Comparison

Really Bad Chess vs Dicey Elementalist

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

Head to head
About

Really Bad Chess

This app reimagines chess with completely randomized pieces, offering a fresh strategic challenge. It's perfect for both seasoned players seeking a new puzzle and beginners looking to learn the fundamentals in a fun, accessible way.

Highlights
  • Randomized chess piece sets
  • AI opponent challenges
  • Ranked, Daily, and Weekly modes
  • Freeplay practice mode
  • Local multiplayer (with IAP)
  • Alternate color palettes (with IAP)
Features
Read full description

Really Bad Chess is just like chess, but with totally random pieces. Try 8 Knights, 4 Bishops, and 3 pawns — why not? As heard on NPR's Weekend Edition 5 out of 5 Stars "An essential puzzle experience for anyone even remotely interested in strategy games" - TouchArcade Whether you play chess daily, or quit just after learning the rules, this small twist will open the door to an entire new world of chess. ------WHATS IN THE “BOX”? The free version of Really Bad Chess lets you compete vs. an AI in Ranked, Daily, or Weekly Challenges. Improve your skills using the included Freeplay mode. A single in-app purchase unlocks Versus Mode so you can compete against your friends locally! It also removes ads, displays captured pieces, and adds soothing alternate color-palettes to choose from. ------REALLY BAD PRESS "Makes chess fun even if you’re really bad" - The Verge "Feels more modern than chess has ever felt" - Applenapps "Really Bad Chess takes a really bad idea and somehow manages to make it a lot of fun." - Pocket Gamer "Really good fun" - MacLife ------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER Chess is one of those games I always wished I enjoyed, but its commitment to beauty, elegance, and perfect balance always turned me away. Really Bad Chess removes these boring restrictions and flips chess on its head. As much as random pieces change the game in some ways, I was really surprised to notice how much the game remains the same, and how powerful some pieces are — you've never truly struggled against a pawn until you've struggled against a pawn in the back row. For chess pros, Really Bad Chess will give you a new type of challenge — the pieces & the moves are the same, but you'll have to throw out your openings and your understanding of normal patterns of play. For novice chess players (like most of us), Really Bad Chess greatly opens up the game. Instead of starting by studying openings, in your first games you'll get to discover the joy (and challenge!) of learning how to checkmate. I hope you have as much fun with Really Bad Chess as much as I did making it. -zach

About

Dicey Elementalist

Engage in a strategic RPG combining dice rolling with deck building. Roll dice up to three times to score, then use those results to activate elemental cards. Build your deck wisely to overcome challenges and become the Dice Master.

Highlights
  • Dice rolling with Yahtzee-like scoring
  • Deck building mechanics
  • Rogue-lite random variables
  • Unique hero characters
  • Elemental card activation
  • Strategic deck construction
Features
Read full description

Inspired by a popular dice game called Yahtzee. - Five dice are rolled three times, keep the best score. On this basis. Add some deck building Add some random variables (Rogue-lite) Add some unique heroes Add some different game mechanics And...Here it comes! The Dice Master! THE RULE IS SIMPLE Light up the elements of a card required to play, bingo! If you can't light the card, the card will be unusable = useless! So Be sure to build your deck reasonably well with your "brilliant strategic"!

Screenshots

Really Bad Chess4 screens
Dicey Elementalist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dicey Elementalist at 4.7 against Really Bad Chess's 3.8. Dicey Elementalist also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 46%) and ratings volume (5.1K vs 1.6K). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Really Bad Chess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Dicey Elementalist sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dicey Elementalist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 5.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Really Bad Chess's written reviews are positive against 70% of Dicey Elementalist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Really Bad Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, Dicey Elementalist monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Really Bad Chess versus Dicey Elementalist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReally Bad ChessDicey Elementalist
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (1.6K ratings)4.7 (5.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.3% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6K5.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB193 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZach Gage兆万 林

Customer experience

Really Bad Chess

All ratings1,633 ratings
Positive66.6%
Neutral9.0%
Negative24.4%
Written reviews611 reviews
Positive46.3%
Neutral16.4%
Negative37.3%

Dicey Elementalist

All ratings5,067 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews651 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.9%
Negative19.0%

User reviews

Really Bad Chess

From 1.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🤔 Unique and innovative concept
  • 👍 Challenging and engaging
  • ⭐ Great way to learn chess

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🕰️ Slow AI response times
  • 💰 Paywalls for essential features
  • 📺 Intrusive and excessive ads
  • 🔁 Repetitive AI moves leading to stalemates

Dicey Elementalist

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Super fast, responsive gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful, unique art style
  • 👍 Highly replayable and addictive
  • 🕹️ Fun gameplay loop
  • 💰 Reasonable in-app purchases

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. freezing, crashes)
  • 📢 Increasing number of ads
  • 🔒 Lack of option to permanently remove ads
  • 🤯 Overpowered enemies and unbalanced gameplay

Bugs and requests

Really Bad Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Pieces unable to move as per chess rules
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Incorrect checkmate detection

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add draw conditions and stalemate rules
  • Implement online/multiplayer mode
  • Provide more difficulty settings
  • Allow custom piece arrangements
  • Sync progress across devices

Dicey Elementalist

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tavern and daily challenge bugs
  • Enemies with broken abilities (e.g. Blizzard, Joker)
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Ability to pay to remove ads permanently
  • Improved balance and difficulty scaling
  • Better explanation of game mechanics and status effects

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Really Bad Chess

One-time2
  • 100 Undos$0.99
  • Full Game Unlock$3.99
13 purchases

Dicey Elementalist

One-time13
  • Daily Pack$0.99
  • The Chanter$0.99
  • Hoard of Diamond$0.99
Show 10 more
  • The Prophet$1.99
  • The Telepathic$1.99
  • The Greedy$1.99
  • Super Pack$4.99
  • Barrel of Diamond$4.99
  • Character Gift Box$5.99
  • Big Wagon of Diamond$9.99
  • Lost Crown$9.99
  • SVIP$19.99
  • Luxurious Character Gift Box$34.99

Questions

Is Really Bad Chess free?
Really Bad Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dicey Elementalist free?
Dicey Elementalist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Really Bad Chess or Dicey Elementalist?
Dicey Elementalist is rated higher. Really Bad Chess averages 3.8 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Dicey Elementalist averages 4.7 from 5.1K ratings.
Do Really Bad Chess or Dicey Elementalist have ads?
Both Really Bad Chess and Dicey Elementalist show ads.
Which is updated more often, Really Bad Chess or Dicey Elementalist?
Really Bad Chess ships an update every 3 weeks, and Dicey Elementalist monthly. Most recently, Really Bad Chess was updated on October 12, 2026 and Dicey Elementalist on October 16, 2026.

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