# Boxville vs Recursion

The clearest difference is rating: Boxville at 4.7 against Recursion's 4.2. Boxville also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 65%) and ratings volume (755 vs 67). Recursion's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Boxville holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Boxville has 755 ratings behind it against 67, 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 65% of Recursion's.

Boxville ships an update every 9 days, Recursion every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Boxville | Recursion |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (755 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847/reviews)** | [4.2 (67 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **755** | 67 |
| Positive reviews | **78.2% of reviews** | 64.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#146** | — |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 550 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Triomatica Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605475849) | [Glitch Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/499866302) |

## What reviewers say

### Boxville

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxville/id1605475847)

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Paid · Puzzle (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ 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

**Reported bugs**

- Progress reset after updates
- Inventory items disappearing
- Puzzle mechanics not working as expected

**Requested features**

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


### Recursion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/recursion-puzzle-escape/id1658817293)

Embark on a mind-bending puzzle adventure where you're trapped in a repeating time loop. Use your wits and a special device to solve mysteries, find clues, and shut down a machine before the loop resets. This compact mystery game offers challenging puzzles and a unique narrative.

**Highlights:** Time-loop mechanic, First-person point and click adventure, Mystery and puzzle solving, Clue finding, Hint system, Immersive soundtrack and sound effects

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Unique and innovative gameplay mechanics
- 😂 Lots of fun and laughter
- 👍 Great twist on game types
- 🧠 Mind-bending puzzles
- 🌟 High-quality games from developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive tasks and puzzles
- ⏳ Too much dying and restarting
- 😩 Tedious and frustrating experience
- ⏱️ Time loop/timer causes anxiety
- ⏳ Game feels too short

**Reported bugs**

- Lift doors in chapter 3 wouldn't open
- Wireless controller doesn't appear
- Game crashes on start-up
- Stuck in the elevator (potential bug)

**Requested features**

- Add a setting to remove the time loop
- Option to disable the timer
- Longer game duration
- Richer story content
- More variety in game environments (less industrial)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Boxville free?

Boxville costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Recursion free?

Recursion costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Boxville or Recursion?

Boxville is rated higher. Boxville averages 4.7 out of 5 from 755 ratings, while Recursion averages 4.2 from 67 ratings.

### Do Boxville or Recursion have ads?

Neither Boxville nor Recursion shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Boxville or Recursion?

Boxville ships an update every 9 days, and Recursion every 2 weeks. Most recently, Boxville was updated on September 22, 2026 and Recursion on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*