Comparison

Shadowgate vs Afterplace

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

Head to head
About

Shadowgate

Embark on a perilous quest in a reimagined point-and-click adventure. Solve mind-bending puzzles, explore stunning hand-painted rooms, and choose your playstyle with customizable UI and difficulty levels. Uncover secrets and defeat an ancient evil in this classic reborn.

Highlights
  • Customized UI with modern or classic commands
  • Four difficulty levels that alter gameplay
  • First-person adventuring with inventory and mapping
  • Beautifully illustrated rooms with new and familiar locations
  • Mind-bending new and updated puzzles
  • Retro mode with classic graphics and sound
  • Over 50 player achievements
Features
Read full description

REQUIRES iPAD 3 OR NEWER! ALSO WORKS WITH iPHONE 6/6s and 6/6s Plus (However, the optimal experience is on an iPad! as the screen is larger.) NOT COMPATIBLE WITH iPAD 1, iPAD 2 or iPAD MINI (without retina display) Shadowgate is one of the most well-known and beloved point-and-click adventure titles in gaming history. As one of the original titles in the popular MacVenture series that went on to be celebrated on the NES, GBC, and Nintendo 64, Shadowgate quickly endeared players with its fantastic atmospheric soundtrack, perilous locations to progress through, countless puzzles to solve, and more ways to gruesomely die than gamers previously thought possible. Thrust into the role of "The Seed of Prophecy," players travel deep into the living castle, in hopes of defeating the evil that dwells within – the dreaded Warlock Lord. Now, nearly 30 years after the original version haunted Mac and NES gamers, the original development team behind that timeless classic is back with a full re-imagining of the original Shadowgate. Much more than a port, the team at Zojoi has painstakingly redesigned the game from the ground up, adding in tons of new mind-bending puzzles, lots of new rooms with stunning hand-painted 2D graphical detail, and more objects to interact with and help you along your quest. Decide how YOU want to play this new, re-imagined Shadowgate! Want the modern adventure experience? Use the wheel-based icon command system. Want the retro experience? Employ the Classic command system and turn on the retro graphics, soundtrack, text box, and room transitions. Want a more cinematic experience? Switch to Immersive mode by auto-hiding the UI and using customizable hotkeys to explore the castle. Or mix and match the options to satisfy your play style. In Shadowgate, there are plenty of new features and fun throwbacks to the original version to satisfy veteran adventurers and newcomers alike! Key Features: - - Customized UI: Play the way you want! Use modern wheel-based icon commands or the classic on-screen commands. - Difficulty Levels: Four different difficulty levels (from the novice to expert) that actually change the gameplay experience and puzzle structure. - First Person Adventuring: Utilize your inventory, mapping system, and intuitive UI to complete your quest. - Dangerous Dungeons: Tons of beautifully illustrated rooms featuring both new and familiar locations, offering a new gameplay experiences. - Mind-bending Puzzles: Lots of new and updated puzzles that seamlessly expand on the original game. - Retro Mode: Play the game like it’s 1989! Toggle on pixelated graphics, listen to Hiroyuki Masuno’s original NES chip tunes, move between rooms with NES transitions, and enjoy the text in retro format. - Over 50 player achievements to unlock. - Storytelling: Shadowgate features dramatic cut-scenes and all the same great storytelling you expect from the original creators. - Cinematic Score: A digitally-orchestrated, dynamic soundtrack that changes with gameplay by composer Rich Douglas. - Soundscapes: A complete atmospheric and puzzle-based sound design featuring hundreds of sound effects. “If you are a fan of the genre, looking for something difficult to tackle, or wondering why you haven’t played Shadowgate in 30 years, absolutely pick this up.” - 8/10 GameZone “Shadowgate will offer you a journey into darkness, and an adventure unlike anything you have experienced in a long time.” - 8/10 Adventuregamers.com “This new Shadowgate is a superlative remake that should stand as a great example of how to take a cult classic and update it for both new and nostalgic audiences.” - 9/10 Leviathyn.com

About

Afterplace

Embark on an open-world adventure on your mobile device, exploring a vast landscape filled with hidden secrets, treasures, and quirky characters. Engage in combat, uncover mysteries, and forge your own path through a world without waypoints.

