Engage in combat, forge alliances, and navigate the city's underbelly in this interactive story.
- Interactive text-based story
- Branching narrative choices
- Noir thriller setting
- Gangster and crime themes
- Multiple endings
- Vast word count for replayability
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your boss, The Bull, the most dangerous gangster in New Orleans, has a job for you. Rescue your kidnapped lover--officially The Bull’s lover, but unofficially yours--before dawn. Slaughter everyone who stands in your way, including other gangsters, cops, and the Triad, as you slink across the underbelly of New Orleans. "NOLA Is Burning" is a blood-soaked interactive noir thriller where your choices control the story. The game is entirely text-based--without graphics or sound effects--and powered by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Will you outwit your enemies or take it to the mattresses with your trusty sawtooth? Will you earn respect as NOLA’s most infamous headcrusher, or will you retire to Mexico on a huge pile of cash? To be honest, you'll probably die. But in NOLA, death is just the beginning. • Make deals with the cops, a Voodoo priestess, the leader of the local Triad, or a fallen priest. • Mix old world magic and advanced technology in a fight to the death, and beyond. • More than 70,000 words of interactive fiction, 15,000 words on every run through the game.
The Ascot
Embark on a perilous journey to a convenience store, where a cursed ascot could lead to lost fortunes guarded by monsters. Will you claim the treasure or become a monster's meal?
- Text-based adventure
- Puzzle solving
- Monster battles
- Fortune hunting
- Multiple endings
Read full descriptionHide full description
2009 XYZZY Award Nominee: Best Individual Puzzle. Anything might happen to you on the way to the convenience store. You might even run into a guy handing out cursed ascots that lead you to lost fortunes guarded by terrible monsters. Can you nab 100% of the Hizkwelderbang fortune, or will you be lunch for the Eagle Beast?
Screenshots
Verdict
NOLA Is Burning and The Ascot both sit at 3.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 39% of NOLA Is Burning's written reviews are positive against 17% of The Ascot's. NOLA Is Burning also leads on update cadence (every 10 months vs every 22 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. NOLA Is Burning sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and The Ascot sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NOLA Is Burning holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of NOLA Is Burning's written reviews are positive against 17% of The Ascot's.
NOLA Is Burning ships an update every 10 months, The Ascot every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NOLA Is Burning | The Ascot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (26 ratings) — better | 3.6 (14 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months — better | Every 22 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | +17 | 9+ |
| Developer | Choice of Games LLC | Hosted Games LLC |
Customer experience
NOLA Is Burning
The Ascot
In-app purchases
NOLA Is Burning
- Chapters 4 through 12$4.99
The Ascot
- Restart the Game Once$0.99
- Remove Advertising$4.99
Questions
Is NOLA Is Burning free?
Is The Ascot free?
Which has better reviews, NOLA Is Burning or The Ascot?
Do NOLA Is Burning or The Ascot have ads?
Which is updated more often, NOLA Is Burning or The Ascot?
Other comparisons
