Comparison

Magichess vs Gargoyles

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

Head to head
About

Magichess

Features
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Magichess is an amazing evolution of traditional chess played on a 10x10 board with a help of the dice, the throw of which determines how far the player's pieces can go during one turn. Magichess introduces two additional pieces on the board - the Wizards. They are as free in motion as Dragons (Queens in traditional chess) but can pass through the pieces of their kin. When they kill an enemy, the tenacity of the enemy piece is converted into extra steps for the kin during the current turn. It is really a new level of strategic thinking and passion in the familiar game. All you know about chess can be left aside. Get ready for an amazing adventure for your brains. Board games never were so exciting but yet simple. You can play with friends or strangers over the Internet or play with companions on one device, passing it from hand to hand. Local and network games are saved automatically. Meanwhile, in order to continue playing online games on a different device, you need to sign in to the Magichess service. You can play with friends or strangers over the Internet or play on one device, passing it from hand to hand. Local and network games are saved automatically. Meanwhile, in order to continue playing online games on a different device, you need to sign in to the Magichess service.

About

Gargoyles

Command a strategic army of gargoyles to defend against attacking automatons and predators. Evolve your gargoyles through unique trees, harvest pixies, and follow a compelling story to uncover the source of the attacks. Features include diverse enemies, randomly assigned gargoyle perks, and in-game achievements.

Highlights
  • Strategic gargoyle army placement
  • Pixie harvesting and resource management
  • Gargoyle evolution with multiple trees
  • Defeat diverse enemies and automatons
  • Engaging story campaign
  • Randomly assigned gargoyle perks
  • 22 in-game achievements
Features
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Lulu ported a gargoyle from the Between. She had last seen a gargoyle when she was ten. Her grandmother had brought her to the forest, and helped her feed a pixie to the strange unmoving creature. This gargoyle, too, ate a pixie from Lulu’s careful hand. It sang a pure note of pleasure. Then it spoke into Lulu’s mind. At that moment the automatons attacked. Place your gargoyle army strategically to harvest pixies and defeat the hordes of attacking automatons and predators. Level your gargoyles, evolving them into more-powerful forms in three different evolution trees. Try a tanky Boulder for defense and a Black Mage for ranged vapor-type damage—or maybe experiment with the Lure ability of the multirow Manticore. In the main campaign, follow Lulu and her companion gargoyle Poe to discover the source of the automatons and how to stop them. Your gargoyle army stays with you as you proceed through each battle of the campaign. With your favorite evolutions and best battle tactics, you might make it to victory. FEATURES • 24 distinct enemies including vaporwolves, tetrapods, and lightbats • every gargoyle pup is different because of its randomly assigned perks (some rare!) • 22 in-game achievements • pause the combat at any time • save and load the game at any time • tutorial, game tips, and an “easy” difficulty setting are available if wanted • optional story mode • original music by Joel Roston • no in-app purchases or ads

Screenshots

Magichess4 screens
Gargoyles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Magichess at Free against Gargoyles's $1.99. Gargoyles's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 11 months). On ads, in-app purchases, 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

Magichess is free to download; Gargoyles costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magichess ships an update every 11 months, Gargoyles every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and June 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Magichess versus Gargoyles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagichessGargoyles
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better12.4
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB50 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDmitry KuznetsovKarl Voskuil

In-app purchases

None

Magichess

No in-app purchases

None

Gargoyles

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Magichess free?
Magichess is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gargoyles free?
Gargoyles costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Magichess or Gargoyles have ads?
Neither Magichess nor Gargoyles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magichess or Gargoyles?
Magichess ships an update every 11 months, and Gargoyles every 5 months. Most recently, Magichess was updated on September 9, 2026 and Gargoyles on June 6, 2026.

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