Comparison

Drancia vs Kotodama Diary

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

Head to head
About

Drancia

Embark on an arcade-style action RPG adventure with a charming cast and retro pixel art. Chain combos to earn coins, level up your skills, and battle diverse monsters. Unravel the game's mysteries with a killer chiptune soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Arcade-style action RPG
  • Retro pixel art graphics
  • Combo chaining for coins
  • Skill tree progression
  • Diverse characters
  • Unique boss battles
  • Vintage chiptune soundtrack
Features
Read full description

This action RPG features an amusing cast of characters and has an arcade-like feel! Chain combos to rack up coins and level up through the skill tree! Defeat hordes of monsters and unravel the mystery of Drancia! ・Retro-style, cute pixel art graphics! ・Smooth controls and loads of extras to enjoy! ・Unique bosses in every stage! ・Over fifty different types of characters to play as! ・A killer soundtrack of over 20 vintage, Famicom-style chiptunes! *Drancia was originally released in 2008 by Skipmore as a web-based game entitled Drancia Survival. Now it’s been powered-up for smartphones!

About

Kotodama Diary

Nurture unique virtual pets whose evolution is determined by the words you choose. Decorate their rooms, dress them in accessories, and discover over 100 bizarre species. A relaxing game for those who enjoy collecting and quirky characters.

Highlights
  • Word-based pet evolution
  • Collect over 100 species
  • Room decoration
  • Accessory customization
  • Gacha system for items
  • Relaxing gameplay
Features
Read full description

"Are you looking for a cute pet? Too bad! Kotadama Diary's characters evolve depending on the words which you feed them, and could even grow up into something... unexpected. Weird characters, happy characters, sad characters, lovely characters, rude characters, and even, yes, simply cute characters—There's something for everyone! Can you feed them the right words to make them evolve into a new species? Try your best while you decorate your room with your favorite furniture. And you don't even need to clean up! Kotodama Diary is a simple, entertaining game that lets you have fun with bizarre characters that evolve depending on your choices! There are more than 100 different species of these weird characters, known as the ""kotodummies"". And, maybe, you'll find that the words you chose tell you something about yourself... ●○ How to play ○● - Touch or swipe on the hearts to collect them - When you have enough hearts, words will appear - Choose one of the words - Depending on which word you chose, the kotodummy will evolve - Use gems or tickets to draw fortunes and get accessories - The kotodummies will wear the accessories you give them, and, if they like them, they'll give you useful items in return - The kotodummies will collect coins which you can use to buy furniture - Furniture helps you progress through the game faster Decorate your room, play with your favorite kotodummies, and create your very own Kotodama Diary! ●○●You'll like this game if●○● - You like slow-paced, relaxing games - You want to pass some time for free - You want more than just cutesy characters - You want to speak with your pets - You want some absurd screenshots to share - You like pixel art - You like rolling those sweet gachas - You love putting accessories on things/people/animals - You enjoy the occasional weird character - You could do with some giggles - You like bringin up virtual characters - You want to decorate your room - You like collecting things - You want some very unique ""pets"""

Screenshots

Drancia3 screens
Kotodama Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Drancia at none against Kotodama Diary's shown. Drancia also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Kotodama Diary's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (3.1K vs 117). On price, review sentiment, 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. Drancia sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Kotodama Diary sells 46 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kotodama Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kotodama Diary has 3.1K ratings behind it against 117, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 87% and 88% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Drancia ships an update every 6 months, Kotodama Diary weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Drancia versus Kotodama Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDranciaKotodama Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (117 ratings)4.9 (3.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.1% of reviews88.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1173.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB626 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMasakazu YoneharaPolaris-x

Customer experience

Drancia

All ratings116 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive87.1%
Neutral4.3%
Negative8.6%

Kotodama Diary

All ratings3,101 ratings
Positive97.8%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews337 reviews
Positive88.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative6.5%

User reviews

Drancia

From 117 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Addicting gameplay
  • 👍 Fun hack and slash
  • 👍 Great art and music
  • 👍 Retro pixel art style
  • 👍 Free to play

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Game resets when closed
  • 🐛 Non-widescreen support
  • 🐛 Difficulty spikes
  • 🐛 Controls too far left/right

Kotodama Diary

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Cute and adorable characters
  • 👍 Relaxing and engaging gameplay
  • 🤩 Unique and creative concept
  • 🙌 Positive and kind community
  • 🎨 Customizable rooms and accessories

