Bandido vs Square Valley
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bandido
A cooperative strategy game where players work together to block a prisoner's escape route through tunnels. Easy to learn, it offers quick setup and engaging gameplay for families.
- Cooperative gameplay
- Strategy and route building
- Family-friendly
- Quick to learn rules
- Card-based mechanics
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A high-security prisoner is trying to escape through tunnels starting underneath his cell. Will you be able to join forces and cards to stop him? Bandido is a cooperative game of strategy and route building for the entire family. It takes 30 seconds to explain the rules and start having fun!
Square Valley
Shape unique lands by strategically placing tiles like houses, farms, and natural elements. Connect them with roads and rivers while overcoming placement challenges. Progress through levels to unlock new tiles and face increasingly complex world-building puzzles.
- Tile placement for world creation
- Connect tiles with roads and rivers
- Strategic planning and puzzle solving
- Three chapters with 45 levels
- Unlock new tiles and overcome obstacles
- Replay levels for higher scores
- Sandbox mode for custom experiences
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A charming tile-laying puzzle game. Make the best valley you can out of the tiles and placements you're given. Puzzles with no randomness can become a bit boring over time. And when it is too random, it can feel unfair. Square Valley sits nicely in the middle where you are challenged for each level, but it still feels fair in the end. Satisfying. Every level is comprised of a fixed set of tiles that come together to form a challenge each step of the way. You're continually cycling through your deck of tiles – always a fresh look. You're also limited to only certain spots on the board where you can place the tiles all in order to reach the highest score you can. A windmill wants the surrounding wheat fields, forests have winding rivers through them, and churches stand firm within the city walls packed with houses. Not to worry, you won't get stuck. There's generous room to succeed at every level. Leaderboards are there too, for those who want to keep challenging themselves. Feel free to push forward, or go back to previous levels and beat your old self. When you complete that last turn, you'll find yourself with a unique little village to be proud of. Features: + Pay once – no ads, no in-app purchases, no account required + 150+ tiles · 45 levels · 3 chapters + A new challenge every day, for everyone + Set your own rules to play with tiles drawn at random + Competitive leaderboards + Works offline
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Square Valley at 86% against Bandido's 50%. Square Valley also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). Bandido's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Bandido costs $2.99 and Square Valley $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Square Valley holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Square Valley has 93 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Bandido's written reviews are positive against 86% of Square Valley's.
Bandido ships an update every 5 months, Square Valley every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bandido | Square Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (9 ratings) | 4.8 (93 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 93 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Helvetiq SA | Ryan Becijos |
Customer experience
Bandido
Square Valley
Bugs and requests
Bandido
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Square Valley
Reported bugs
8 issues- Leaderboard freezes when displaying top 10 scores
- Tile scoring miscalculations (e.g., Cherry Orchard, Fir Grove)
- Tutorial bug where selected tiles change unexpectedly
- Some tiles don't work as described in requirements
- Scoring feedback unclear until level completion
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- Inconsistent tile placement rules not documented
- Protected Copper Beech scoring issues
- Random tile placement can create impossible scenarios
Requested features
14 requests- More levels and chapters
- Landscape/iPad support with larger maps
- iCloud synchronization across devices
- Real-time score feedback per tile placement
- Glossary with detailed tile explanations
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- Personal stats and score history per level
- Customizable sandbox mode with more options
- Music volume slider (separate from sound effects)
- Global leaderboards with player names
- Board game physical version
- Expansion packs with new tile sets
- Undo and skip buttons (mentioned as implemented in recent update)
- Additional language translations
- Split-screen multiplayer mode
In-app purchases
Bandido
No in-app purchases
Square Valley
No in-app purchases
