Masyu puzzle vs Cracking the Cryptic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Masyu puzzle
This logic puzzle challenges players to draw a single, continuous loop through a grid of circles. Each circle type has specific rules for how the loop must pass through it, requiring strategic thinking to complete the path.
- Draw a continuous loop
- Pass through all circled cells
- White circle rules
- Black circle rules
- 90-degree turns
- Rectangular grid
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Masyu is popular puzzle game in Japan. Masyu is played on a rectangular grid of squares, some of which contain circles; each circle is either "white" (empty) or "black" (filled). The goal is to draw a single continuous non-intersecting loop that properly passes through all circled cells. The loop must "enter" each cell it passes through from the center of one of its four sides and "exit" from a different side; all turns are therefore 90 degrees. The two varieties of circle have differing requirements for how the loop must pass through them: White circles must be traveled straight through, but the loop must turn in the previous and/or next cell in its path; Black circles must be turned upon, but the loop must travel straight through the next and previous cells in its path.
Cracking the Cryptic
This app offers a curated collection of handcrafted Sudoku puzzles from world-renowned constructors. Explore classic and unique variants, with new puzzle packs released regularly. A free introductory pack is included with download.
- Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
- Curated by expert constructors
- Classic and unique variants
- Regularly released puzzle packs
- Free introductory puzzle pack
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OUR NEWEST PACK – CLASSIC VOLUME #2! Classic sudoku is where it all began, and there is still lots of skill to be deployed to solve classic puzzles, and new techniques to be explored. Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle house, named and popularised sudoku from 1984, and we have commissioned 20 puzzles from them for this Classic Sudoku 2 app. We have also created 20 ourselves, and sourced 20 more from Sam Cappleman-Lynes, the brilliant British sudoku expert. The result is a wonderful 60-puzzle pack which will delight and challenge you. -------------------- Welcome to the brand new Sudoku app from the most popular Sudoku channel, Cracking The Cryptic. Unlike other Sudoku apps, we feature handcrafted and curated puzzles from the world’s best Sudoku constructors. Each collection features puzzles made by various authors that are now familiar names to those who follow the channel. Authors like Phistomefel, Clover, Sam Cappleman-Lynes, Christoph Seeliger, Richard Stolk, jovi_al, Qodec, Prasanna Seshadri and of course, Simon and Mark! Downloading Cracking the Cryptic will give you access to our first free collection – a variety pack by Prasanna Seshadri featuring 7 puzzles inspired from our previous Sudoku apps; Sandwich, Classic, Chess, Thermo, Miracle, Killer and Arrow Sudoku. We also have purchasable packs designed for all skill levels and featuring many unique variants not seen previously. We’ll be releasing more free and paid packs in the future so keep an eye on the app for more Sudoku content from Cracking The Cryptic!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cracking the Cryptic at 72% against Masyu puzzle's 0%. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (210 vs 11). Masyu puzzle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.0). On price, ads 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. Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Masyu puzzle asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cracking the Cryptic holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cracking the Cryptic has 210 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Masyu puzzle's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.
| Parameter | Masyu puzzle | Cracking the Cryptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (11 ratings) | 4.4 (210 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 72.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 210 — better |
| Update frequency | — | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 234 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuki Fujimoto | Nick Carney |
Customer experience
Masyu puzzle
Cracking the Cryptic
Bugs and requests
Masyu puzzle
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Cracking the Cryptic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Puzzle progress and purchases disappearing after updates
- Incorrect rules or hints in certain puzzles
- Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices or Macs
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
Requested features
5 requests- Add more color options for pencil marking and highlighting
- Implement a way to clear progress or start puzzles from scratch
- Integrate all CTC apps into a single app for better organization
- Add keyboard support, especially on Mac
- Improve the quality and clarity of hints
In-app purchases
Masyu puzzle
No in-app purchases
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
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- CTC Worms - Blobz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Phistomefel$1.99
- GAS Volume #1$2.99
- GAS Volume #2$2.99
- CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
- Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
- Lines Variety Pack$4.99
- Classic Volume #2$4.99
- CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99
Questions
Is Masyu puzzle free?
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Which has better reviews, Masyu puzzle or Cracking the Cryptic?
Do Masyu puzzle or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
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