Comparison

Not Chess vs Squirrel Up! Endless Climber

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Piece inheritance mechanics
  • Coin collection objective
  • 3 difficulty levels
  • Zen color palettes
  • Relaxing soundtrack
  • Offline play
  • Haptic feedback
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Squirrel Up! Endless Climber

Features
Read full description

The squirrel never stops climbing. He runs up the trunk in an endless spiral — TAP to swirl the other way, weave between the branches, and see how high you can get before the tree wins. Looks easy. It isn't. ONE THUMB, ONE RULE • Tap to reverse your swirl around the trunk • Swipe up to hop over a branch in a pinch • Swipe down (or tap the button) to fire a power you brought along • That's the whole tutorial — mastering it is another story A TREE THAT TRAVELS THE WORLD • Sunny Grove — learn the ropes among the leaves • Rainy Pines — crosswinds shove you sideways; read the rain to survive • Dark Forest — fireflies, glowing acorns, and wide-swinging owls • Frozen Summit — snow-capped branches and ice that locks your steering • Every biome has its own hand-made soundtrack DANGERS & TREASURES • Wasps and owls on patrol, sticky sap, slippery ice • Golden acorns parked just past the branch tips — greed pays, or doesn't • Shield bubbles that eat one mistake — stack two and the ring turns gold • Leaf gusts that rocket you skyward, and magnets that pull the tree's acorns to you • Skim past a branch for a CLOSE CALL bonus THE DEN • Every acorn you grab gets banked — spend them on your squirrel • Three bodies and a wardrobe of gear: hats, scarf, goggles, a firefly friend • Souvenirs unlock as you reach new biomes • The Pack: shields, gusts, magnets and second winds, bought as often as you like — carry one up every climb • Optional one-time upgrades can add a second Pack pocket or start an unranked climb in any world • Nut Rush mode: everything 25% faster, if you dare DAILY MISSIONS • Three fresh missions every day • Claim your rewards and watch the acorns fly into your stash MADE BY HAND • Hand-drawn characters, scenery drawn in code, every sound synthesized from scratch • Play offline — no account, no ads, no tracking, no nonsense How high can you get? The tree is endless. Your excuses aren't. Privacy Policy: https://danvilela.com/squirrel-up/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Not Chess4 screens
Squirrel Up! Endless Climber4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Squirrel Up! Endless Climber at Free against Not Chess's $1.99. Squirrel Up! Endless Climber also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks). Not Chess's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Squirrel Up! Endless Climber is free to download; Not Chess costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Not Chess ships an update every 4 weeks, Squirrel Up! Endless Climber every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Not Chess versus Squirrel Up! Endless Climber: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNot ChessSquirrel Up! Endless Climber
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (266 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings266 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTepes OvidiuDaniel Vilela

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

Squirrel Up! Endless Climber

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Not Chess

No in-app purchases

None

Squirrel Up! Endless Climber

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Not Chess free?
Not Chess costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Squirrel Up! Endless Climber free?
Squirrel Up! Endless Climber is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Not Chess or Squirrel Up! Endless Climber have ads?
Neither Not Chess nor Squirrel Up! Endless Climber shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Not Chess or Squirrel Up! Endless Climber?
Not Chess ships an update every 4 weeks, and Squirrel Up! Endless Climber every 2 weeks. Most recently, Not Chess was updated on November 3, 2026 and Squirrel Up! Endless Climber on October 28, 2026.

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