The Ensign vs Pathos
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Ensign
Embark on a challenging narrative-driven adventure where your choices have dire consequences. This game offers a fully accessible experience for VoiceOver users, delivering a difficult yet rewarding gameplay loop.
- 100% VoiceOver playable
- Challenging gameplay
- Narrative-driven
- No ads
- No data collection
- No in-app purchases
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death awaits. their humanity makes them strong. - 100% playable via VoiceOver - Pre-sequel to the #1 viral smash hit, A Dark Room. - Made with love by indie game developers. - No ads. - No data collection. - No IAP. - No crippled gameplay. - No data requirements. - No elevated device privileges. - Stupid difficult, but that's why you'll love it.
Pathos
Embark on a challenging roguelike adventure inspired by Nethack's rule set. Select from 13 distinct classes and delve into a perilous dungeon. Your mission is to confront your nemesis in hell and escape with as much treasure as possible.
- Nethack-inspired gameplay
- 13 playable classes
- Deep dungeon exploration
- Defeat nemesis in hell
- Loot collection and escape
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Pathos is a roguelike adventure game inspired by the rule set from Nethack. Choose from 13 classes and journey deep into the dungeon. Descend to hell to defeat your nemesis before escaping the dungeon with all the loot you can carry! Email mailto:hodgskin.callan@gmail.com Twitter https://twitter.com/callan_hodgskin Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/pathos_nethack Discord https://discord.gg/TRhRZhX Made with Invention https://gitlab.com/hodgskin-callan/Invention
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pathos at Free against The Ensign's $1.99. The Ensign's advantage is chart position (#67 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Pathos is free to download; The Ensign costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for The Ensign against 4.7 for Pathos. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 549 and 360 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of The Ensign's written reviews are positive against 89% of Pathos's.
The Ensign ships an update every 2 months, Pathos every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Ensign | Pathos |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (549 ratings) | 4.7 (360 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 86.2% of reviews | 88.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 549 — better | 360 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #67 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 142 MB |
| Age rating | +12 | 9+ |
| Developer | Amirali Rajan | Callan Hodgskin |
Customer experience
The Ensign
Pathos
Bugs and requests
The Ensign
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game crashing when trying to collect loot
- Inconsistencies between item descriptions and inventory
- Saved progress being lost after closing the app
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to save progress and resume later
- Difficulty settings or optional modes
- More narrative depth and character development
- Improved accessibility and UI for visually impaired players
Pathos
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Ensign
No in-app purchases
Pathos
No in-app purchases
