# Hit Shadow ! vs Halfbrick+ Games with Friends

The clearest difference is rating: Hit Shadow ! at 4.4 against Halfbrick+ Games with Friends's 2.9. Hit Shadow ! also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 71). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hit Shadow ! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Halfbrick+ Games with Friends sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hit Shadow ! holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hit Shadow ! has 3.6K ratings behind it against 71, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of Hit Shadow !'s written reviews are positive against 26% of Halfbrick+ Games with Friends's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hit Shadow ! | Halfbrick+ Games with Friends |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hit-shadow/id1499529862/reviews)** | [2.9 (71 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halfbrick-plus-games-with-friends/id6448776810/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 71 |
| Positive reviews | 20.7% of reviews | **26.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 354 MB | 307 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ketchapp](https://appshunter.io/developer/528065807) | [Halfbrick](https://appshunter.io/developer/356994313) |

## What reviewers say

### Hit Shadow !

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hit-shadow/id1499529862)

Create fun shadow puppets with your hands to mimic animals and objects. Explore numerous hand shapes and combinations to bring your shadow creations to life and earn rewards.

**Highlights:** Create shadow animals and objects, Dozens of hand shapes, Discover combinations, Perfect finger positioning, Earn animated rewards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Fun and relaxing game
- 👍 Interesting hand shadow concept
- 🎨 Variety of hand shapes and gloves

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Excessive ads after every level
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs (level 97 issues)
- 🤯 Repetitive and limited hand shapes

**Reported bugs**

- Level 97 not functioning properly
- App crashes or freezes on some devices

**Requested features**

- More challenging levels
- Ability to create custom hand shapes
- Reduce frequency of ads


### Halfbrick+ Games with Friends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/halfbrick-plus-games-with-friends/id6448776810)

Access a curated catalog of premium games with no ads or limitations by subscribing. Collect and manage digital cards within the app's ecosystem. Enjoy remastered classics and discover new titles for endless, uninterrupted fun.

**Highlights:** Ad-free gaming experience, Fully unlocked premium games, Curated game catalog, Digital card collection system, Remastered iconic classics, Access to exclusive titles

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Halfbrick+ Silver | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Trial) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter) | $2.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ Silver | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| Halfbrick+ Gold | $14.99 | per month |
| Halfbrick+ Silver | $15.99 | per 6 months |
| Halfbrick+ Silver | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter) | $29.99 | per year |
| Halfbrick+ Gold | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Halfbrick+ Gold | $79.99 | per 6 months |
| Small Crowns Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.79 | one-time |
| Bag of Crowns | $1.99 | one-time |
| Box of Crowns | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hoard of Crowns | $14.99 | one-time |
| Halfbrick+ | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fairly priced subscription
- 🚀 Easy to connect with friends
- 🚀 Easy to launch games
- 👍 Good price for benefits
- 👍 No ads or interruptions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Can't uninstall the app
- 😞 Subscription required for games
- 😞 Ruined childhood memories
- 😞 Greedy and not worth it
- 😞 Take away owned games

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on iOS 14.8.1
- Cannot uninstall the app
- Cannot see subscription plans within the app
- Games make the user go to the home menu
- Email verification code not being sent

**Requested features**

- Remake Age of Zombies with 3D graphics, new bosses, levels, modes, and settings
- Make games one-time purchases
- Allow games to be downloaded from the app, not the AppStore
- Bring back classic Halfbrick games like Band Stars
- Add more levels to Age of Zombies remake (underwater, pirate era, 80s, space, North Pole, vampire kingdom, dark ages, caves, the rift, Paris, Hollywood, underworld)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hit Shadow ! free?

Hit Shadow ! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Halfbrick+ Games with Friends free?

Halfbrick+ Games with Friends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hit Shadow ! or Halfbrick+ Games with Friends?

Hit Shadow ! is rated higher. Hit Shadow ! averages 4.4 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Halfbrick+ Games with Friends averages 2.9 from 71 ratings.

### Do Hit Shadow ! or Halfbrick+ Games with Friends have ads?

Neither Hit Shadow ! nor Halfbrick+ Games with Friends shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hit Shadow ! or Halfbrick+ Games with Friends?

Hit Shadow ! ships an update every 3 weeks, and Halfbrick+ Games with Friends every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hit Shadow ! was updated on October 24, 2026 and Halfbrick+ Games with Friends on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*