Comparison

Magic Touch vs Once Upon a Tower

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

Head to head
About

Magic Touch

Defend your castle by drawing magical spells with your finger to pop incoming balloons. Master intuitive gesture recognition to defeat aggressive hordes and protect the kingdom. Unlock new spells and power-ups to become the ultimate wizard.

Highlights
  • Intuitive gesture recognition drawing
  • Simple drawing concept
  • Game Center support
  • Unlock new spells
  • Slow down time
  • Turn enemies into frogs
Features
Read full description

Wanted, Wizard required for defence duties. Must be proficient in spell casting to pop varying balloon types that may be utilised by intruders. Must be confident working alone and comfortable facing aggressive hordes. Advanced magic techniques desirable but can be learnt on the job. Applicant expected to provide their own spell book and potion bottles. They also may be required to make tea and answer phone calls. Applicants should send CVs and potions portfolio to enquiries-castleundersiege@nitrome.com Use you finger to draw shapes. Match the shapes on balloons to pop them sending the invaders smashing to the ground. Keep the Enemy from reaching the castle for as long as possible! Features: - Intuitive gesture recognition drawing gameplay. - A simple drawing concept that anyone can grasp! - Full game centre support to compete with friends and foes. - Collect coins to unlock new awesome spells. Slow Down time! Turn enemies into frogs! Summon a mighty Dragon! Cover the floor on Fire! Make the Castle Turrets grow Gun Turrets! 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.

About

Once Upon a Tower

Break free from your tower prison in this adventure game. Armed with a war hammer, you'll battle enemies and escape a dragon. Your rescue is up to you!

Highlights
  • Tower escape adventure
  • Battle enemies
  • Fight a dragon
  • Princess protagonist
  • Offline gameplay
Features
Read full description

Ever wanted to escape somewhere else? Ever felt like you were trapped in a high tower? Ever found yourself waiting for the valiant knight to save you? Wait no more! Cause he isn't coming -- No, really, he isn't. He was literally eaten by that guardian dragon over there. But fear no more, you have all you need to set yourself free. The brave knight left behind his war hammer, I'm sure you can put it to good use, right? You can beat the enemies. You can escape the dragon. YOU CAN DO THIS! Now let the adventure begin, once upon a tower.

Screenshots

Magic Touch4 screens
Once Upon a Tower4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Once Upon a Tower at 4.7 against Magic Touch's 4.5. Once Upon a Tower also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 62%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Magic Touch sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Once Upon a Tower sells 24 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Once Upon a Tower holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 3.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Magic Touch's written reviews are positive against 75% of Once Upon a Tower's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magic Touch ships an update every 2 months, Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Magic Touch versus Once Upon a Tower: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagic TouchOnce Upon a Tower
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.2K ratings)4.7 (3.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.2% of reviews75.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K3.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size374 MB226 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperNitromePomelo Games

Customer experience

Magic Touch

All ratings1,210 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews946 reviews
Positive62.2%
Neutral14.5%
Negative23.4%

Once Upon a Tower

All ratings3,248 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,166 reviews
Positive75.1%
Neutral9.0%
Negative15.9%

User reviews

Magic Touch

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
  • 👍 Fun and addictive
  • 💎 Great graphics and art style

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🔍 Inconsistent shape recognition
  • 📢 Too many ads

Once Upon a Tower

From 3.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Addictive gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🎮 Simple but engaging mechanics
  • 🚀 Great time killer
  • 👍 Empowering female characters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Unclear instructions/tutorials
  • 🔁 Repetitive levels
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads
  • 🤖 Unresponsive controls

Bugs and requests

Magic Touch

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes after losing
  • Spells not working as intended
  • Inconsistent scoring and coin rewards

Requested features

3 requests
  • Additional game modes and difficulty levels
  • Ability to disable certain spells
  • Save progress and high scores

Once Upon a Tower

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes when watching ads
  • Progress resets after crashes
  • Challenges not tracking properly
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More character/princess variety
  • Ability to save progress
  • Difficulty settings
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Level editor

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Magic Touch

One-time4
  • Coins Pack 1$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Coins Pack 2$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Coins Pack 3$6.99
24 purchases

Once Upon a Tower

One-time24
  • Oscura$0.99
  • Sigrid$0.99
  • Noriko$0.99
Show 21 more
  • Lives Pack x10$0.99
  • Myrina$0.99
  • Loriel$0.99
  • Denise$0.99
  • Ali'i$0.99
  • Lilith$0.99
  • Dragon scales x20$0.99
  • Lives Pack x25$0.99
  • Rita$0.99
  • Linda$0.99
  • Muffin$0.99
  • Xochi$0.99
  • Nzinga$0.99
  • Draculina$0.99
  • Lives Pack x25$1.99
  • Lives Pack x60$3.99
  • Dragon scales x100$3.99
  • Lives Pack x200$4.99
  • Lives Pack x200$9.99
  • Lives Pack x1,500$49.99
  • Lives Pack x9,999$99.99

Questions

Is Magic Touch free?
Magic Touch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Once Upon a Tower free?
Once Upon a Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Magic Touch or Once Upon a Tower?
Once Upon a Tower is rated higher. Magic Touch averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Once Upon a Tower averages 4.7 from 3.2K ratings.
Do Magic Touch or Once Upon a Tower have ads?
Both Magic Touch and Once Upon a Tower show ads.
Which is updated more often, Magic Touch or Once Upon a Tower?
Magic Touch ships an update every 2 months, and Once Upon a Tower every 3 weeks. Most recently, Magic Touch was updated on September 25, 2026 and Once Upon a Tower on September 23, 2026.

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