Comparison

Handy Boy 2019 vs Sparklite

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

Head to head
About

Handy Boy 2019

Embark on a retro-style platform adventure to help a messy handyman collect scattered tools. Follow a specific order to place items in his toolbox and find his hard hat to complete each level. Compete with friends on leaderboards via Game Center.

Highlights
  • Retro 80s pixel art graphics
  • Tool collection and placement puzzles
  • Level completion objectives
  • Game Center leaderboard support
  • Challenging gameplay mechanics
Features
Read full description

"Handy Boy" is a platform video game that embraces a retro look and feel reminiscent of classic 80s games like Manic Miner, Odd Job Eddie, Colin the Cleaner, and others. Embark on a mission in "Handy Boy"... Joe, the messy handy boy, has scattered his tools after completing some work. Your task is to assist Joe in gathering all his tools, starting with retrieving his Toolbox, which must be collected first. Follow Joe's specific order for placing tools in the toolbox. Once all tools are found and collected, locate Joe's hard hat to successfully complete the game. Game Center support is available – log in to Apple's Game Center to enable the Leaderboard feature.

About

Sparklite

Embark on a roguelite action-adventure in a vibrant, procedurally generated world. Battle foes with a variety of gadgets and weapons, explore diverse environments, and harness a unique resource to overcome challenges and save the land from a greedy baron. The game offers a free trial before unlocking the full experience.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated world exploration
  • Top-down action combat
  • Gadget and weapon invention
  • Titan boss battles
  • World-building and NPC interaction
  • Pixel art aesthetic and original soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Try Sparklite for free up until the first Titan fight and unlock the full game for the whole adventure! Sparklite is an Action-Adventure roguelite set in a whimsical and ever-changing land. Gear up for Adventure and battle foes in top-down action using an arsenal of gadgets, guns, and gear. Explore dangerous corners of the procedurally generated world, take down titans of the mining industry, and harness the power Sparklite! Key Features • Explore the bright and colourful land of Geodia • Harness the Sparklite to fight monsters and titans • Befriend the locals and help build The Refuge • Invent your arsenal to solves puzzles, defeat enemies and become stronger • Save the environment from the greedy Baron • Enjoy intricate pixel art aesthetic and an original soundtrack by composer Dale North (Wizard of Legend) inspired by retro classics Carefully redesigned for mobile • Revamped interface • Game Center achievements • iCloud - Share your progress between iOS devices • Compatible with MFicontrollers If you experience any issue with Sparklite, please contact our customer support here: https://playdigious.helpshift.com/hc/en/8-sparklite/contact-us/. Please make sure to give us as much information as possible on your problem.

Screenshots

Handy Boy 20194 screens
Sparklite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sparklite at Free against Handy Boy 2019's $0.99. Sparklite also leads on ratings volume (598 vs 1). Handy Boy 2019's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Sparklite is free to download; Handy Boy 2019 costs $0.99 up front. Sparklite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Handy Boy 2019 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Handy Boy 2019 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sparklite has 598 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Handy Boy 2019's written reviews are positive against 79% of Sparklite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handy Boy 2019 ships an update every 5 weeks, Sparklite every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Handy Boy 2019 versus Sparklite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandy Boy 2019Sparklite
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.7 (598 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better79.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1598 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.413.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRichard HughesPlaydigious

Customer experience

Handy Boy 2019

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Sparklite

All ratings597 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews223 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral7.2%
Negative13.5%

Bugs and requests

Handy Boy 2019

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Sparklite

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to progress past certain points
  • Inconsistent controller support
  • Graphical glitches in certain areas
  • Save data loss or corruption

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more languages
  • Improve button/control customization
  • Expand endgame content and replayability
  • Optimize performance on older devices
  • Add cloud save support

In-app purchases

None

Handy Boy 2019

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sparklite

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$6.99

Questions

Is Handy Boy 2019 free?
Handy Boy 2019 costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sparklite free?
Sparklite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Handy Boy 2019 or Sparklite?
Handy Boy 2019 is rated higher. Handy Boy 2019 averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Sparklite averages 4.7 from 598 ratings.
Do Handy Boy 2019 or Sparklite have ads?
Neither Handy Boy 2019 nor Sparklite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handy Boy 2019 or Sparklite?
Handy Boy 2019 ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sparklite every 2 months. Most recently, Handy Boy 2019 was updated on November 3, 2026 and Sparklite on November 3, 2026.

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