# Shift Shaft — Match 3 with a twist

> Match-3 puzzle game with board rotation and character upgrades. (iPhone/iPad app by William Katz.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-shaft/id1387207777 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [William Katz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1387207776)
- Category: Games, Casual, Puzzle
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 143 App Store ratings · 34 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 34 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2022-02-27
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-shaft/id1387207777/reviews.md

## What is Shift Shaft?

“What really blew my mind with Shift Shaft and the main thing that makes it feel unlike any other game out there is your ability to rotate the entire board at will. It sounds simple but this changes everything… This is truly a thinking person’s matching game.” 
- Jared Nelson, TouchArcade.com

A match & rotate puzzle
Manipulate your player and the board by rotating it and clearing groups of 3 or more rocks.

Build up your player
Collect and spend gems to upgrade your stats and unlock over 30 different items during each run.
 
Explore the underground world
Go up against 5 unique enemies and the gem-eating spider to uncover the world beneath the mines.

No ads & no in-app purchases
Play for as long you'd like with no ads or pay walls.

## Key features

- Rotate the game board
- Match 3 or more rocks
- Upgrade player stats
- Unlock over 30 items
- Battle 5 unique enemies
- Explore underground world

## Chart rankings

- #192 in Top Paid · Casual (US App Store)

## What do users think of Shift Shaft?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 💡 Innovative rotate screen mechanic
- 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
- 💎 Rare hidden gem
- 🧠 Clever and entertaining design
- ✨ Adds a breath of fresh air
- 🎮 Compelling gameplay
- 💯 Dirt cheap, no ads or IAPs
- ✅ No timer, no ads
- 🤩 Addictive and fun
- 🌟 Well designed
- 🎨 Cool art and sounds
- 📈 Sense of growth and progression
- 🕹️ Intuitive mechanics
- 🤝 Developer listens to feedback
-  offline Playable offline
- 🧩 Challenging puzzle-ness
- 🚀 Fast progression
- ✨ Unique concept
- 💯 Highly recommended

**Cons**

- 📉 Graphics could be less pixelated
- 🤔 Difficult to pick up strategies
- ⏳ Mid-run save feature missing

**Most requested features**

- Non-pixelated graphics
- Mid-run save option

## Recent user reviews (10 of 34)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shift-shaft/id1387207777/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Shift Shaft

*2026-03-20*

This is a match three game worth playing. The rotate screen mechanism sets it apart. It makes a huge difference in how you play. Why wasn’t this thought of sooner? Gives a breath of fresh air to the match three game genre. Excellent!

### 5/5 — Fun Game!

*2026-01-24, version 0.8.4*

Easy to learn, hard to master

### 5/5 — Proper good

*2025-03-25*

A rare hidden gem of an premium iOS games. Hats off to whoever designed this, it’s clever and entertaining. Little difficult to pick up on the strategies compared to some other roguelites that I’ve played but it’s a solid game. Certainly worth $3.

### 5/5 — Simple, strategic, satisfying!

*2024-10-02*

This is great quality game, it is pretty easy to understand once you get accustomed to it, which shouldn’t take long. It seems like your typical match 3 puzzle game, but the ability to spin the board really makes it a whole other experience.

The different runes and items really mix it up too, plus permanent upgrades to really offer a sense of growth and progression too!

Not to mention this game is dirt cheap, with literally no ads or in app purchases.

If you want a compelling game to spend your idle time on, this is definitely one to try.

### 5/5 — Amazing game!

*2024-09-21, version 0.8.4*

The game is just amazing. I wish only it had non-pixelated graphics :D

### 5/5 — No timer, no ads, just clever design

*2024-07-24, version 0.8.4*

I have been weeping my way through various puzzle games, trying to find something that doesn’t harass me every five minutes, or absolutely require the use of aids to progress (to be clear being paid for isn’t the issue - game developers deserve to be paid. I hate games where I can be playing near perfectly and cannot complete without purchasing time extenders, extra moves, etc. In-app purchases should enhance the game not make it possible.)

This is my first impressions review, but so far this is interesting and fun.  I’m looking forward to seeing how complicated the puzzles get.

