Comparison

Return to Grisly Manor vs Project Mayhem

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

Head to head
About

Return to Grisly Manor

Travel back in time to save a historic manor from demolition. Explore the present and past, solve puzzles, and collect items to find a lost deed. Uncover secrets and restore the manor's future.

Highlights
  • Hand-painted graphics
  • Item collection
  • Puzzle solving
  • Original soundtrack
  • Journal for clues
  • Dynamic map
  • Hint system
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The future of Grisly Manor lies in its past! Greedy developers BUYCO want to build their next MegaMart superstore on the site of Grandpa’s newly renovated Grisly Manor! To stop them from demolishing his home, Grandpa just needs to prove he owns the land - but this is where it gets tricky... Being the scatterbrained inventor you know and love, the last place Grandpa remembers seeing the deed was in the old manor - back in 1999! Explore the new house, help Grandpa repair his time machine, and travel back to the original Grisly Manor - before all of its secrets and memories are swept away forever! You must Return to Grisly Manor and save its future! Features: • Beautiful hand-painted graphics that draw you into this mesmerizing adventure! • Lots of items to collect and puzzles to solve! • Original soundtrack and sound effects! • A journal that keeps track of all the symbols and clues that you encounter. • A dynamic map that shows all of the areas you have explored, as well as your current location. • A complete hint system built right into the game.

About

Project Mayhem

An alternate reality puzzle game where you uncover the secrets of a revolutionary brain-computer interface. Explore 15 chapters of creative puzzles, utilizing your device's full capabilities, including audio and augmented reality, to reveal the truth.

Highlights
  • Alternate Reality Puzzle Gameplay
  • Brain-Computer Interface Narrative
  • 15 Chapters of Story
  • Creative Puzzles
  • Audio Detection Integration
  • Augmented Reality Features
Read full description

“Those who thrive in Mayhem are the silent rulers of all.” Project Mayhem is an Alternate Reality Puzzle Game where Vision Consolidated has finally created the world's first complete Brain-Computer Interface called ‘INTELLECT’ with extensive capabilities such as telepathy, increased cognitive abilities, and integration with all things internet (including Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’). They claim that it will solve all the world’s problems. How and why was this product created in a technologically primitive world? What are their plans now? That’s for you to find out! Use your wits to barrel through 15 chapters of this story, each filled with creative puzzles worth going nuts about! Use all aspects of your device ranging from audio detection to augmented reality to see what Vision Consolidated is really up to! What aliens have said about the game: -“ 'u' mIpna' ghaH! ” What humans have said about the game: -“Really fun and unique. I can’t wait until Yush comes out with the next installment! I loved that he was available to help via the chat inside the game itself. I would happily pay $5-10 for this game to support this developer." - Ecokate -“I enjoyed this game a lot, and kudos to the developer for being open and easily reachable if you get truly stuck. I got stuck a couple times in the final level and he gave me a couple extra hints without just spelling out the answer. The game is full of fun ways of using your phone’s functionality and translating codes and such. I got stuck primarily because I had no idea a certain function on the phone existed. So if anything it helped me learn about some things about my own device too LOL." - BigJerBear ~Created with love from a small developer (not height wise) :)

Screenshots

Return to Grisly Manor4 screens
Project Mayhem4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Project Mayhem at Free against Return to Grisly Manor's $2.99. Project Mayhem also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). Return to Grisly Manor's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and chart position (#139 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ads 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

Project Mayhem is free to download; Return to Grisly Manor costs $2.99 up front. Project Mayhem sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Return to Grisly Manor asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Return to Grisly Manor against 4.7 for Project Mayhem. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Return to Grisly Manor has 227 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Return to Grisly Manor's written reviews are positive against 88% of Project Mayhem's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Return to Grisly Manor ships an update every 4 months, Project Mayhem every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Return to Grisly Manor versus Project Mayhem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReturn to Grisly ManorProject Mayhem
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (227 ratings) — better4.7 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews — better87.5% of reviews
Number of ratings227 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#139 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB25 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperFire Maple GamesYush Raj Kapoor

Customer experience

Return to Grisly Manor

All ratings227 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews213 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.6%

Project Mayhem

All ratings28 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative6.3%

Bugs and requests

Return to Grisly Manor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezing after certain events
  • Puzzle elements not functioning as intended
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to skip/fast-forward cutscenes
  • Map navigation to quickly access locations
  • More varied and challenging puzzles
  • Ability to save progress and resume later

Project Mayhem

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Return to Grisly Manor

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Project Mayhem

One-time2
  • Unlock 5 Better Hints$0.99
  • All Bonus Hints$1.99

Questions

Is Return to Grisly Manor free?
Return to Grisly Manor costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Project Mayhem free?
Project Mayhem is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Return to Grisly Manor or Project Mayhem?
Return to Grisly Manor is rated higher. Return to Grisly Manor averages 4.8 out of 5 from 227 ratings, while Project Mayhem averages 4.7 from 28 ratings.
Do Return to Grisly Manor or Project Mayhem have ads?
Neither Return to Grisly Manor nor Project Mayhem shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Return to Grisly Manor or Project Mayhem?
Return to Grisly Manor ships an update every 4 months, and Project Mayhem every 2 days. Most recently, Return to Grisly Manor was updated on October 17, 2026 and Project Mayhem on October 9, 2026.

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