Comparison

iNethack2 vs NEO Scavenger

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

Head to head
About

iNethack2

Embark on a single-player dungeon crawl to collect treasure, find the Amulet of Yendor, and survive perilous mazes. This port offers graphical tilesets, touch controls, and customizable shortcuts for an enhanced roguelike experience.

Highlights
  • Single-player dungeon exploration
  • Treasure collection and escape
  • Multiple graphical tilesets
  • Touchscreen gesture controls
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Bones file sharing integration
Features
Read full description

"NetHack is a single player dungeon exploration game. Your goal is to grab as much treasure as you can, retrieve the Amulet of Yendor, and escape the Mazes of Menace alive." -- iNethack2 is an iOS port of Nethack 3.6.7. Original port in 2009 by Dirk Zimmermann which was called iNethack. Updated by Jeff King to work on modern devices, and renamed iNethack2. Initial 3.6 update by Joe Doucette. Various other contributions from the open source community. iNethack2 features: · 9 graphical tilesets (plus IBMGraphics mode, and regular ASCII mode in color and monochrome) · 1 animated tileset: DawnHack Animated · Touchscreen gesture controls: swipe to pan, pinch to zoom · Customizable keyboard shortcut controls · Hearse (bones file sharing) integration · Works on iOS12+ Some facts about NetHack: · The first version of NetHack was released in 1987 · NetHack was a roguelike before people used the term roguelike · You can play NetHack for years and still make new discoveries · NetHack is one of the greatest games of all time

About

NEO Scavenger

Engage in a challenging post-apocalyptic survival RPG where you must scavenge, craft, and fight to uncover your identity. Manage realistic needs like hunger and temperature while navigating a semi-randomized world. Your wit and chosen abilities are your only tools for survival.

Highlights
  • Post-apocalyptic survival RPG
  • Turn-based gameplay
  • Realistic metabolism and wounds
  • Extensive crafting system
  • Hex-based world map navigation
  • Desperate combat with unique moves
  • Semi-randomized world elements
Read full description

Play the acclaimed PC survival RPG on your tablet and smartphone! (Free unlimited time demo, with IAP to unlock full version. Note that only full version can save progress.) NEO Scavenger is a game where you must survive in the wasteland long enough to figure out who you are. Each turn, you must decide where to go, how to scavenge for supplies, and how to deal with anything and anyone you encounter. And with each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows, your dehydration worsens, your muscles tire, and your body temperature drops in the cold autumn air. Choose your starting abilities carefully, because they and your wit are the only tools you have in the apocalypse! FEATURES: Unique Setting - Near-future, post-apocalyptic Michigan with local cryptids and folklore. And something else beneath the surface... Turn-Based Play - Take your time with each turn, and play at your own pace. Save and quit when you want, and resume later. No Grinding - There are no XP in NEO Scavenger. No levelling-up. Instead, progress comes from learning how to play the game better, and using your strengths to your advantage. Semi-Random - Much of the map is randomized each game, including the location of ruins, creatures, weather, and certain quest branches. Sandbox or Story - Search for clues to your identity, what happened, and who's hunting you. Or simply test your mettle against man and nature alike. Play how you want! Abilities and Flaws - Choose abilities and flaws each time you play. Different combos unlock different abilities and quest branches. Crafting - Extensive crafting system which allows for substitutions of similar items. Make a rifle scope from half a pair of binoculars, or a noise trap from a pill bottle and pebbles. Desperate Combat - Detailed combat with moves like "Tackle," "Lure," "Kick While Down," "Demand Surrender," and "Threaten." Realistic Wounds - Creatures have complex wound simulation, with multiple wound locations, infection, bleeding, and pain management. Realistic Metabolism - Hypothermia, fatigue, thirst, hunger, disease, intoxication, shelter...everything is tracked. Realistic Inventory - Complex inventory system with slots for holding, wearing, containers, and more. Fit items in grid spaces, and manage encumbrance. Hex-Based World Map - Navigate ruins, hills, forests, and plains in a hex-based map. Line-of-sight, elevation, and daylight matters. Tracking - Creatures leave their tracks and spoor on the map, which can be followed by others. Players can also hide their tracks. Hiding - Players can use hiding to avoid being seen while traveling the map, as well as during story encounters. Hunting - Trap small game for food and fur, or track and kill larger prey on the map for butchering. Foraging - Search for edible plants and water, and use special skills to identify what's safe to eat. Creature AI - Wandering creatures go about their own business, hunting, scavenging, and hoarding. Morale affects their choices, and some will gang-up and cause trouble. Dynamic Weather - Temperature, rainfall, and night/day are based on real-world data for autumn in the area. If you live long enough, you may see snow fall. FULL VERSION ADDS: Save System - Save progress between sessions. However, if you die, that's it. NEO Scavenger is balanced around a single difficulty level: permadeath. Save games will be deleted if you die. So choose every action carefully! Haunting Soundtrack - Music composed by Josh Culler, specifically for NEO Scavenger, plays periodically, lending an atmosphere of loneliness and desperation. Hacking - Use hacking skills to unlock scavenged laptops, cellphones, smartphones, and tablets. Mine them for paydata, or snoop through personal files. Detroit - Take refuge from the wasteland in one of mankind's last bastions of safety. Buy supplies, get medical care, and seek clues in a cyberpunk-styled city. More items, crafting, creatures, encounters, and a larger map.

