Comparison

Boxville vs Roia

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

Head to head
About

Boxville

This animated adventure puzzle game features speechless cans navigating a city of boxes. Solve logic puzzles and riddles, explore a charming world, and uncover the mystery behind earthquakes. Enjoy a unique audio-visual experience, playable solo or with a friend.

Highlights
  • Animated film and puzzle game hybrid
  • Hand-drawn graphics and custom animations
  • Environmental quests and logical puzzles
  • Unique music for each scene
  • Wordless communication via speech bubbles
  • Playable solo or co-op
Features
Read full description

Boxville is 2-in-1: an animated film and a puzzle game. Boxville is an adventure puzzle game about speechless cans living in the city of boxes and drawing doodles on cardboards to tell the stories. Boxville is good for playing alone to dive into the atmosphere and challenge your brain with sophisticated logic puzzles and riddles, or playing with a friend or family to share unique audio-visual experiences and solve the puzzles together. Design The core idea of the game is that it’s not just a game - but also an animated film that you can watch and play at the same time. We designed Boxville’s gameplay with the purpose of taking away your anxiety and stress. You can explore and observe the world without rushing and pressure. The game is full of environmental quests and logical puzzles that we have carefully picked from among hundreds of options. Story Boxville is a city of boxes populated with old cans. They live quiet and happy lives with their everyday routines and habits. But one day, unexplained earthquakes disturbed their idyll... Blue Can (our hero) lost his best friend because of that. He started his search but it is not so easy to move through the city after earthquakes. He has to find a way to move forward, return the friend back home and discover the real reason for all those earthquakes. There are many adventures, new friends and it’s not only friends that are waiting for him on the way. He has to be curious, inventive, careful, and to help others, to reach his goal. What you can expect to see and hear in Boxville: - Hand-drawn graphics — all backgrounds and characters are carefully drawn by our artists. - Every animation and sound is created especially for each interaction. - Unique music track was created for every scene to accomplish the atmosphere of the game. - Tens of logical puzzles and mini-games are tightly incorporated into the story of the game. - There are no words in the game — all characters communicate via cartoony speechbubbles.

About

Roia

Guide a river's flow from its source to the sea by shaping the terrain. Explore diverse landscapes with a bird companion, experiencing the serenity of nature through innovative gameplay and unique visuals.

Highlights
  • Sculpt terrain to guide water flow
  • Explore handcrafted landscapes
  • Innovative game mechanics
  • Minimalistic graphics
  • Original composed music
Features
Read full description

Embark on a marvelous adventure as you follow a river from its humble beginnings to the vastness of the sea in Roia. Sculpt the terrain according to your imagination, guiding the water's descent. Along the way, a bird will be your companion, leading you through rugged mountains, dark forests, and sun-drenched meadows. Step into Roia's world and be enveloped by the unmatched serenity of nature, where every moment is a profound journey into the depths of wonder and discovery. Features: - Innovative new game mechanics - Handcrafted landscapes - Many different exciting, challenging and diverse obstacles - Striking, unique, minimalistic graphics - Beautiful music that was specifically composed for Roia www.roiagame.com

Screenshots

Boxville4 screens
Roia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Boxville at 4.7 against Roia's 3.5. Boxville also leads on ratings volume (777 vs 24) and review sentiment (78% vs 60%). Roia's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Boxville costs $3.99 and Roia $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Boxville holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boxville has 777 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Boxville's written reviews are positive against 60% of Roia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boxville ships an update every 9 days, Roia every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Boxville versus Roia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoxvilleRoia
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (777 ratings) — better3.5 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better59.5% of reviews
Number of ratings777 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#118 — better#135
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB213 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTriomatica GamesTobias Sturn

Customer experience

Boxville

All ratings755 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews226 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral8.0%
Negative13.7%

Roia

All ratings24 ratings
Positive54.2%
Neutral16.7%
Negative29.2%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive59.5%
Neutral26.2%
Negative14.3%

User reviews

Boxville

From 777 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable puzzles
  • 🎨 Beautiful art and animation
  • 🎶 Lovely music
  • 🧠 Challenging but logical puzzles
  • 🤗 Charming characters and story

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Short game length
  • 🔍 Tiny inventory items hard to see
  • 🤯 Some puzzles too obscure
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🤖 Lack of hint system or ability to skip puzzles

Roia

From 24 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Beautiful visuals and art style
  • 🎵 Lovely soundtrack and relaxing atmosphere
  • 🧠 Clever and thought-provoking gameplay
  • 💡 Unique sandbox/discovery-based gameplay
  • 🎮 Satisfying water physics and flow

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Too short/quick to beat
  • 🤔 Unintuitive gameplay/objectives
  • 🕹️ Controls can be difficult/unpredictable
  • 🗺️ Lack of guidance/clarity on objectives
  • 🔄 Painful/slow restart process

Bugs and requests

Boxville

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Progress reset after updates
  • Inventory items disappearing
  • Puzzle mechanics not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • Longer game with more content
  • Ability to use stylus/Apple Pencil
  • Improved save/load system
  • In-game hints or ability to skip puzzles

Roia

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Water disappears in lakes
  • Water sources stop spawning when out of view
  • Levels are locked after purchase
  • Unable to proceed beyond certain levels (e.g., level 8, chapter 3, chapter 6)
  • Screen jams or freezes
Show 3 more
  • Canoe characters flip over
  • Sheep not being counted
  • Interface not always recognizing finger moves

Requested features

12 requests
  • Ability to rotate view for intricate flow paths
  • More clarity on objectives/hints
  • More levels/chapters
  • Option to explore entire stream after finishing
  • Overview of accomplishments at the end
Show 7 more
  • More guidance or a hint button
  • Smoother gameplay polish
  • More obvious prompts for next level
  • Way to see through obstructions for water
  • Feedback when terrain won't move
  • More decorations or buildings or animals
  • Land Bridges

In-app purchases

None

Boxville

No in-app purchases

None

Roia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boxville free?
Boxville costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Roia free?
Roia costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Boxville or Roia?
Boxville is rated higher. Boxville averages 4.7 out of 5 from 777 ratings, while Roia averages 3.5 from 24 ratings.
Do Boxville or Roia have ads?
Neither Boxville nor Roia shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boxville or Roia?
Boxville ships an update every 9 days, and Roia every 10 days. Most recently, Boxville was updated on November 3, 2026 and Roia on November 3, 2026.
Which is more popular, Boxville or Roia?
Boxville currently peaks at #118 in the App Store charts, and Roia at #135. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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