Comparison

Shadowgate vs ScummVM

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

ScummVM

Play classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs on your device. This application includes two playable demos and offers access to many more titles through its website. Enjoy a vast library of beloved retro games.

Highlights
  • Play classic adventure games
  • Play classic RPGs
  • Includes playable demos
  • Access to more games online
  • Open source software
Features
Read full description

ScummVM provides a way to play many classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs. The application is bundled with two playable demos, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (DOS Demo) and The Secret of Monkey Island (DOS EGA Demo), both titles copyright of Lucasfilm Ltd. You can find more information, demos, and some free-to-download adventure games on our website. See also an up-to-date list here: https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Where_to_get_the_games Full documentation of ScummVM can be found at https://docs.scummvm.org/ Please visit our web forum where you can discuss the iOS version. https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=15 ScummVM is open source software available under the term of the GPL v3.0 license. The source code is available from https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm.

Screenshots

Shadowgate4 screens
ScummVM2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScummVM at Free against Shadowgate's $2.99. ScummVM also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2) and review sentiment (88% vs 62%). Shadowgate's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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

ScummVM is free to download; Shadowgate costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ScummVM holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 102 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Shadowgate's written reviews are positive against 88% of ScummVM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadowgate ships an update monthly, ScummVM every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shadowgate versus ScummVM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowgateScummVM
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (55 ratings)4.8 (102 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.1% of reviews87.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings55102 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better9.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB268 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperZojoiEugene Sandulenko

Customer experience

Shadowgate

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

ScummVM

All ratings93 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative3.0%

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

ScummVM

From 102 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Reliving classic games
  • 👍 Great for mobile browsers
  • 👍 Amazing experience with specific games
  • 👍 Glad it's available
  • 👍 Supports classic point-and-click and RPGs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashing mid-game
  • 🐛 Save feature not working correctly
  • 🐛 Touchscreen tap issues
  • 🐛 Clunky game adding process
  • 🐛 UI needs improvement

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

ScummVM

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes mid-game
  • Save feature does not save
  • Single-tap not registering as left click
  • Two-finger tap not registering as right click
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad not working
Show 5 more
  • Trackpad from new iPads not working
  • Cannot link OneDrive due to JSON response issue
  • Recently added games graying out
  • App crashes on second boot
  • External keyboard not working

Requested features

12 requests
  • Easier game search
  • Apple TV support
  • Gamepad key mapping support
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad support
Show 7 more
  • Trackpad support
  • Change icon color
  • Support for Discworld Noir
  • DOSBox and FUSE support
  • NES interpreter support
  • Better iOS support for Grim Fandango & Escape From Monkey Island
  • More significant way to add games

In-app purchases

None

Shadowgate

No in-app purchases

None

ScummVM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadowgate free?
Shadowgate costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScummVM free?
ScummVM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadowgate or ScummVM?
ScummVM is rated higher. Shadowgate averages 4.2 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while ScummVM averages 4.8 from 102 ratings.
Do Shadowgate or ScummVM have ads?
Neither Shadowgate nor ScummVM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadowgate or ScummVM?
Shadowgate ships an update monthly, and ScummVM every 4 months. Most recently, Shadowgate was updated on October 6, 2026 and ScummVM on October 12, 2026.

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