Comparison

SHI vs Artifact

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

Head to head
About

SHI

Engage with stories from early Japan by solving intricate puzzles on a beautifully designed lacquer box. Journey through ancient tales, uncover hidden meanings, and experience the art of Japanese lacquerware.

Highlights
  • Challenging lacquer box puzzles
  • Engaging ancient Japanese stories
  • Beautiful Japanese lacquerware design
  • Japanese language learning elements
  • Taiko drum soundscapes
Features
Read full description

Solve challenging puzzles on a beautiful Japanese lacquer box and engage with stories based in early Japan: In the beginning, so the Kojiki tells, sea was sky and sky was sea. Journey towards calmness while rotating a lacquer box, puzzle by puzzle, word by word, further in time. In SHI•RO you reconcile past and present with empress Gemmei, travel through dark forests to invite spirits to the shrine of old Yoshida, and climb Mount Inari with a fox. PLAY AN ENGAGING STORY SHI•RO tells the story of an ancient empress, a lost love and a blossoming friendship. Based on the first Japanese writing, the Kojiki, you engage with an emerging world. SOLVE CHALLENGING PUZZLES Over 60 handmade puzzles challenge you along the journey of empress Gemmei. Think out of the box while playing on a lacquer box! Will you help the empress to separate the sea from the sky? ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN SHI•RO celebrates the beauty of Japanese lacquerware by transforming your device into a lacquer box. Gold and silver shimmer in your hands while you unriddle complex geometries and find stories of depth beyond the surface. LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF JAPAN By solving puzzles, you hear words of Japanese language, or as a native speaker of Japanese, learn words in English. Japanese Taiko drums will guide your way. ENTER THE SHI•RO UNIVERSE By purchasing SHI•RO, you get access to the complete first part, KURO. But more is in the making! Once we release the second part MIDORI and the third part AKA, you will be able to purchase them in-game and continue your journey.

About

Artifact

Assemble shattered ancient artworks from fragments in this 3D puzzle game. Explore diverse cultures and recreate historical relics with stunning graphics and intuitive controls. Adjust difficulty for a relaxing or challenging experience.

Highlights
  • Assemble shattered ancient artworks
  • Recreate historical relics
  • Explore diverse cultures
  • Stunning 3D graphics
  • Intuitive controls
  • Adjustable difficulty modes
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Artifact is a captivating 3D puzzle game that invites you to assemble shattered ancient artworks from fragments. The game combines the challenge of solving puzzles with the artistic beauty of ancient artworks, which are carefully modeled on the basis of real-world artifacts. The game draws inspiration from real masterpieces from various countries and cultures, showcasing their unique artistic heritage. Explore different locations and assemble relics from the past, such as a Greek amphora, a Chinese vase or an Egyptian statue. You can also shatter them and start over. You can adjust the difficulty level to suit your preference. Artifact features stunning 3D graphics and audio that immerse you in the atmosphere of each culture. The game is easy and intuitive to play for anyone, no matter their age. Relax and have fun while you sharpen your mind. How to play: • Move a piece by touching it • Rotate the puzzle by touching the base or background • Zoom in or out by pinching with two fingers • Shatter an object by double-tapping it • Change the viewing angle by tilting your device Features: • 64 unique puzzles across 8 different themes • Original game idea • Unique game mechanics • Simple intuitive game control • Gorgeous graphics and animations • Hard and easy game modes • No annoying ads • Suitable for all ages

Screenshots

SHI4 screens
Artifact4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SHI at every 2 months against Artifact's every 7 months. SHI also leads on ratings volume (215 vs 29) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, review sentiment, 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

SHI costs $2.99 and Artifact $4.99 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 — 4.6 for SHI against 4.5 for Artifact. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SHI has 215 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 68% and 69% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SHI ships an update every 2 months, Artifact every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SHI versus Artifact: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSHIArtifact
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (215 ratings) — better4.5 (29 ratings)
Positive reviews68.3% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings215 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size181 MB595 MB
Age rating9+4+
Developerthe brothers grimmMikhail Bakunovich

Customer experience

SHI

All ratings215 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral4.7%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive68.3%
Neutral12.2%
Negative19.5%

Artifact

All ratings29 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral10.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral23.1%
Negative7.7%

Bugs and requests

SHI

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Cannot find a way to reset the game
  • Error with game purchase
  • Parts don't seem to work
  • Game enforces arbitrary move order
  • Confusing UI, need clearer restart/reset options

Requested features

6 requests
  • More levels/stories
  • Ability to reset the game
  • Landscape view option for iPad
  • Daily puzzles
  • More instructions/tutorial
Show 1 more
  • Option to go back one move

Artifact

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

SHI

No in-app purchases

None

Artifact

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SHI free?
SHI costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Artifact free?
Artifact costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SHI or Artifact?
SHI is rated higher. SHI averages 4.6 out of 5 from 215 ratings, while Artifact averages 4.5 from 29 ratings.
Do SHI or Artifact have ads?
Neither SHI nor Artifact shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SHI or Artifact?
SHI ships an update every 2 months, and Artifact every 7 months. Most recently, SHI was updated on October 26, 2026 and Artifact on October 24, 2026.

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