# Ruya vs Cardinal Chains

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ruya at every 2 months against Cardinal Chains's every 5 months. Ruya also leads on ratings volume (220 vs 24) and price ($1.99 vs $2.99). Cardinal Chains's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 88%). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Ruya costs $1.99 and Cardinal Chains $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Ruya against 4.9 for Cardinal Chains. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ruya has 220 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Ruya's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cardinal Chains's.

Ruya ships an update every 2 months, Cardinal Chains every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and July 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ruya | Cardinal Chains |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (220 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruya/id1221679100/reviews) | **[4.9 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardinal-chains/id1339737509/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **220** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | 88.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 96 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 15.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Miracle Tea Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/1221679099) | [Daniel Nora](https://appshunter.io/developer/1199363689) |

## What reviewers say

### Ruya

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruya/id1221679100)

Engage in a tranquil puzzle experience by matching cute characters across surreal dreamscapes. Decorate your character and immerse yourself in an ethereal soundtrack and calming visuals for a meditative flow.

**Highlights:** 64 handcrafted puzzles, Match cute characters, Decorate with flowers, Heartwarming visual narrative, Binaural beats sound options, 8 surreal dreamscapes

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Gorgeous and beautiful art style
- 🎵 Calming and soothing soundtrack
- 😌 Relaxing and stress-relieving gameplay
- 🧩 Unique puzzle mechanics different from standard match-3
- 📖 Engaging story with meaningful narrative

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏱️ Game is too short with limited content
- 🎯 Inconsistent difficulty progression between levels
- 🍀 Luck-based gameplay with no visibility of upcoming pieces
- 😤 Some levels feel unfairly difficult or impossible
- 🔄 Repetitive gameplay without enough variation

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes or locks up after completing levels
- Level completion not registered despite correct play
- Cannot interact with game pieces after level reset
- App crashes when switching between apps
- Infinite loop on final rounds of levels

**Requested features**

- Longer game with more levels and worlds
- iCloud/cloud save support for multiple devices
- More content and expansion of existing game
- Sequel or additional games from developers


### Cardinal Chains

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardinal-chains/id1339737509)

A minimalist puzzle game where players link numbers in non-decreasing sequences to fill a monochrome grid with color. It offers a relaxing experience with a handcrafted soundtrack and elegant design, free from timers or ads.

**Highlights:** 500 unique handcrafted puzzles, Non-decreasing sequence gameplay, Chill-out soundtrack, Minimalist design, Customizable color themes, Achievements and cloud saves

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ruya free?

Ruya costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cardinal Chains free?

Cardinal Chains costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ruya or Cardinal Chains?

Cardinal Chains is rated higher. Ruya averages 4.8 out of 5 from 220 ratings, while Cardinal Chains averages 4.9 from 24 ratings.

### Do Ruya or Cardinal Chains have ads?

Neither Ruya nor Cardinal Chains shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ruya or Cardinal Chains?

Ruya ships an update every 2 months, and Cardinal Chains every 5 months. Most recently, Ruya was updated on September 21, 2026 and Cardinal Chains on July 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*