# Nova Island vs CombatChess

The clearest difference is rating: CombatChess at 5.0 against Nova Island's 4.3. CombatChess also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and in-app purchases (none vs 68). Nova Island's advantage is ratings volume (237 vs 5). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nova Island sells 66 one-off in-app purchases. CombatChess asks for nothing beyond the download.

CombatChess holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Island has 237 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 100% of CombatChess's.

Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, CombatChess every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 3, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nova Island | CombatChess |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (237 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/combatchess/id6788577357/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **237** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 261 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Thirteen Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526357113) | [PUNCHMAN, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1229559640) |

## What reviewers say

### Nova Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111)

Engage in strategic card battles with cute anime-inspired characters. Collect friends, powers, and skins while competing in PvP matches or embarking on an adventure. Build decks and master unique playstyles.

**Highlights:** Collectible card battles, Strategic deck building, PvP and PvE modes, Character collection, Cosmetic customization, Daily challenges, Draft mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (66)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 90 Island Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Researcher’s Starter Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Emotes Bundle1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Juice Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Max Halloween Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Artillery Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Doodle Branehart Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| 75 Island Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Power Outage Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Researcher's Starter Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Rerun Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sprynk Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hackmaster Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Escape Pod Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Novas Special BF | $1.99 | one-time |
| Food Emote Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Legendary Skin | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cannonball Level Up | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mage Rerun | $2.99 | one-time |
| Oddball Filthy Clean Skin | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Level Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| New Season Novium Special | $2.99 | one-time |
| Greenhouse Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Daily Login Bonus | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rainbow Gemma Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gemma Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| EOY Winter Skins 2024 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Sparki | $3.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Giving Tree | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Kitten | $3.99 | one-time |
| Arcade Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ghost Blazer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Candy Weade | $3.99 | one-time |
| Frankenjazzy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 575 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| ULTIMATE Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bloom King BC Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80s Sparki | $4.99 | one-time |
| Observatory Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 225 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Intranet Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Activation Starter Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| One Cent and IP | $6.99 | one-time |
| Khrys and Flutter | $6.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Cats | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1175 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle 5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack C | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hooligan Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack B | $9.99 | one-time |
| 480 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ancient 9 Skins | $14.99 | one-time |
| EOY Credits Special 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2400 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Boost Pack C | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1020 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2155 Island Credits | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Unique gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Appealing art style and animations
- 💰 Completely free-to-play, no pay-to-win
- 🕹️ Engaging strategic depth
- 🌟 Underrated and deserves more attention

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎲 Excessive reliance on RNG
- 🔁 Repetitive and swingy gameplay
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy unlock system
- ⚖️ Unbalanced card/character power levels
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and connectivity issues

**Reported bugs**

- Soft-locking tutorial
- Inconsistent performance on some devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode or paid full version
- Ability to play with friends
- More character/card customization options
- Improved tutorial and onboarding experience


### CombatChess

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/combatchess/id6788577357)

Experience chess with a twist: captures lead to real-time pixel brawls where the winner claims the square. Manage action cards strategically to win fights and defend your pieces. Features a robust chess engine and arcade-style combat mechanics.

**Highlights:** Real-time pixel brawls for captures, Action cards for strategic combat, Persistent damage on pieces, Six-button arcade combat system, King can fight to avoid checkmate, Full-rule chess engine (Stockfish), Turn-based online multiplayer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nova Island free?

Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is CombatChess free?

CombatChess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Nova Island or CombatChess?

CombatChess is rated higher. Nova Island averages 4.3 out of 5 from 237 ratings, while CombatChess averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Nova Island or CombatChess have ads?

Neither Nova Island nor CombatChess shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nova Island or CombatChess?

Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, and CombatChess every 5 days. Most recently, Nova Island was updated on September 3, 2026 and CombatChess on September 25, 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.*