Report updated May 20, 2026
Burn(t)
For fans of interactive fiction and text-based roleplaying games who prefer narrative-heavy experiences over visual-heavy gameplay.
Burn(t) is a challenged games app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 1.9/5 rating from 584 reviews, it faces significant user friction.
What is Burn(t)?
Burn(t) is a text-based interactive novel for fans of zombie apocalypse fiction, available on iOS and Android.
Users hire this app for agency in high-stakes narrative outcomes, but the lack of visual feedback creates a barrier to long-term retention.
Current Momentum
v1.1 · 4mo ago
Maintenance- Quiet 12 years — maintenance mode only.
Active Nemesis
Fragmented niche
No dominant direct rival identified yet — see Other Rivals below.
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
GamesNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Text-based narrative engine that processes user decisions to branch story outcomes
Font selection menu including OpenDyslexic and Helvetica options
Branching story paths that determine character survival and plot progression
How much does it cost?
- Free to play
- Ad-supported gameplay
Freemium model relies on ad-inventory generated during interactive sessions to monetize the free-to-play user base.
Who Built It?
Hosted Games
Empowering authors to create and publish interactive text-based gamebooks using a proprietary scripting language. Providing a platform for narrative-driven roleplaying experiences.
Portfolio
13
Apps
What other apps does Hosted Games make?
Way Walkers: University
Life of a Space Force Captain
Don't Wake Me Up
Super Star Soccer Striker
Scales of Justice
Sordwin: The Evertree Saga
Explore the full Hosted Games report
Portfolio breakdown, audience, momentum, and every app published by Hosted Games.
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 100 of 560 total reviews analyzed
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment.
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for Burn(t)?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Games Market?
Market outlook for this category
Available very soon
Which niche is Burn(t) in?
Explore the full Zombie Readers niche
Every app in this space — 3 tracked, the niche's live rankings, and Marlvel's editorial take on the job-to-be-done.
The rivals identified
Same space(2)
Both apps leverage a zombie apocalypse setting to drive high-stakes, choice-based interactive narrative gameplay.
Differentiators
- Features a high-fidelity visual novel interface with an extensive exclusive character illustration gallery.
- Implements a sophisticated character intimacy system that significantly increases long-term user retention and engagement.
- Provides a real-time texting and chat simulation layer that deepens immersion beyond static text choices.
This app competes directly by offering a choice-driven narrative experience centered on supernatural themes and romantic subplots.
Differentiators
- Focuses heavily on romantic storytelling tropes which appeals to a specific subset of the narrative audience.
- Utilizes a simplified, text-heavy presentation style that lacks the visual polish of modern interactive novels.
- Operates with a stagnant update cadence, leaving a clear opening for more active, content-rich competitors.
Compare Burn(t) against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for Burn(t)
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- ChoiceScript engine provides reliable branching narrative logic
Critical Frictions
- 1.88★ Android rating indicates severe technical friction
Growth Levers
- Visual-novel interface integration could capture high-fidelity narrative market share
Market Threats
- Dangerous Fellows' character-intimacy system drains long-term retention
What are the next best moves?
Pivot to visual-novel interface because static text is the primary churn driver → increase session length
Competitors like Dangerous Fellows use high-fidelity visuals to drive retention, while Burn(t) remains static.
Trade-off: Pause all new narrative content development — visual polish is the higher-yield retention lever.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's survival for over a decade suggests a loyal niche, but this longevity is a trap that masks the urgent need for a visual-first interface.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- High-fidelity visual novel interface (available in Dangerous Fellows)
- Character intimacy system (available in Dangerous Fellows)
- Real-time texting simulation (available in Dangerous Fellows)
Key Takeaways
Burn(t) relies on a legacy text engine that fails to compete with modern visual-novel standards, so the PM should pivot to a visual-first interface to stop the current rating decline.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The interactive fiction market is shifting toward high-fidelity visual experiences that prioritize character intimacy and real-time simulation. Burn(t) remains in maintenance mode, which will likely lead to further rating erosion as users migrate to more visually engaging titles.
The 1.88★ Android rating indicates a failure to maintain parity with modern interactive fiction standards, leading to sustained user churn.
Competitor Dangerous Fellows captures the high-stakes narrative market with visual-novel features, leaving Burn(t) as a legacy, low-engagement alternative.