### 5/5 — Nice

*2022-11-27, version 0.8.3*

11/10

### 5/5 — What a gift from my son

*2022-06-12*

Never played video games before.  but this creation from my son, gets me. Love this game. Thanks Billy.

### 5/5 — Hooked!!

*2022-06-09*

I never play phones games but wow I’m hooked on this game. It’s easy enough to get into it for a newb like me but strategic enough to really keep you invested. And all upgrades are earned through playing the game itself! So fun.

### 5/5 — Love it so much.

*2022-05-10*

This game has vibe. Fun to progress. Cool art and sounds. Shifting the board changes the game in really nice ways. Lots of strategies keep things interesting.

## Frequently asked questions about Shift Shaft

### What is the core gameplay of Shift Shaft?

Shift Shaft's core gameplay involves rotating the entire game board to create matches of three or more rocks. This unique mechanic sets it apart from traditional match-3 games.

### Can I play Shift Shaft offline?

The provided data does not specify if Shift Shaft supports offline play. However, its description focuses on single-player progression and exploration, suggesting it may be playable without an internet connection.

### Does Shift Shaft have ads or in-app purchases?

No, Shift Shaft is completely free of ads and in-app purchases. Players can enjoy the full game experience without any interruptions or paywalls.

### How does character progression work in Shift Shaft?

Players can collect and spend gems within Shift Shaft to upgrade their character's stats and unlock over 30 different items throughout their gameplay runs.

### What is the age rating for Shift Shaft?

Shift Shaft has an age rating of 9+, making it suitable for younger players and families.

### How often is Shift Shaft updated?

Shift Shaft was last updated on April 3, 2023, with version 0.8.4. This indicates a relatively recent update, suggesting ongoing support and potential for future improvements.

### What devices is Shift Shaft available on?

Shift Shaft is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, offering compatibility across Apple's mobile ecosystem.

### What do players like about Shift Shaft?

Users praise Shift Shaft for its unique board rotation mechanic, which "changes everything" and makes it a "thinking person’s matching game," as noted by TouchArcade.com.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 0.8.4 — 2023-04-03

Minor visual bug fixes

### 0.8.3 — 2022-04-06

Hello adventurers!

This version includes game balance changes and bug fixes:
- Made it slightly more likely to get health potions and health upgrades
- Fixed an issue where the "Reach Depth 8" achievement was not being honored correctly
- Fixed an issue where the boss level would sometimes spawn the wrong amount of pillars
- Decreased the animation duration for Gem Magnet

### 0.8.2 — 2022-03-24

Hello adventurers!

This version includes game balance changes and bug fixes:
- Updated the following Runes:
  - Liquify: Charge from 10 to 8
  - Crush: Charge from 8 to 6
  - Fiery Rage: Charge from 6 to 4
  - Bubble Up: Charge from 35 to 30
  - Get Swifty: Charge from 40 to 35
  - Teleport: Charge from 30 to 25
  - Transform Rock: Charge from 35 to 20
  - Vortex: Charge from 30 to 25
  - Move Earth: Charge from 40 to 35
  - Rain Embers: Charge from 30 to 25
  - Fireball: Charge from 35 to 30
  - Drill Down: Charge from 40 to 35
- Basecamp items now show you the achievement after you purchase the item
- Luck now improves your chances of finding good items, runes or gems encased in pillars
- Adjusted offer rates for runes to players with more rune slots or who own more runes
- Adjusted monster spawn rates in deeper levels
- Converted audio files to save space
- Bug fixes:
  - Fixed an issue where other audio would start and stop after each level
  - Fixed a bug where snake eyes could offer you a rune that you had
  - Fixed an issue where the player could have more than 4 rune slots
  - Fixed an issue where using Vortex could cause a crash
  - Fixed an issue where the game would not recognize that there were no more moves for certain board configurations
  - Fixed an issue where certain stats would be set to 0

### 0.8.1 — 2022-03-15

This version includes a ton of new items and features:
- New items like the `chest`, `snake eyes`, and `liquify`
- Balanced levels to keep the game difficult but enjoyable
- Refined item drop rates
- A tougher boss
- Fixed an issue where the game could freeze during the tutorial on iPad
- Fixed an issue where the game would only respond to a rotate gesture
- Other bug fixes

### 0.8 — 2022-02-27

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*