Human Resource Machine vs Shotgun King
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Human Resource Machine
Solve puzzles by programming office workers to automate tasks. Progress through levels by successfully completing jobs and getting promoted. This game makes programming accessible and fun for everyone, even those new to coding.
- Program office workers
- Solve logic puzzles
- Automate tasks
- Progress through levels
- Learn programming concepts
- Extra challenges for experts
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Program little office workers to solve puzzles. Be a good employee! The machines are coming... for your job. - Included in the 'App Store Best of 2016'. - A worldwide App Store Editors’ Choice. - Winner of Excellence in Innovation by the International Mobile Gaming Awards. Human Resource Machine is a puzzle game for nerds. In each level, your boss gives you a job. Automate it by programming your little office worker. If you succeed, you'll be promoted up to the next level for another year of work in the vast office building. Congratulations! Don't worry if you've never programmed before - programming is just puzzle solving. If you strip away all the 1's and 0's and scary squiggly brackets, programming is simple, logical, beautiful, and something that anyone can understand and have fun with! Are you already an expert? There will be extra challenges for you. From the creators of World of Goo and Little Inferno. Have fun! Management is watching. REVIEWS: “Amidst the trend of instant gratification that the internet and gaming as a whole has perpetuated, having a game that both excels in its puzzles and also challenges your wider perception of it is commendable, and makes Human Resource Machine exponentially essential.” - Touch Arcade 5/5 “Sometimes a game catches you by surprise. Be it with its ingenuity, its style, or its sense of humor. Other times a game catches you with all three, like Human Resource Machine.” - Gamezebo 9/10 "Human Resource Machine Could Be The App Of The Year” - Mobile n’ Apps
Shotgun King
Experience a unique twist on chess where you command a king armed with a shotgun. Fight your way through enemy pieces, strategically reload, and upgrade your abilities to reclaim your kingdom. This roguelike chess adventure offers challenging gameplay and extensive replayability.
- Chess with a shotgun mechanic
- Roguelike progression with upgrades
- 15 difficulty ranks
- Unlockable cards
- Over 100 achievements
- Endless and chase modes
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Chess, but all your army has gone over to the white side, leaving you with nothing but your royal shotgun and your wounded pride. Carried by your dark folly, you decide it's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King. Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. Avoid checkmate and kill the enemy king to complete the floor. After each floor, you may choose between two random combinations of one upgrade for you and one upgrade for the other side. Choose wisely and keep on winning floors and you just may get your kingdom back. Runs may take ~20 minutes to complete. The game features 15 ranks of difficulty, unlockable cards, over 100 achievements to complete, an endless mode, and now a chase mode where you get continually assailed from all sides!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Shotgun King at every 5 days against Human Resource Machine's every 5 weeks. Shotgun King also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Human Resource Machine's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 66%) and price ($4.99 vs $6.99). On ratings volume, 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
Human Resource Machine costs $4.99 and Shotgun King $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shotgun King holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 416 and 709 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Human Resource Machine's written reviews are positive against 66% of Shotgun King's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Human Resource Machine ships an update every 5 weeks, Shotgun King every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Human Resource Machine | Shotgun King |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (416 ratings) | 4.8 (709 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.1% of reviews — better | 66.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 416 | 709 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #53 — better | #125 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 468 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Experimental Gameplay Group | Plug In Digital |
Customer experience
Human Resource Machine
Shotgun King
Bugs and requests
Human Resource Machine
Reported bugs
3 issues- Level 20 expecting incorrect output
- Scrolling issues causing commands to move
- Crashing on iOS 14 update
Requested features
3 requests- More levels and challenges
- Ability to save progress across devices
- Hints or solution guides for stuck players
Shotgun King
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Human Resource Machine
No in-app purchases
Shotgun King
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Human Resource Machine free?
Is Shotgun King free?
Which has better reviews, Human Resource Machine or Shotgun King?
Do Human Resource Machine or Shotgun King have ads?
Which is updated more often, Human Resource Machine or Shotgun King?
Which is more popular, Human Resource Machine or Shotgun King?
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