Screenshots

iNethack24 screens
NEO Scavenger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iNethack2 at none against NEO Scavenger's 1. iNethack2 also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 68%). NEO Scavenger's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. NEO Scavenger sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. iNethack2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for iNethack2 against 4.3 for NEO Scavenger. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 150 and 295 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of iNethack2's written reviews are positive against 68% of NEO Scavenger's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iNethack2 ships an update every 2 months, NEO Scavenger every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iNethack2 versus NEO Scavenger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriNethack2NEO Scavenger
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (150 ratings) — better4.3 (295 ratings)
Positive reviews84.1% of reviews — better67.6% of reviews
Number of ratings150295 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB112 MB
Age rating9+17+
DeveloperFuture Shock Software LTDBlue Bottle Games, LLC

Customer experience

iNethack2

All ratings137 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative8.8%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive84.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.9%

NEO Scavenger

All ratings286 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral10.6%
Negative21.8%

Bugs and requests

iNethack2

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Game crashes when using inventory (I command)
  • Crashes on Plane of Water during save restore
  • File corruption errors when switching apps
  • Game freezes with Chinese pinyin keyboard input
  • Crashes when equipping rings
Show 9 more
  • Crashes when dropping items
  • Crashes when accessing discoveries list
  • Cannot open level files error (501mobile.50)
  • Game unrecoverable after certain actions
  • Double-tap causes unintended character movement
  • Floor tiles not rendering in corridors
  • Crashes on iOS 11+ when dropping items
  • Waiting for logfile access message loops
  • Game crashes immediately on startup for some users

Requested features

17 requests
  • Separate button labels from command values
  • External Bluetooth keyboard support
  • Directional pad for movement
  • Swipe-based movement controls
  • Character name customization
Show 12 more
  • Pet naming functionality
  • Partial item stack management
  • Cloud save synchronization across devices
  • iPad Magic Keyboard support
  • Japanese language localization
  • Toggle for sparkle effects
  • Multiple simultaneous game saves
  • NetHack version 3.6+ support
  • Slash'Em port for iOS
  • Voice over support for accessibility
  • Options file editing capability
  • Discoveries list access without crashes

NEO Scavenger

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iNethack2

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NEO Scavenger

One-time1
  • NEO Scavenger Full Version$9.99

Questions

Is iNethack2 free?
iNethack2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NEO Scavenger free?
NEO Scavenger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iNethack2 or NEO Scavenger?
iNethack2 is rated higher. iNethack2 averages 4.4 out of 5 from 150 ratings, while NEO Scavenger averages 4.3 from 295 ratings.
Do iNethack2 or NEO Scavenger have ads?
Neither iNethack2 nor NEO Scavenger shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iNethack2 or NEO Scavenger?
iNethack2 ships an update every 2 months, and NEO Scavenger every 3 weeks. Most recently, iNethack2 was updated on October 24, 2026 and NEO Scavenger on October 26, 2026.

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