Comparison

Mystery Files vs Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

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

Head to head
About

Mystery Files

Engage in free-to-play detective puzzles and brain teasers. Discover hidden objects in various locations and choose from a library of interactive stories and quests. Earn achievements and collect unique items as you unravel mysteries.

Highlights
  • Hidden object puzzles
  • Point-and-click adventures
  • Interactive stories
  • Brain teasers and mini-games
  • Achievement system
  • Collectible items
Features
Read full description

Free-to-play puzzles, brain teasers, and mini-games in Mystery Files: Hidden Objects, where you need to win mystery games and find hidden objects in every location! This is a library of Domini games and interactive stories that you can choose from. · Play your favorite puzzle games! Choose your own point-and-click adventure! In a single app, you can play any quest you like. An easy-to-read progress meter shows you which hidden object games you have already completed. Never choose between romance and detective genres—play both! · Never get bored! Are you worried about missing a brand-new release from Domini? Not anymore! All of our newest detective games are added to this wonderful collection. Any hidden object adventure quest you want—right at your fingertips! · Earn achievements! Play and replay your favorite puzzles to earn achievements! Be the quickest one to uncover cleverly hidden objects and show off your skills to your friends. Can you unlock them all? · Gather your own collection! Each of our thrilling adventures is full of secrets and mysteries. Be attentive as you travel through unknown worlds and beautiful locations while solving hide-and-seek interactive games! Find morphing artifacts, notes that expand the story, and fun trinkets to collect. Will you be able to complete the whole collection? Download Mystery Files: Hidden Objects—choose any quest you like and play for free! If you want bonus materials or need additional help, you can use the in-game store. ----- Questions? Email us at support@dominigames.com Visit our website to play more brain teasers and puzzles: http://dominigames.com Become our fan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dominigames Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominigames

About

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

Embark on a magical hidden-object adventure to rescue a missing friend and godfather from a fantasy toy castle. Solve puzzles and explore stunning locations to uncover the secret of the Nutcracker.

Highlights
  • Hidden-object gameplay
  • Intuitive mini-games and puzzles
  • Explore 40+ stunning locations
  • Seek and find morphing objects
  • Assemble collections
Read full description

When Marie visits Drosselmeyer’s toy workshop for the first Christmas since she was a little girl, she finds her childhood friend, Fritz, missing. Soon, the clues lead her to Spielland, the toy castle they imagined playing in together as children. But Spielland was just pretend… or was it? Can you help Marie make her way through a fantasy world of angry mice and living toys to rescue her best friend Fritz, her godfather Drosselmeyer, and learn the secret of the Nutcracker? Crack open this magical new Hidden-Object Puzzle Adventure and find out! Download and play the game for absolutely free, but if you feel stuck or don’t want to solve a mini-game, you may buy hints to help you proceed quicker! Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P features are: • Immerse yourself in an amazing adventure! • Solve intuitive mini-games, brain teasers, & unique puzzles. • Explore 40+ stunning locations. • Spectacular graphics! • Assemble collections, seek & find morphing objects. Discover more from Friendly Fox Studio: Terms of Use: https://friendlyfox.studio/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://friendlyfox.studio/privacy-policy/ Official website: https://friendlyfox.studio/hubs/hub-ios/ Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/FriendlyFoxStudio/

Screenshots

Mystery Files4 screens
Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P at none against Mystery Files's shown. Mystery Files's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (5.8K vs 418). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Mystery Files sells 20 one-off in-app purchases and Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mystery Files has 5.8K ratings behind it against 418, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Mystery Files's written reviews are positive against 64% of Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mystery Files ships an update fortnightly, Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Mystery Files versus Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMystery FilesSecrets of the Nutcracker F2P
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5.8K ratings)4.8 (418 ratings) — better
Positive reviews58.1% of reviews63.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.8K — better418
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#200 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size431 MB1.1 GB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperDO GAMES LIMITEDFriendly Fox Games Limited

Customer experience

Mystery Files

All ratings5,785 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral5.7%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews1,170 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral18.2%
Negative23.7%

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

All ratings416 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

User reviews

Mystery Files

From 5.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Continuous levels
  • 👍 No ads
  • 👍 Multiple games in one app
  • 👍 Challenging puzzles
  • 👍 Enjoyable stories

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitches and bugs
  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Broken hint system
  • 🔑 Excessive use of keys/coins to progress
  • 🔑 Long wait times for keys

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

From 418 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Excellent graphics and visual design
  • 🎮 Engaging storyline and magical atmosphere
  • 🧩 Well-designed puzzles with good difficulty balance
  • 🎵 Soothing and atmospheric music
  • 💰 No mandatory payments for hints or skips (some versions)

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Game too short, completable in 2 days
  • 💎 Expensive gem/ruby system for hints and skips
  • 🎮 Overly simplistic for adult players
  • 📱 Poor iPhone screen optimization and scaling
  • 🔊 Audio/sound issues in some versions

Bugs and requests

Mystery Files

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Puzzles not working as intended
  • Scenes/items disappearing or becoming uninteractable
  • Game progress being reset or lost
  • Crashes and freezes when using in-app purchases

Requested features

3 requests
  • More ways to earn hints/coins without paying
  • Better instructions for mini-games
  • Ability to skip difficult puzzles

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inventory items disappearing (blue rag bug)
  • Puzzle progression blocked despite correct solution
  • Impossible maze puzzle (soldier maze 3/4 through game)
  • Audio not working despite volume adjustments
  • Game stuck on specific puzzle stages

Requested features

5 requests
  • New game releases instead of rereleasing old titles
  • Premium version link availability
  • New Christmas-themed games
  • Better iPhone screen adaptation
  • Option to purchase game outright instead of gem system

In-app purchases

20 purchases

Mystery Files

One-time20
  • A Handful of Coins$1.99
  • Pack of useful things$1.99
  • A Handful of Crystals$2.99
Show 17 more
  • A Pouch of Coins$3.99
  • A Pinch of Gems$3.99
  • Handful of useful things$3.99
  • Pack of useful things$4.99
  • Chalice of Coins$4.99
  • Currency box$4.99
  • Heap of Coins$4.99
  • Heap of Gems$4.99
  • A Handful of Gems$5.99
  • A Pouch of Gems$6.99
  • A Bag of Coins$7.99
  • A Bag of Gems$7.99
  • Bandbox of Coins2 variants$9.99
  • Bandbox of Gems$9.99
  • A Chest of Coins$11.99
  • Handful of useful things$12.99
  • Jewelry Box2 variants$14.99
7 purchases

Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P

One-time7
  • Special offer$0.99
  • Unlock Bonus Game$1.99
  • Handful of rubies$2.99
Show 4 more
  • Pouch of rubies$4.99
  • Purse of rubies$6.99
  • Case of rubies$9.99
  • Chest of rubies$14.99

Questions

Is Mystery Files free?
Mystery Files is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P free?
Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mystery Files or Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P?
Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P is rated higher. Mystery Files averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P averages 4.8 from 418 ratings.
Do Mystery Files or Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P have ads?
Mystery Files shows ads; Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P does not.
Which is updated more often, Mystery Files or Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P?
Mystery Files ships an update fortnightly, and Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P every 3 months. Most recently, Mystery Files was updated on September 23, 2026 and Secrets of the Nutcracker F2P on September 17, 2026.

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