Comparison

Shift Shaft vs Heck Deck

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
Currently charting
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

Heck Deck

Experience a unique blend of bullet hell action and strategic card gameplay. Navigate through five distinct stages, each with its own challenges, enemies, and bosses. Collect and strategically use dozens of cards, managing your health as you progress through this hand-drawn world.

Highlights
  • Bullet hell card gameplay
  • 5 unique stages with distinct music and enemies
  • Dozens of attack and spell cards
  • Card purchase system
  • Hand-drawn art style
  • Over 30 enemies and bosses
Features
Read full description

Heck Deck is a bullet hell card game where all the bullets are cards and time only progresses as you move. Explore 5 stages full of unique enemies and bosses, discover dozens of cards, and visit shops to buy and sell cards for health! Throughout 5 different stages, Heck Deck will challenge your precision and dexterity during the bullet hell phases and your strategy when using your cards. Each card you pick up will cost you at least one life point, so you will have to be careful about which ones you pick on your way. The abstract and minimalist world of Heck Deck is created with a cute hand-drawn art style. Each level of the game has its own universe, its own music, its own set of enemies, and of course, its own boss. Heck Deck main features: • 5 different levels with their own music • A cute hand-drawn art style • One unique setting for each level • Dozens of attacks and spells for the player • Over 30 enemies and bosses • A card purchase system via the shop The strategy created by the use of cards mixed with the dexterity required during the bullet hell phases makes Heck Deck truly unique!

Screenshots

Shift Shaft4 screens
Heck Deck4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Shift Shaft at none against Heck Deck's shown. Shift Shaft also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Heck Deck's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs paid) and iOS requirement (11 vs 14.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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 Heck Deck $2.99 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. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 143 and 129 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Shift Shaft's written reviews are positive against 74% of Heck Deck's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, Heck Deck weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Shift Shaft versus Heck Deck: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShift ShaftHeck Deck
Price$2.99$2.99
Rating4.9 (143 ratings) — better4.7 (129 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better73.7% of reviews
Number of ratings143 — better129
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#199 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS14.011 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB83 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWilliam KatzPlug In Digital

Customer experience

Shift Shaft

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

Heck Deck

All ratings129 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.3%

Bugs and requests

Shift Shaft

Requested features

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

Heck Deck

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Shift Shaft

No in-app purchases

None

Heck Deck

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shift Shaft free?
Shift Shaft costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heck Deck free?
Heck Deck costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shift Shaft or Heck Deck?
Shift Shaft is rated higher. Shift Shaft averages 4.9 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while Heck Deck averages 4.7 from 129 ratings.
Do Shift Shaft or Heck Deck have ads?
Heck Deck shows ads; Shift Shaft does not.
Which is updated more often, Shift Shaft or Heck Deck?
Shift Shaft ships an update fortnightly, and Heck Deck weekly. Most recently, Shift Shaft was updated on September 10, 2026 and Heck Deck on September 26, 2026.

Other comparisons