Comparison

Bardcard 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

Bardcard

Embark on a card-matching roguelite adventure through a mysterious subterranean world. Explore over 40 rooms, discover unique items, battle monsters, and uncover the secrets of this realm. Can you survive the dungeon and find your brother?

Highlights
  • Card-matching dungeon exploration
  • Over 40 rooms with secrets
  • 150+ unique hand-drawn cards
  • Old-school RPG elements
  • Challenging roguelite system
  • Persistent artifacts and companions
Features
Read full description

Bardcard is a card-matching roguelite featuring a mysterious subterranean world to explore. Match cards to advance through the dungeon. Discover helpful equipment, battle dangerous minions, and meet magical familiars that join you on your adventure. Learn the secrets of this realm and discover the truth about the chaos that engulfs it. Can you find your brother Lukas? Who is ZUG? How far down does this dungeon go? FEATURES ========= - 40+ rooms to explore: Determine the best card-matching sequence to survive each floor. Keep on the lookout for alternate exits leading down less-traveled paths, and rare artifacts that appear when specific cards are matched. Are you exploring a dark room? In that case you’d better bring a torch! - 150+ unique, hand-drawn cards to discover: Weapons, armor, and magical items to protect you in the dungeon. Various characters that guide you, teach skills, and present puzzles. Monsters and traps to thwart your progress at every turn. There’s a lot to discover, and each game is a bit different than the last. - Old-school RPG elements set within an immersive world: Turn-based action, experience levels, quests to complete, and more. We’ve taken elements from all our favorite games of yesteryear and rolled them into Bardcard. - Beautiful soundtrack created by us: We’ve orchestrated every flute, piano, and xylophone to create a unique realm to adventure in. - Challenging rogelite system with powerful persistent artifacts: Death is likely unavoidable in this dangerous world. Lucky for you, there are special items and companions that stick with you no matter what happens in the dungeon. ACCOLADES ========== App Store Game of the Day (11/8/22) ABOUT RASCAL MAGIC ================== We are two childhood friends building a mysterious world for you to explore. Originally from Michigan and now based up and down the West Coast, we create everything from the gameplay, imagery, audio, and story, to physical apparel and collectibles. Although we charge a small price for downloading our games, we don’t have in-game advertising or in-app purchases. It’s just not our thing. Instead, you get access to the entire game and future updates. Let’s do this! We’d love to hear from you: hello@rascalmagic.com

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
Currently charting
Read full description

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

Bardcard4 screens
Square Valley4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Square Valley at every 2 weeks against Bardcard's monthly. Square Valley also leads on price ($2.99 vs $3.99). 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

Bardcard costs $3.99 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 Bardcard against 4.8 for Square Valley. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 55 and 93 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Bardcard's written reviews are positive against 85% of Square Valley's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bardcard ships an update monthly, Square Valley every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Bardcard versus Square Valley: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBardcardSquare Valley
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (55 ratings)4.8 (93 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better84.6% of reviews
Number of ratings5593 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#198#170 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size188 MB125 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperKevin MiklesRyan Becijos

Customer experience

Bardcard

All ratings55 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%

Square Valley

All ratings93 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative10.3%

Bugs and requests

Bardcard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Bardcard

No in-app purchases

None

Square Valley

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bardcard free?
Bardcard costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Square Valley free?
Square Valley costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bardcard or Square Valley?
Square Valley is rated higher. Bardcard averages 4.7 out of 5 from 55 ratings, while Square Valley averages 4.8 from 93 ratings.
Do Bardcard or Square Valley have ads?
Neither Bardcard nor Square Valley shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bardcard or Square Valley?
Bardcard ships an update monthly, and Square Valley every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bardcard was updated on October 9, 2026 and Square Valley on October 17, 2026.
Which is more popular, Bardcard or Square Valley?
Bardcard currently peaks at #198 in the App Store charts, and Square Valley at #170. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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