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Frequent and intrusive ads
  • 🐢 Slow progression and heart regeneration
  • 🤔 Limited interaction with Kotodummies
  • 💰 In-app purchases feel necessary

Bugs and requests

Drancia

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Crashes after dying
  • Crashes when buying sold out items
  • Game crashes in bad spots
  • Game exits unexpectedly
  • Game resets when phone is closed
Show 2 more
  • Black screen after ads
  • Can't get out of skills menu

Requested features

20 requests
  • Boss rush mode
  • Adjustable controls
  • Co-op mode
  • Difficulty settings
  • Continue system with gems
Show 15 more
  • More story line
  • Full screen on iPhone X
  • More stuff to add
  • Make classes hit differently
  • Create own hero
  • Male/female gender option
  • Ninja/Kunoichi character class
  • Fancy control pad/buttons
  • Intro/opening sequence
  • Release on 3DS eShop
  • Mini games
  • Upward attack
  • Remove ads for a fee
  • Save progress during/at end of stage
  • Swap apps without restarting

Kotodama Diary

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes or freezes
  • Ads not loading or getting stuck
  • Restoration of in-app purchases not working

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to chat or interact with Kotodummies
  • More furniture and room customization options
  • Easier way to obtain new Kotodummies
  • Ability to save and restore progress across devices
  • Mini-games or additional activities

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Drancia

One-time3
  • Treat us to coffee$0.99
  • Treat us to a beer$0.99
  • Treat us to dinner$2.99
46 purchases

Kotodama Diary

One-time46
  • Gem Cluster$0.99
  • Mega Value Box$1.99
  • Summer Fashion Discount Pack$1.99
Show 43 more
  • Event Ltd Mega Pack$1.99
  • Bronze Chinese New Year Pack$1.99
  • Dreamland Drowsy Set$1.99
  • Hole in the Wall Pack - Tall$1.99
  • Natural Black Pack$1.99
  • Powerful Power-Stone Pack$1.99
  • Valentine Patissiere Pack$1.99
  • Red Camelia Kotoshrine Pack$1.99
  • Ice Village Fishing Pack$1.99
  • Dress-up Pack$1.99
  • Twilit Alley dress-up Pack$1.99
  • Cupcake Pack$1.99
  • Natural Garden Fashion Pack$1.99
  • Gem Baggie$2.99
  • VALUE 30-day Daily Gem Pack$3.99
  • Pure White Pack$5.99
  • Deco Sticker Pack$5.99
  • Gal's Sunday Outfit Pack$5.99
  • Summer Festival Pack$5.99
  • Cyber Tech Pack$5.99
  • Noommy's Investigation Pack$5.99
  • Bakery Preparation Pack$5.99
  • KotodamanniversaryPack$5.99
  • Pupcasso's Breezy Atelier$5.99
  • Overworked Programmer Pack$5.99
  • Kotodama School Years Pack$5.99
  • Loapher's BIG COMFY pack$5.99
  • Snowy Camelia Kotoshrine Pack$5.99
  • Gem Bag$5.99
  • Dougho Box$5.99
  • Ad-free Box$5.99
  • Event Limited Mega Pack$5.99
  • Twilit Alley good-looking Pack$5.99
  • Friends of the Third Kind Pack$6.99
  • Luxurious Vampire Manor Pack$6.99
  • Kototreasure Balloon Pack$6.99
  • 【33%OFF!】Gem Big Bag$9.99
  • Gem Big Bag$14.99
  • Partylads Box$14.99
  • Valentine Sweet Heart Pack$17.99
  • Gem Chest$29.99
  • Crystal Dougho Pack$34.99
  • Gem Mountain$59.99

Questions

Is Drancia free?
Drancia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kotodama Diary free?
Kotodama Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Drancia or Kotodama Diary?
Kotodama Diary is rated higher. Drancia averages 4.6 out of 5 from 117 ratings, while Kotodama Diary averages 4.9 from 3.1K ratings.
Do Drancia or Kotodama Diary have ads?
Kotodama Diary shows ads; Drancia does not.
Which is updated more often, Drancia or Kotodama Diary?
Drancia ships an update every 6 months, and Kotodama Diary weekly. Most recently, Drancia was updated on October 19, 2026 and Kotodama Diary on October 26, 2026.

Other comparisons