Not Chess vs Bruto
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Not Chess
This mind-bending puzzle game uses simplified chess rules. Collect pieces to gain their abilities and strategize your way to the coin. Enjoy a stress-free, offline experience with adjustable difficulty levels and a relaxing soundtrack.
- Piece inheritance mechanics
- Coin collection objective
- 3 difficulty levels
- Zen color palettes
- Relaxing soundtrack
- Offline play
- Haptic feedback
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Wait, if this game is NOT chess, then what is it? It's a mind blowing puzzle game with some simple chess rules and a few special ingredients to make it fun and challenging for everyone! •How to play? You start with one single piece. Across the board, there are a few chess pieces strategically placed. When you take a chess piece, you become that piece and inherit its abilities. The level is complete when you collect the coin. •Who is this for? It doesn’t matter if you have no idea how to play chess or if you are a chess grandmaster. This game is for everyone. The tutorial covers all the required information in a fun, interactive way. •Challenging? While this game is not chess, some levels will have a higher difficulty, requiring careful planning and strategy, making this a great way to put your brain muscle to work. •Features: - 3 Difficulty levels: easy, medium and hard; with limited moves and limited time to complete the levels. - Zen color palettes and relaxing soundtrack - Game Center. - No ads, no in-app purchases; buy it once and enjoy it forever. - Haptic Feedback. - Optimized for all devices; - Simple controls, suitable for any age. - Play Offline, no internet connection required to play - No violence, stress-free; play at your own pace. •Developer notes: Thank you for playing “not chess”. I put a lot of love and effort into making this game. Don’t forget to review the game and share it with your friends. Use #notchess on social media!
Bruto
This is a minimalist puzzle game where players trigger chain reactions by tapping dots that shift between white, grey, and red. The objective is to clear the board of all red dots through strategic planning and restraint, offering a focused and unhurried experience.
- Minimalist visual design
- 50 handcrafted puzzles
- Chain-reaction gameplay
- Haptic feedback
- Game Center achievements
- Offline play
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Bruto is a minimalist puzzle game about color and consequence. Each tap triggers a chain reaction as dots shift between white, grey, and red. Every move affects the board. The goal is simple: leave no red dots behind. Designed for focused, unhurried play, Bruto removes timers and distractions. Just deliberate interaction, subtle haptics, and carefully constructed puzzles that reward planning and restraint. Featuring 50 handcrafted levels, Bruto offers a quiet, thoughtful puzzle experience you can play entirely offline. Features * Minimalist visual design * 50 handcrafted puzzles * Chain-reaction gameplay built around color * Subtle haptic feedback * Game Center achievements * Fully offline play * No ads or interruptions How to Play * Swipe left — next level * Swipe right — previous level * Swipe up — reset puzzle * Swipe down — level select * Clear all red dots in 10 moves or fewer to fully complete a level Features * Clean, minimalist design * 50 handcrafted puzzles that evolve in complexity * Strategic chain-reaction gameplay * Haptic feedback for a tactile feel * Game Center achievements to unlock * Fully offline play, anytime * No ads Instructions * Swipe left to go to the next level. * Swipe right to revisit the previous level. * Swipe up to reset the current puzzle. * Swipe down to open the level select menu. * Solve any level in 10 moves or less to fully beat it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bruto at 5.0 against Not Chess's 4.4. Bruto also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Not Chess's advantage is ratings volume (266 vs 5). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Not Chess costs $1.99 and Bruto $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Bruto holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Not Chess has 266 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Not Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bruto's.
Not Chess ships an update every 4 weeks, Bruto every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Not Chess | Bruto |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (266 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 266 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tepes Ovidiu | Jason Walters |
Customer experience
Not Chess
Bruto
Bugs and requests
Not Chess
Reported bugs
3 issues- Levels freezing or becoming unsolvable
- Inconsistent difficulty across levels
- Pieces not functioning correctly in some puzzles
Requested features
5 requests- More levels and increased difficulty
- Option to customize colors and accessibility settings
- Auto-advance to next level after completion
- User-generated puzzles or challenges
- Scoring system and achievements
Bruto
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Not Chess
No in-app purchases
Bruto
No in-app purchases








