Comparison

dreeps vs Frontier Bound

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

Head to head
About

dreeps

This is an RPG designed for busy individuals. Simply set your alarm, and your character will embark on an adventure while you sleep, automatically progressing through battles and discoveries. Check in on their progress throughout the day at your own pace.

Highlights
  • Alarm clock integration
  • Automatic character progression
  • Pixel art graphics
  • Chiptune soundtrack
  • Minimal text gameplay
  • Shareable screenshots
Features
Read full description

dreeps is an award-winning Japanese indie game that received both the "Best of Art" and "Best of Game Design" at Indie Stream FES 2015! It also was #1 in the App Store (for premium RPGs) in 22 countries, like France and Spain! dreeps has been updated! Released in 2015, this unique pixel-based Alarm Clock Game with the killer chiptune soundtrack was released to wide acclaim. Now, we've brushed up the graphics and sounds, and even added a few new things. Hope you like the changes, and thanks for playing dreeps! — introduction — For those who don’t have the time to play RPGs anymore, this is a new type of game—an Alarm Playing Game! To play dreeps, just set the alarm. That’s all. Easy, right? When you head to bed, the robot boy will sleep just like you, regaining HP and recharging for his next day of adventure! When the alarm rings in the morning, both of you will wake up and start your day. When you go to work or school, the robot boy will head out on an adventure through fields, valleys, and peninsulas where monsters roam. Or, he might discover dungeons where strange bosses lurk... Either way, every day is a new day for you and the robot boy! But how does adventuring work? That's real easy! After the alarm sounds, the robot boy's adventure will automatically continue as long as he has enough HP, even while the app is closed. You might miss some events, but don’t worry about it.
 There’s almost no text in this game. So whenever you feel like it, load dreeps up and check on the robot boy's adventure. Or, leave it running on your desk while you work, study, or snack. Play however you want, and take it at your own pace. Visuals and sound can give you hints to what sort of story is unfolding in this little world. But use your imagination! Take those hints and try to guess just what's happening. Oh! And don't forget that you can share screenshots of and thoughts about the game by pressing the "Share" button. dreeps was created to give the player the ability to enjoy a story little by little, day by day. With beautifully crafted art and animations, this is a new kind of game that's easy to pick up and simple for anyone to learn. This pocket-size adventure has been made for you by three people in Tokyo who put all their hearts into delivering a fresh and charming experience. Thank you for playing dreeps!

About

Frontier Bound

Recruit adventurers, build a trading guild, and embark on expeditions through a perilous frontier in this turn-based strategy RPG. Permanent death means your guild's legacy grows stronger with each run, offering new stories and challenges.

Highlights
  • Recruit and customize adventurers
  • Build and manage a trading guild
  • Send expeditions through a dangerous frontier
  • Hundreds of hand-crafted encounters
  • Permanent progression and upgrades
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Will you dive into the ancient ruins to find an enchanted amulet...or maybe death? Frontier Bound is a text-based strategy RPG where you recruit adventurers, build a trading guild, and send expeditions through a dangerous frontier. Death is permanent but your guild will live on. Every run tells a new story and every defeat leaves your guild stronger. BUILD YOUR CREW Hire mercenaries with unique stats, traits, and backstories. Customize them with specializations and artifacts. Watch them grow into legends or bury them in the frontier. RUN THE FRONTIER Face hundreds of hand-crafted encounters across escalating stages: ambushes, trade negotiations, rival showdowns, ancient ruins, and the Warlord boss. Roll the dice. Live with the result. GROW YOUR GUILD Between expeditions, manage your guild hub: upgrade facilities, stock provisions, trade cargo for profit, and recruit your next roster. Permanent progression means every run advances your legacy. BECOME A LEGEND Unlock three specialization paths: Merchant, Warlord, or Explorer. Earn titles and traits for your adventurers and conquer the Frontier. — Offline play, no internet required — Roguelite progression: permanent upgrades survive every run — No pay-to-win: deep strategy, fair progression — Game is now fully playable in: English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian

Screenshots

dreeps4 screens
Frontier Bound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: dreeps at 4.8 against Frontier Bound's 3.0. dreeps also leads on ratings volume (75 vs 2) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). Frontier Bound's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $3.99). On update cadence, ads, 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

dreeps costs $3.99 and Frontier Bound $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

dreeps holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dreeps has 75 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of dreeps's written reviews are positive against 50% of Frontier Bound's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

dreeps ships an update fortnightly, Frontier Bound every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
dreeps versus Frontier Bound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdreepsFrontier Bound
Price$3.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.8 (75 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings75 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB280 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperHisanori HiraokaLuis Herskovic

Customer experience

dreeps

All ratings75 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral12.9%
Negative19.8%

Frontier Bound

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

dreeps

No in-app purchases

None

Frontier Bound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is dreeps free?
dreeps costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Frontier Bound free?
Frontier Bound costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, dreeps or Frontier Bound?
dreeps is rated higher. dreeps averages 4.8 out of 5 from 75 ratings, while Frontier Bound averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do dreeps or Frontier Bound have ads?
Neither dreeps nor Frontier Bound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, dreeps or Frontier Bound?
dreeps ships an update fortnightly, and Frontier Bound every 3 weeks. Most recently, dreeps was updated on October 22, 2026 and Frontier Bound on October 14, 2026.

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