Comparison

iNethack2 vs Buriedbornes2

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

Buriedbornes2

Embark on a turn-based dungeon RPG adventure where strategic choices and character customization are key. Build powerful heroes by combining races, jobs, skills, and equipment to overcome hordes of undead and resist a world-ending threat.

Highlights
  • Turn-based dungeon crawling
  • Deep character customization
  • Strategic skill and rune system
  • Item and equipment collection
  • Cooperative survivor communities
  • Permadeath adventure
Features
Read full description

* Easy to play X Severe adventure Again Buriedbornes2 is the sequel to the easy-to-play turn-based dungeon RPG series. The popular series, which has surpassed 2.5M total users, has evolved in a form that is easier to play and more freely enjoyable. Choose between 2 options for the room you want to progress in, decide which items you want to obtain, choose from up to 5 skills to use next, and more... The simple, non-real-time operation allows you to enjoy a serious adventure where death is the only thing you have to worry about. The best part of the Buriedbornes series is creating a powerful character that surpasses the terrifying army of undead and crushing them! * The battle of the dead and the cooperative "Union" The world is on the brink of ruin due to the invasion of the "Ancient Overlord" and his army of corpses, a threat suggested by the most ancient prophecies. You will repeatedly challenge dangerous dungeons by acquiring corpses, altering them, and using the forbidden "Buriedbornes" art of possessing their souls. It is a hopeless battle with no redemption or end, yet mankind has not given up on everything yet. In various parts of the world, communities of survivors, each with their own goals, continue to resist. By helping each other with them, we may find hope. * Races, jobs, origins, equipments, skills, runes... countless combinations At the start of the adventure, character creation is possible by selecting the race, job, and origin of the corpse to be used. Each legendary equipments that can be found in each dungeon has its own unique abilities. Up to 5 skills can be held, each of which can be set with up to 5 skill runes that can also be obtained in dungeons. These elements allow you to build your tactics freely from a myriad of options. You can build your builds systematically, or you can improvise and discover powerful builds through unexpected coincidences. * End-User license agreements https://nussygame.com/en/bb2/eula/

Screenshots

iNethack24 screens
Buriedbornes24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Buriedbornes2 at 4.9 against iNethack2's 4.4. Buriedbornes2 also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (692 vs 137). iNethack2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment 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

Both are free to download. Buriedbornes2 sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. iNethack2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Buriedbornes2 holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Buriedbornes2 has 692 ratings behind it against 137, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of iNethack2's written reviews are positive against 87% of Buriedbornes2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iNethack2 ships an update every 2 months, Buriedbornes2 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
iNethack2 versus Buriedbornes2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriNethack2Buriedbornes2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (137 ratings)4.9 (692 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.1% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings137692 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB592 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperFuture Shock Software LTDyujiro komine

Customer experience

iNethack2

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

Buriedbornes2

All ratings692 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative6.7%

User reviews

iNethack2

From 137 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Faithful port of classic NetHack game
  • 📱 Well-designed touch interface for mobile
  • 🎨 Multiple tileset options available
  • ♾️ Infinite replayability and depth
  • 🆓 Free to play with no paywalls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 💾 Game files corrupted or lost unexpectedly
  • ⌨️ Limited external keyboard support
  • 🎮 Clunky movement controls
  • 🖱️ Double-tap sensitivity issues

Buriedbornes2

From 692 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple but fun and challenging
  • 👍 Great art and design
  • 👍 Reasonable monetization
  • 👍 Depth and variety of playstyles
  • 👍 Addictive and hard to put down

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Confusing mechanics and poor explanations
  • 🔧 Skill system needs improvement (limited uses, skill stocks)
  • 🔧 Difficulty curve can be unbalanced at times

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

Buriedbornes2

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Expanded social features
  • More tutorial and onboarding support
  • Unlimited or improved skill usage

In-app purchases

None

iNethack2

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Buriedbornes2

One-time6
  • 160 Gold Shard$0.99
  • 500 Gold Shard$2.99
  • 1300 Gold Shard$6.99
Show 3 more
  • 2700 Gold Shard$14.99
  • 4600 Gold Shard$24.99
  • 12000 Gold Shard$59.99

Questions

Is iNethack2 free?
iNethack2 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Buriedbornes2 free?
Buriedbornes2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iNethack2 or Buriedbornes2?
Buriedbornes2 is rated higher. iNethack2 averages 4.4 out of 5 from 137 ratings, while Buriedbornes2 averages 4.9 from 692 ratings.
Do iNethack2 or Buriedbornes2 have ads?
Buriedbornes2 shows ads; iNethack2 does not.
Which is updated more often, iNethack2 or Buriedbornes2?
iNethack2 ships an update every 2 months, and Buriedbornes2 fortnightly. Most recently, iNethack2 was updated on September 3, 2026 and Buriedbornes2 on September 24, 2026.

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