Comparison

Hero Emblems II vs Shift Shaft

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hero Emblems II

Embark on an epic adventure combining match-3 puzzles with classic JRPG elements. Lead a team of heroic warriors, unleash powerful skills through strategic emblem matching, and explore a world filled with magic, monsters, and ancient mysteries.

Highlights
  • Match-3 emblem battles
  • Traditional JRPG exploration
  • Unique hero skills and backstories
  • Equipment customization
  • Food consumption system for buffs
  • Japanese character voice acting
Features
Read full description

A new evolution of match-3, combat, and adventure! Hero Emblems II is a JRPG that combines elements of side-scrollers and match-3 games. Players control members of the Night Chasers, a group of heroic warriors, as they embark on an adventure to save their lands from an evil threat. [Game Features] ◆ Thrilling match-3 battle experiences Match three Emblems to clear them from the board and make your heroes attack. Clear four or more to generate Magic Emblems, allowing your heroes to unleash powerful skills. Perform combos to launch even more powerful attacks and vanquish your enemies! ◆ Traditional JRPG experience In a world of magic and swordplay, players will control members of the Night Chasers as they embark on an adventure together. Enter deep caves, explore ancient ruins, unlock treasure chests, fight against ferocious monsters, upgrade your equipment in town, and gain new information from villagers in the local taverns. A exciting RPG experience is waiting for you in Hero Emblems II! ◆ Substitute Heroes Each Hero possesses their own unique skills and backstory. There's Zack, the Human Warrior; Lucien, the Marten Knight; Sid, the Felinian Black Mage; Abner the Bard, and many more! Lead your favorite heroes into battle! ◆ Thrilling Japanese character voices in battles Personalized character voices make combat a thrilling, intense and fun experience! ◆ More equipment Enemies attack with a wide range of debuffs such as Poison, Ignition, Petrification or Curses. To fight against these tough opponents, you will need to choose your Heroes' weapons and armor carefully, and make good use of accessories to resist enemy debuffs and boost your Heroes' abilities! ◆'Food Consumption System' for Enhancing Battle Power A hero's adventure is always brimming with all sorts of challenges. Vicious monsters boast tremendous strength and always catch people off guard with their varied attack styles. Now, heroes can boost their abilities by indulging in delightful delicacies, allowing them to thwart monster attacks with a more refreshing rhythm! ◆One-time payment, IAP-free, and ad-free A New Chapter in the Night Chasers' History A long time ago, there was a mercenary group known as the Night Chasers. Instead of making money, these heroic warriors went around helping those in need. During the war, they helped a great many people who were suffering under tyranny and injustice. However, in the ensuing age of peace, the Night Chasers were no longer needed, and were forced to disband. Years later, four young people - Zack, Lucien, Sid, and Odelia - decided to carry on their legacy, forming the new Night Chasers. One day, Zack and his party save an Elven girl named Dolores. Suffering from amnesia, Dolores cannot remember why she has ventured so far from the Elven Kingdom – only that she has been sent on an urgent quest. Concerned for her well-being, the Night Chasers take her into their fold, leading them to discover an ancient and terrible threat to the kingdom... ** Recommend to use iPhone 6/iPad min4/iPad Air2/iPad 5th Gen./iPad Pro or later devices for better experiences.**

About

Shift Shaft

This puzzle game challenges players to match three or more rocks by rotating the entire game board. Upgrade your character's stats and unlock items as you explore an underground world and battle unique enemies. Enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Rotate the game board
  • Match 3 or more rocks
  • Upgrade player stats
  • Unlock over 30 items
  • Battle 5 unique enemies
  • Explore underground world
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“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.

Screenshots

Hero Emblems II4 screens
Shift Shaft4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shift Shaft at 4.9 against Hero Emblems II's 4.3. Shift Shaft also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). Hero Emblems II's advantage is iOS requirement (10.3 vs 14.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Hero Emblems II costs $3.99 and Shift Shaft $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shift Shaft holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 156 and 143 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hero Emblems II's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shift Shaft's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hero Emblems II ships an update every 3 weeks, Shift Shaft fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Hero Emblems II versus Shift Shaft: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHero Emblems IIShift Shaft
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.3 (156 ratings)4.9 (143 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings156 — better143
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#114 — better#199
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.3 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size544 MB34 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperHeatPot Games Ltd.William Katz

Customer experience

Hero Emblems II

All ratings156 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews180 reviews
Positive62.8%
Neutral11.7%
Negative25.6%

Shift Shaft

All ratings143 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

User reviews

Hero Emblems II

From 156 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent match-3 gameplay mechanics
  • 💰 No pay-to-win or microtransactions
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and animations
  • 🎵 Great music and character voice acting
  • 📖 Engaging story with RPG elements

Room to improve

  • ⚔️ Severe difficulty spikes and boss balancing issues
  • ⏳ Excessive grinding required for progression
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and soft crashes
  • 🌍 Poor English localization and translation quality
  • 📋 Lack of quest journal or quest tracking system

Shift Shaft

From 143 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative rotate screen mechanic
  • 👍 Easy to learn, hard to master
  • 💎 Rare hidden gem
  • 🧠 Clever and entertaining design
  • ✨ Adds a breath of fresh air

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Hero Emblems II

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Game crashes during final boss battles
  • Soft crashes and emblem dropping errors
  • iCloud sync not working properly after reinstall
  • Location markers disappearing after quest completion
  • Touchscreen input not working on one side of map
Show 6 more
  • Elf character joining prevents map movement
  • Five-star gems unable to convert with adjacent gems
  • Visual glitches and display errors
  • iPad home bar black border display issue
  • iPad orientation support missing
  • Game freezing and crashing randomly

Requested features

11 requests
  • Enemy level indicators for dungeon difficulty assessment
  • Quest journal and quest tracking system
  • Endgame endless mode for post-story gameplay
  • Easy or casual difficulty mode
  • Game+ or New Game+ mode
Show 6 more
  • Multiplayer PvP battle mode
  • Korean language support
  • Better iCloud sync functionality
  • Difficulty balancing adjustments
  • More distinct puzzle board icons
  • Faster map navigation speed

Shift Shaft

Requested features

2 requests
  • Non-pixelated graphics
  • Mid-run save option

In-app purchases

None

Hero Emblems II

No in-app purchases

None

Shift Shaft

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hero Emblems II free?
Hero Emblems II costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shift Shaft free?
Shift Shaft costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hero Emblems II or Shift Shaft?
Shift Shaft is rated higher. Hero Emblems II averages 4.3 out of 5 from 156 ratings, while Shift Shaft averages 4.9 from 143 ratings.
Do Hero Emblems II or Shift Shaft have ads?
Neither Hero Emblems II nor Shift Shaft shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hero Emblems II or Shift Shaft?
Hero Emblems II ships an update every 3 weeks, and Shift Shaft fortnightly. Most recently, Hero Emblems II was updated on September 25, 2026 and Shift Shaft on September 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, Hero Emblems II or Shift Shaft?
Hero Emblems II currently peaks at #114 in the App Store charts, and Shift Shaft at #199. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons