Comparison

Ember vs Elderand

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

Head to head
About

Ember

Embark on an epic adventure in a dark world threatened by collapse. As a resurrected Lightbringer, protect magical Embers by exploring vast realms, making pivotal decisions, and engaging in tactical combat. This classic-style RPG offers a deep story, robust skill tree, and intricate crafting.

Highlights
  • Classic-style role-playing game
  • Deep branching story
  • Endless exploration
  • Robust skill tree
  • Intricate crafting system
  • Real-time combat with tactical pause
  • Over 70 quests
Features
Read full description

About Ember “Back in the earliest days, there was no sun and the world was dark. The heavens opened up and stars fell like beacons into the pitch black world, and they were known as “Embers”. Powerful and wise druids of a primordial race, “the Lightbringers," roamed the orb searching for this luminous matter. They performed a ritual of awakening to call the “Embers” out of their deep sleep. Suddenly the world became bright, and the veil of darkness was lifted. The Embers were the embodiment of magical flame, light, and life, but as word spread about the sheer power of the Embers, they came to be hunted and captured…and so the War for Ember began…” From the tome “Restoration of the Lightbringer” Gameplay overview A passion project 10 years in the making, Ember is a homage to classic role-playing games. Ember features a deep branching story, endless exploration across dynamic and living environments, a robust skill tree, and an intricate crafting system. In Ember, players are resurrected as a “Lightbringer” and summoned to protect the dying Embers as the world is on the brink of collapse. Beginning in the Deep Barrows, players traverse vast environments divided between aboveground and underground realms – ranging from lush forests to dry deserts and dark abysses – to reach the City of Light. The story unfolds through encounters with strangers, and players are forced to decide their destiny by making pivotal decisions. Key features Classic-style, role-playing game with 30+ hours of epic adventure Epic storytelling filled with fascinating characters, lore, adventure, and humor Over 70 quests with diverse gameplay enabling players to choose their path Engaging party-based real-time combat system with tactical pause Over 65 combat skills for the player to use in customized battle party strategy Encounter hundreds of NPCs with their own tales to tell In-depth crafting system, from baking bread to forging magic weapons More than 20 handcrafted environments and shadowy dungeons Meet different companions with their own backstory quests Experience dynamic weather and time of day system

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

Ember4 screens
Elderand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Elderand at 4.2 against Ember's 3.4. Elderand also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 49%) and price ($6.99 vs $9.99). Ember's advantage is ratings volume (253 vs 36) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On 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

Ember costs $9.99 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

Elderand holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ember has 253 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Ember's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update fortnightly, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ember versus Elderand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberElderand
Price$9.99$6.99 — better
Rating3.4 (253 ratings)4.2 (36 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.9% of reviews73.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings253 — better36
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — 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
Size2.6 GB818 MB
Age rating9+12+
Developer505 Games (US), Inc.Plug In Digital

Customer experience

Ember

All ratings253 ratings
Positive56.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews395 reviews
Positive48.9%
Neutral8.1%
Negative43.0%

Elderand

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

User reviews

Ember

From 253 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent graphics and animations
  • 🔒 No in-app purchases or ads
  • 👍 Immersive RPG experience
  • 👍 Engaging story and world-building
  • 👍 Streamlined combat system

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems on newer devices
  • 👎 Difficulty balancing issues
  • 👎 Slow progression and leveling
  • 👎 Small UI elements on phones

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

Ember

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on new game creation
  • Inability to progress past certain points
  • Saved game loading issues
  • Incompatibility with latest iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Controller support
  • More side quests and content
  • Gradual health/energy regeneration
  • Improved inventory management

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

Ember

No in-app purchases

None

Elderand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elderand free?
Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ember or Elderand?
Elderand is rated higher. Ember averages 3.4 out of 5 from 253 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.
Do Ember or Elderand have ads?
Neither Ember nor Elderand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Elderand?
Ember ships an update fortnightly, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 13, 2026 and Elderand on October 9, 2026.

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