Highlights
  • Open world exploration
  • Hidden secrets and treasures
  • Combat with monsters
  • Interactive characters
  • No virtual buttons
  • Dynamic control adaptation
Features
Read full description

An open world adventure game filled with silly characters and terrible secrets. Afterplace is an adventurous indie game for mobile devices. It's a huge open world, full of hidden secrets, treasures, and creatures. You'll run around the woods, fight monsters, and talk to ostensibly shady characters! All from your pocket! Be warned though - you never know what the forest might be hiding, and not all trails are paved. Labyrinths and dungeons are tucked away in the most concealed nooks. There are no waypoints in Afterplace. You'll have to forge your own path. Afterplace has been designed from the ground up to be a fast, fluid, beautiful experience for mobile. There are no virtual buttons. You can move and attack by touching anywhere. You can tap objects directly to interact or attack, use two thumbs like a traditional controller, or control the game with a physical gamepad. The game will adapt dynamically to your play style. Pick up and set down the game at your own pace, it will always save your progress. Afterplace is made to feel like a full-fledged indie adventure game that fits in your pocket. About the Author: Afterplace is made by one person, Evan Kice. A former software engineer from Austin TX, Evan quit his job (to the dismay of his friends and family) and has been working full time on Afterplace since early 2019. The initial game released in December of 2022, but Evan plans on continuing to support and polish the game when he can!

Screenshots

Shadowgate4 screens
Afterplace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Afterplace at 4.9 against Shadowgate's 4.2. Afterplace also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 62%) and ratings volume (627 vs 55). Shadowgate's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $6.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). 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

Shadowgate costs $2.99 and Afterplace $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Afterplace holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Afterplace has 627 ratings behind it against 55, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Shadowgate's written reviews are positive against 94% of Afterplace's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Shadowgate versus Afterplace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowgateAfterplace
Price$2.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.2 (55 ratings)4.9 (627 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.1% of reviews94.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings55627 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#31 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB249 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperZojoiEvan Kice

Customer experience

Shadowgate

All ratings55 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.4%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive62.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.9%

Afterplace

All ratings627 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews252 reviews
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.6%

User reviews

Shadowgate

From 55 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Faithful and nostalgic remake
  • ✨ Updated graphics and BGM
  • 🎮 Great point-and-click adventure
  • 💡 Tricky but not impossible puzzles
  • 👍 Immersive story and atmosphere

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes on startup/intro
  • 📱 Poorly optimized for phones
  • 🤏 Small text and hitboxes
  • 🥶 Overheats M1 Mac
  • 🔄 Crashes when minimizing

Afterplace

From 627 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Charming characters and dialogue
  • 🎨 Beautiful pixel art and visuals
  • 🎶 Excellent soundtrack
  • 💡 Unique story and world-building

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
  • 🔍 Lack of a map or quest log can lead to getting lost
  • 🔍 Some plot points not fully explained
  • 🔍 Limited weapon/item variety

Bugs and requests

Shadowgate

Reported bugs

31 issues
  • Crashes after intro cinematic
  • App closes when minimized
  • Force quits on loading
  • Game turns black after a minute
  • Unplayable on iPhone X
Show 26 more
  • Auto reboot when minimizing
  • Game crashes after title screen
  • Game turns off and kicks out
  • Force quits all the time
  • Crash on startup
  • Crashes after intro animation
  • Game crashes after the introduction
  • Crashes at the beginning
  • App crashes after title screen
  • Keeps crashing after the initial title screen
  • Crash on startup
  • Crashes at the beginning
  • App crashes after title screen
  • Force quits all the time
  • Game turns off and kicks out
  • Crashes after intro animation
  • Game crashes after the introduction
  • Crashes at the beginning
  • App crashes after title screen
  • Keeps crashing after the initial title screen
  • Crash on startup
  • Crashes after intro animation
  • Game crashes after the introduction
  • Crashes at the beginning
  • App crashes after title screen
  • Keeps crashing after the initial title screen

Requested features

6 requests
  • Remake Deja Vu and Uninvited
  • Add original game as bonus
  • Sequel to Shadowgate
  • Fix background crash issue
  • Add original soundtrack option
Show 1 more
  • Add original UI option

Afterplace

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Saves not loading properly

Requested features

3 requests
  • Landscape mode support
  • Ability to restart or replay the game
  • More in-depth combat and progression systems

In-app purchases

None

Shadowgate

No in-app purchases

None

Afterplace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadowgate free?
Shadowgate costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Afterplace free?
Afterplace costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadowgate or Afterplace?
Afterplace is rated higher. Shadowgate averages 4.2 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Afterplace averages 4.9 from 627 ratings.
Do Shadowgate or Afterplace have ads?
Neither Shadowgate nor Afterplace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadowgate or Afterplace?
Shadowgate ships an update monthly, and Afterplace monthly. Most recently, Shadowgate was updated on October 6, 2026 and Afterplace on October 12, 2026.

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