Comparison

Loco Looper vs Square Valley

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

Head to head
About

Loco Looper

Engage your mind with a unique 3D train puzzle game. Connect track pieces to create perfect paths through charming, handcrafted dioramas. Enjoy cerebral fun with increasingly challenging levels.

Highlights
  • 3D train track puzzles
  • Handcrafted diorama levels
  • Challenging brain teasers
  • Unique pen & ink art style
  • Natural 3D effect
Features
Read full description

Trains. Fluffy Clouds. Planets. Stars. Even a seagull. Cute, tricky cerebral fun. Get on the brain train with this original puzzle game! Make a perfect track using all the pieces. The harder the level, the more ways to solve. Handcrafted levels, each a pen & ink style love letter to mini dioramas and trains. A neat 3D effect makes the game naturally POP when holding your device (no face tracking required). Loco Looper is designed and written for iPhone & iPad using Swift and Metal. Move fast and make nice things!

About

Square Valley

Shape unique lands by strategically placing tiles like houses, farms, and natural elements. Connect them with roads and rivers while overcoming placement challenges. Progress through levels to unlock new tiles and face increasingly complex world-building puzzles.

Highlights
  • Tile placement for world creation
  • Connect tiles with roads and rivers
  • Strategic planning and puzzle solving
  • Three chapters with 45 levels
  • Unlock new tiles and overcome obstacles
  • Replay levels for higher scores
  • Sandbox mode for custom experiences
Features
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A charming tile-laying puzzle game. Make the best valley you can out of the tiles and placements you're given. Puzzles with no randomness can become a bit boring over time. And when it is too random, it can feel unfair. Square Valley sits nicely in the middle where you are challenged for each level, but it still feels fair in the end. Satisfying. Every level is comprised of a fixed set of tiles that come together to form a challenge each step of the way. You're continually cycling through your deck of tiles – always a fresh look. You're also limited to only certain spots on the board where you can place the tiles all in order to reach the highest score you can. A windmill wants the surrounding wheat fields, forests have winding rivers through them, and churches stand firm within the city walls packed with houses. Not to worry, you won't get stuck. There's generous room to succeed at every level. Leaderboards are there too, for those who want to keep challenging themselves. Feel free to push forward, or go back to previous levels and beat your old self. When you complete that last turn, you'll find yourself with a unique little village to be proud of. Features: + Pay once – no ads, no in-app purchases, no account required + 150+ tiles · 45 levels · 3 chapters + A new challenge every day, for everyone + Set your own rules to play with tiles drawn at random + Competitive leaderboards + Works offline

Screenshots

Loco Looper4 screens
Square Valley4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Square Valley at every 2 weeks against Loco Looper's monthly. Square Valley also leads on price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Loco Looper costs $4.99 and Square Valley $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Loco Looper against 4.8 for Square Valley. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 110 and 94 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Loco Looper's written reviews are positive against 85% of Square Valley's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Loco Looper ships an update monthly, Square Valley every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Loco Looper versus Square Valley: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLoco LooperSquare Valley
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (110 ratings)4.8 (94 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better84.6% of reviews
Number of ratings110 — better94
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJames VanasRyan Becijos

Customer experience

Loco Looper

All ratings110 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.4%

Square Valley

All ratings94 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.3%

User reviews

Loco Looper

From 110 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Beautiful and charming art style
  • 💡 Clever and engaging puzzle gameplay
  • 👍 Intuitive and simple controls
  • 💯 Rewarding and challenging levels
  • ✨ Unique pseudo-AR effect

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Controls can take time to get used to
  • ❓ Difficulty spikes can be frustrating
  • 🚂 Train graphics slightly clunky compared to others

Square Valley

From 94 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Engaging tile placement puzzle mechanics
  • 🎵 Relaxing and pleasant background music
  • 🎨 Beautiful minimalist art style and visuals
  • 😌 Calming and stress-relieving gameplay
  • 💰 No ads or in-app purchases

Room to improve

  • ❓ Unclear tile descriptions and requirements
  • 🎲 High randomness can lead to unwinnable scenarios
  • 📊 No real-time score feedback during gameplay
  • 🐛 Occasional scoring calculation bugs
  • 📱 Portrait-only mode (no landscape on iPad)

Bugs and requests

Loco Looper

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 🐛 Game hangs or crashes frequently on older iOS versions
  • 🐛 Game resets progress upon opening
  • 🐛 Game freezes in the first level
  • 🐛 Saved levels not being recognized

Requested features

3 requests
  • Hint or pass option for difficult levels
  • More levels in the future
  • Sequel to the game

Square Valley

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Leaderboard freezes when displaying top 10 scores
  • Tile scoring miscalculations (e.g., Cherry Orchard, Fir Grove)
  • Tutorial bug where selected tiles change unexpectedly
  • Some tiles don't work as described in requirements
  • Scoring feedback unclear until level completion
Show 3 more
  • Inconsistent tile placement rules not documented
  • Protected Copper Beech scoring issues
  • Random tile placement can create impossible scenarios

Requested features

14 requests
  • More levels and chapters
  • Landscape/iPad support with larger maps
  • iCloud synchronization across devices
  • Real-time score feedback per tile placement
  • Glossary with detailed tile explanations
Show 9 more
  • Personal stats and score history per level
  • Customizable sandbox mode with more options
  • Music volume slider (separate from sound effects)
  • Global leaderboards with player names
  • Board game physical version
  • Expansion packs with new tile sets
  • Undo and skip buttons (mentioned as implemented in recent update)
  • Additional language translations
  • Split-screen multiplayer mode

In-app purchases

None

Loco Looper

No in-app purchases

None

Square Valley

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Loco Looper free?
Loco Looper costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Square Valley free?
Square Valley costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Loco Looper or Square Valley?
Square Valley is rated higher. Loco Looper averages 4.7 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while Square Valley averages 4.8 from 94 ratings.
Do Loco Looper or Square Valley have ads?
Neither Loco Looper nor Square Valley shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Loco Looper or Square Valley?
Loco Looper ships an update monthly, and Square Valley every 2 weeks. Most recently, Loco Looper was updated on October 26, 2026 and Square Valley on October 27, 2026.

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