Comparison

Shift Shaft vs Kavel

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

Head to head
About

Shift Shaft

This puzzle game challenges players to match three or more rocks by rotating the entire game board. Upgrade your character's stats and unlock items as you explore an underground world and battle unique enemies. Enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Rotate the game board
  • Match 3 or more rocks
  • Upgrade player stats
  • Unlock over 30 items
  • Battle 5 unique enemies
  • Explore underground world
Features
Read full description

“What really blew my mind with Shift Shaft and the main thing that makes it feel unlike any other game out there is your ability to rotate the entire board at will. It sounds simple but this changes everything… This is truly a thinking person’s matching game.” - Jared Nelson, TouchArcade.com A match & rotate puzzle Manipulate your player and the board by rotating it and clearing groups of 3 or more rocks. Build up your player Collect and spend gems to upgrade your stats and unlock over 30 different items during each run. Explore the underground world Go up against 5 unique enemies and the gem-eating spider to uncover the world beneath the mines. No ads & no in-app purchases Play for as long you'd like with no ads or pay walls.

About

Kavel

This puzzle arcade game combines elements of classic block puzzles and match-3 mechanics. Rotate and drag falling shapes onto a grid to score points, with three distinct modes offering different challenges and pacing.

Highlights
  • Block puzzle and match-3 gameplay
  • Three game modes: Casual, Frenzy, Zen
  • Achievements and leaderboards
  • Customizable color palettes
  • Colorblind-friendly design
  • Optimized for all devices
Features
Read full description

Kavel is your new crush. A match made in heaven. Be swiped off your feet and let the pieces fall where they may! GAMEPLAY Kavel is an accessible puzzle arcade game. Tetrominos from classic block games and the possibility space of your favorite match-3 obsession make this a fresh new puzzle experience. Rotate and drag the Tetromino to place it onto the puzzle grid. Watch the score rack up and the board adapt. An endless possibility space where you can test your mettle. Attempt for the highest score among your friends or attempt the challenge of the long list of achievements. There's something here for everyone. THREE SEPARATE GAME MODES *CASUAL MODE - Take your time, plan your strategies and execute at your own pace. The next 50 shapes are yours to command. *FRENZY MODE - The pressure is on! The next 90 seconds are a frantic mad dash straight to the top of score mountain. No time to think, only to rise to the challenge. *ZEN MODE - Feeling the stress of the day? Is the weather getting you down? Boring meeting? This is where you zone out. There is no end, no obligations, this is digital bubble wrap. FRESH BUT FAMILIAR Kavel is a game that seems familiar but is in fact a truly unique and fresh experience. New gameplay ideas to challenge you with some of the play elements that you already know. Let yourself be surprised. DESIGNED FOR LONGEVITY Easy to play, hard to master. A layered score system, designed to engage you time after time as you learn the subtleties of storming the leaderboards. ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEADERBOARDS Full integration of achievements and leaderboards. Carefully designed achievements to playfully teach and surprise you. Approaching play from new perspectives. BEAUTIFUL COLOR PALETTES Style Kavel the way you like, all themes are created and perfected for an optimal play experience. Dip your finger in the paint and let's go! PLAYFUL DESIGN Minimal design language for optimal play experience. Instantly take in the board and the shapes for split second decisions. BESPOKE AUDIO A fun and lively audio experience that really pops. With music specially composed for Kavel to support the game's varied modes. OPTIMIZED Runs smoothly on every device. COLORBLIND-FRIENDLY The game does not rely on color and is playable with any form of color blindness. Further includes a colorpalette optimised for any form of color blindness.

Screenshots

Shift Shaft4 screens
Kavel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shift Shaft at 4.9 against Kavel's 4.7. Shift Shaft also leads on ratings volume (143 vs 26). Kavel's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On review sentiment, 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

Shift Shaft costs $2.99 and Kavel $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shift Shaft holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shift Shaft has 143 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, Kavel every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Shift Shaft versus Kavel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift ShaftKavel
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.9 (143 ratings) — better4.7 (26 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings143 — better26
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB98 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWilliam KatzJerry Verhoeven

Customer experience

Shift Shaft

All ratings143 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Kavel

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Shift Shaft

Requested features

2 requests
  • Non-pixelated graphics
  • Mid-run save option

Kavel

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Shift Shaft

No in-app purchases

None

Kavel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shift Shaft free?
Shift Shaft costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kavel free?
Kavel costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shift Shaft or Kavel?
Shift Shaft is rated higher. Shift Shaft averages 4.9 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while Kavel averages 4.7 from 26 ratings.
Do Shift Shaft or Kavel have ads?
Neither Shift Shaft nor Kavel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shift Shaft or Kavel?
Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, and Kavel every 3 weeks. Most recently, Shift Shaft was updated on October 21, 2026 and Kavel on October 23, 2026.

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