Comparison

Blue Defense! vs Devil Shard

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

Head to head
About

Blue Defense!

Defend your planet from an relentless invasion force. This action-packed game challenges your reflexes and strategic thinking as you manage increasing pressure from attackers. Experience classic gameplay with modern features like level selection and global leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Classic mode gameplay
  • Quick Start difficulty selection
  • Level Select for practice and medals
  • Global High Scores list
  • Save state functionality
  • Tilt controls for aiming
Features
Read full description

Defend your planet! Blue Defense puts you in charge of protecting your world from an invasion force that wants nothing more than your utter destruction. 6.7 billion lives hang in the balance... are your hands steady enough to handle the ever-increasing pressure of the attackers? Features: - Classic mode: play the game as it was in the original game - Quick Start mode: choose a starting difficulty! - Level Select mode: practice individual levels, start the game on your favourite level, or try to earn medals! - Clean, oldschool graphical style - Global High scores list - Save state ensures that you can leave and come back to your game at any time Controls: - Hold the device upright - Tilt left and right to control the stream of bullets - Double-tap the screen to pause Reviews: "If you like shooters, you should just get this game ... it’s all about the gameplay." -Touch Arcade "Fantastic, simple, fun, wonderful game. Very unexpected but very much appreciated." -148Apps "the way it effortlessly shifts from style to style and handles motion controls make[s it] fresh in a decades-old genre. It's a bullseye for any shooter fan." -Maclife "Blue Defense! is tastefully designed and brimming with twists, turns and tongue biting. Its polished graphics, smooth animation and habit-forming gameplay are praiseworthy." -TouchMyApps "A great space shooter that utilizes the iPhones controls to the max." -Everyday Gamers "Apple has finally released the [2.0] update and it does NOT disappoint." -The APPera "'Tilt to aim. Bullets shoot straight up.' I said, 'that’s it?' The answer was a wall of red death streaming down towards my planet." -appleiphoneapps.com

About

Devil Shard

Embark on a retro-style match-3 RPG adventure to stop a war and face a great evil. Plan strategic combos, unlock powerful allies, and collect diverse equipment. Conquer numerous enemies and stages to uncover the truth and achieve a true ending.

Highlights
  • Match-3 puzzle with RPG elements
  • Strategic tile swapping for combos
  • Unlock and summon 9 incarnations
  • Collect and upgrade 32 equipment
  • Battle 37 different enemies
  • Complete 8 story stages and a hidden stage
Features
Read full description

Pocketgamer.uk 8/10 - "A brilliant and seamless combination of match-three, RPG, and turn-based combat that belies the simplicity of its excellent design" ----------------------------------------------------------- Devil Shard is a retro style match-3 RPG. You play as a hero who needs to stop a war caused by the emperor. During the journey you will discover more than the truth and face a great evil. Features - Combines RPG elements with match-3 rules puzzle game - Easily plan your combos by swapping adjacent tiles even if they don't create a match 3 - Unlock and summon 9 powerful incarnations to fight for you - 37 different enemies hoping to end your journey - 32 equipment with different abilities to collect and upgrade - 9 incarnations with unique abilities to unlock, upgrade and fight for you - 8 stages to complete with stories to experience - Unlock a hidden stage after finishing the story - 36 achievements to conquer - The hidden stage features: high scores, new loots, new bosses, a true ending, and 2 powerful incarnations ----------------------------------------------------------- Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TowerofFortune Gameplay Movie http://youtu.be/ccXuEksHkC8

Screenshots

Blue Defense!4 screens
Devil Shard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Blue Defense! at none against Devil Shard's 6. Devil Shard's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (45 vs 9). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Blue Defense! costs $0.99 and Devil Shard $0.99 up front. Devil Shard sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Blue Defense! asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Devil Shard holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Devil Shard has 45 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 84% and 84% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blue Defense! ships an update every 4 months, Devil Shard every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Blue Defense! versus Devil Shard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlue Defense!Devil Shard
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating4.1 (9 ratings)4.4 (45 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.0% of reviews84.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings945 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB47 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCat in a Box SoftwareGame Stew

Customer experience

Blue Defense!

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews156 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative8.3%

Devil Shard

All ratings45 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral6.7%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews322 reviews
Positive84.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative6.8%

User reviews

Blue Defense!

From 9 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and fast gameplay
  • 👍 Unique and intuitive controls
  • 💎 Retro-style graphics
  • 🕹️ Addictive and challenging
  • 💰 Great value for money

Room to improve

  • 🔇 Lack of sound effects and music
  • 🔄 Inverted controls can be confusing
  • 🧠 Difficulty ramps up too quickly
  • 🔋 Can be physically tiring to play

Devil Shard

From 45 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Beautiful retro pixel art style
  • 🎵 Great music and audio design
  • ⚡ Simple yet challenging match-3 combat system
  • 📱 Perfect for quick gaming sessions

Room to improve

  • ⚙️ Excessive grinding required for progression
  • 💀 Harsh death penalty resets all character progress
  • 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics and aggressive monetization
  • 🎲 Heavy reliance on RNG and luck
  • 😤 Unfair difficulty spikes in later dungeons

Bugs and requests

Blue Defense!

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on newer iOS versions
  • Medals not saving properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add sound effects and background music
  • Option to invert or adjust controls
  • Gradual difficulty increase
  • Power-ups and weapon upgrades
  • Global high score leaderboards

Devil Shard

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Item selection scroll problem on iPhone 6s Plus (items display in middle of screen)
  • Unable to equip, melt, or forge items on certain devices
  • In-app purchase functionality broken
  • Character equipment not persisting correctly
  • No undo option for melted items
Show 1 more
  • Difficulty balancing issues causing unfair difficulty spikes

Requested features

9 requests
  • Swipeable match-3 controls (standard for genre)
  • More customization options for character progression
  • Persistent progress or checkpoints upon death
  • Better equipment distribution and tile spawning
  • Reduced grinding requirements
Show 4 more
  • More narrative depth and story elements
  • Undo function for accidental item melting
  • Improved menu systems and UI clarity
  • Additional game modes or difficulty settings

In-app purchases

None

Blue Defense!

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Devil Shard

One-time6
  • 1000G$0.99
  • 2500G$1.99
  • 7500G$4.99
Show 3 more
  • 17500G$9.99
  • 40000G$19.99
  • 75000G$29.99

Questions

Is Blue Defense! free?
Blue Defense! costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Devil Shard free?
Devil Shard costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Blue Defense! or Devil Shard?
Devil Shard is rated higher. Blue Defense! averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Devil Shard averages 4.4 from 45 ratings.
Do Blue Defense! or Devil Shard have ads?
Neither Blue Defense! nor Devil Shard shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blue Defense! or Devil Shard?
Blue Defense! ships an update every 4 months, and Devil Shard every 7 months. Most recently, Blue Defense! was updated on October 31, 2026 and Devil Shard on November 5, 2026.

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