kubic vs -PILA-
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
kubic
This optical illusion puzzle game challenges players to construct impossible structures inspired by M.C. Escher's art. With a clean design and minimalistic graphics, it offers over 60 mind-bending puzzles across various geometric and spatial themes. Features include layer locking, zoom, and an in-game hint system to aid progression.
- Optical illusion puzzles
- M.C. Escher inspired designs
- Geometric and impossible objects
- Layer locking and manipulation
- Zoom and view controls
- In-game hint system
- Progress syncing via iCloud
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***** #1 Puzzle Game in over 20 Countries! ***** ***** "This quirky puzzle game bends the limits of space and reality to make you create structures that, in theory, should be impossible to replicate." - Pocket Gamer 8/10 ***** ***** "As soothing as it is challenging, this grown-up puzzler opened our minds. Time flew by as we recreated sculpture after sculpture in increasingly difficult configurations. The game’s 3D graphics invite focus and sharpen problem-solving skills, making it an entertaining brain-builder. M.C. Escher would be impressed by the twisty, physics-defying structures." - App Store Notes ***** kubic is a unique optical illusion puzzle game based on M.C. Escher's art, impossible objects and other geometric designs. The object is to construct the goal configuration from a number of pieces. Presented in a simple, clean design and minimalistic art, kubic is a premium game with over 60 escher-esque puzzles. When you click on a piece, it pops to the front-most layer, and may overlap other pieces. When you combine the pieces, they do not merge. If there are extra pieces, you may hide them behind the others. You can also lock layers and drag pieces without changing their layer order. You can also use two finger pinch to zoom in and out and drag the view for a better control. If you are stuck on a puzzle you can simply skip it and re-visit at a later time. Rest assured, all puzzles can be solved but beware, some puzzles are hard! Just take your time...Tip: It helps to plan ahead and build figures from back to front. If you truly get stuck, there is a in-game hint system. You can use it to get started or even get the whole puzzle solved. Levels divided in 6 groups: • Ocean - "2D" Shapes are basically two-dimensional arrangements. • Desert - "3D" Shapes appear to be three-dimensional, but remember to think in two dimensions. • Mountain - "Convex/Concave" These optical illusions are inspired by Escher's famous "Convex and Concave" lithograph. • Sky - "Up/Down" These optical illusions are inspired by the Penrose Triangle featured in Escher's lithograph "Waterfall”. • Escher - Based on letter designs that spell out MC ESCHER. • Print - Based on the printable magazine version of Convex-Concave puzzles. Kubic is localized and supports 12 languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish Game supports iCloud for progress syncing between devices. Convex Concave puzzles from the Heaven and Earth game are included with permission. The puzzles were designed by Scott Kim, Puzzlemaster (scottkim.com), and the Heaven & Earth team. Enjoy!
-PILA-
A minimalistic puzzler that challenges your logic with physics and timing. Guide a ball to a portal by strategically using various in-game items across 50 levels. Discover new mechanics as you progress in this intuitive, frustration-reducing experience.
- Minimalistic puzzle design
- Physics-based gameplay
- Timing challenges
- Logic testing
- 50 progressive levels
- Intuitive learning curve
- Ambient sound design
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Are you hungry for a challenge? Well I've spent quite a bit of time cooking one up for you. My game Pila is a minimalistic puzzler that incorporates physics and timing to put your logic to the test. Your only objective is to guide the ball to the portal, using the various items in each level. As you progress through the 50 levels, there will be new items to learn how to use. There are no instructions meaning it is up to you to learn how to play the game, but don't worry, you'll figure it out. I made most of the sounds ambient in efforts to reduce your frustration on the harder levels. I hope you enjoy and good luck! "Pila is a beautiful, abstract puzzler that looks a bit like ancient iconography at first glance. Its circles and arcs float in a timeless black space brought into the future by crisscrossing wires and an electric blue and orange color scheme." -Gamezebo "I’m not a fan of puzzlers at all but PILA really sticks out from the rest of the puzzle games I’ve played and really kept me on my feet trying different ways to have the ball reach the goal." -TheRealTechie
Screenshots
Verdict
kubic and -PILA- both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of -PILA-'s written reviews are positive against 36% of kubic's. -PILA- also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). kubic's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. kubic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. -PILA- asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for kubic against 4.4 for -PILA-. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 245 and 279 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of kubic's written reviews are positive against 76% of -PILA-'s.
kubic ships an update every 2 months, -PILA- every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | kubic | -PILA- |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (245 ratings) | 4.4 (279 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.4% of reviews | 76.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 245 | 279 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 383 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pixel Envision Ltd. | Chris Foreman |
Customer experience
kubic
-PILA-
User reviews
kubic
From 245 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Original and clever puzzles
- 🧠 Mind-bending challenges
- 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
- ✨ Well-realized game concept
- 🤔 Puzzles make you think
Room to improve
- 😠 Frustrating tile placement
- 📉 Steep difficulty curve
- 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 😩 Stressful user experience
- ⚠️ Ads interrupt gameplay
-PILA-
From 279 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🧩 Clever puzzle design with logic and strategy
- 💡 Unique gameplay combining puzzle-solving with real-time skill
- 🎨 Simple, minimalist, and appealing graphics
- ⏱️ Good difficulty progression through 50 levels
- 🧠 Requires thinking and problem-solving skills
Room to improve
- 📺 Intrusive ads between levels
- 🐛 Ball frequently gets stuck with no restart button
- ⏱️ Game requires speed/timing over pure logic
- 🔊 No sound/volume control options
- ⚙️ Slow loading times between levels
Bugs and requests
kubic
Reported bugs
5 issues- Tiles not sticking correctly
- App won't launch offline
- App won't load/crashes on launch
- In-app purchase attempts forced
- Bug with in-app purchase activation
Requested features
5 requests- Fix tile placement issues
- Improve difficulty curve
- Option to rotate puzzles
- Option to lock in pieces
- Dark mode for night play
-PILA-
Reported bugs
8 issues- Ball gets stuck on curves and cannot escape level
- Screen blacks out on certain levels requiring full reinstall
- Game freezes after level failure
- Level does not restart when ball is stuck
- App crashes on iPad 2 with iOS 9.3.5
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- Glitch showing empty levels 51-60 in menu
- Slow loading times between levels
- Incompatibility with older iOS versions
Requested features
8 requests- Paid version to remove ads
- Sound/volume control settings
- Hint system after multiple failures
- Restart/reload button for stuck levels
- More levels beyond 50
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- Tutorial for first few levels
- Better color contrast on end-level messages
- Pause functionality
In-app purchases
kubic
- 10 Hints$0.99
- No Ads$1.99
- 25 Hints$1.99
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- 50 Hints$2.99
- 100 Hints$3.99
-PILA-
No in-app purchases









