# Darkness Dash vs Exist

The clearest difference is ads: Darkness Dash at none against Exist's shown. Darkness Dash also leads on ratings volume (205 vs 13) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 11.0). Exist's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 74%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Darkness Dash sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Exist sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Darkness Dash against 4.5 for Exist. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Darkness Dash has 205 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Darkness Dash's written reviews are positive against 86% of Exist's.

Darkness Dash ships an update weekly, Exist every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Darkness Dash | Exist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (205 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkness-dash-escape-the-shadow-quest/id990291713/reviews) | **[4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist-action-game/id6443764528/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **205** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews | **85.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 49 MB | 543 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 11.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [RoboNacho Systems, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/475162424) | [超洪 梁](https://appshunter.io/developer/1547104242) |

## What reviewers say

### Darkness Dash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkness-dash-escape-the-shadow-quest/id990291713)

Embark on an epic quest to restore a world plunged into darkness. Rescue ancient energies by collecting orbs of light, navigating treacherous levels, and battling formidable bosses. This adventure saga offers beautifully illustrated worlds and interactive physics for an engaging experience.

**Highlights:** Rescue ancient energies, Collect orbs of light, Beautifully illustrated worlds, Awesome physics, Boss battles, Secret rooms

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads FOREVER - Support the Game - Play FASTER! | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Engaging puzzle platformer gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful dark atmospheric graphics
- ⚡ Challenging and addictive mechanics
- 📱 Works offline without WiFi required
- 🧩 Creative puzzle design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive advertising throughout gameplay
- 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-remove-ads model
- ⏱️ Game is too short with only 5 levels
- 💾 No autosave feature - progress resets
- 🎮 Unresponsive jump controls

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes at 90-96% during loading on iPad
- Game closes after reaching 100% on loading screen
- Screen goes completely dark after loading with only audio
- Progress resets when returning to app
- Unresponsive jump controls

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Autosave functionality
- Checkpoint respawn system instead of full restart
- Use for collected light orbs
- Boss battles


### Exist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist-action-game/id6443764528)

Master strategic movement and timing to dominate the battlefield in this action-packed game. Explore gameplay mechanics and enjoy a unique combat experience, even with its simpler graphics. Your feedback helps shape its ongoing development.

**Highlights:** Strategic movement and timing mechanics, Exploration of gameplay concepts, Free-flowing battlefield combat, Independent developer's passion project, User feedback drives improvements

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlocking Chapter 1. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlocking Chapter 2. | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlocking Chapter 3 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlocking Chapter 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlocking Chapter 5 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlocking Chapter 6 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Chapters 2 to 6 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock all 6 chapters | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Darkness Dash free?

Darkness Dash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Exist free?

Exist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Darkness Dash or Exist?

Exist is rated higher. Darkness Dash averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205 ratings, while Exist averages 4.5 from 13 ratings.

### Do Darkness Dash or Exist have ads?

Exist shows ads; Darkness Dash does not.

### Which is updated more often, Darkness Dash or Exist?

Darkness Dash ships an update weekly, and Exist every 9 days. Most recently, Darkness Dash was updated on November 6, 2026 and Exist on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*