Comparison

Shogi Demon vs Abalone Game

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

Head to head
About

Shogi Demon

Experience Japanese Chess with unique rules like piece reuse and promotion. Offers a guide for piece movement, multiple computer difficulty levels, handicaps, and a position editor.

Highlights
  • Piece reuse from opponent
  • Piece promotion with increased movement
  • Movement guide for pieces
  • Four computer difficulty levels
  • 22 handicap options
  • Position editor
Features
Read full description

Shogi is Japanese Chess. The difference between this and regular Chess is that the player is allowed to reuse the pieces captured from the opponent for themselves. With exceptions to the King and the Gold, any pieces that enter the zone of the opponent can be turned over to increase their range of movement. Positioning 2 or more Pawns on a vertical line is not permitted if the Pawns are not turned over. Also, although it is possible to put a King in mate with your own Pawn, it is not permitted to put a King in mate with a Pawn captured from your opponent. This is because such act is an insult to the King. - There is a guide that informs player of a possible movement of the pieces. - Four computer levels. - 22 kinds of handicaps. - Position editor.

About

Abalone Game

This is a two-player abstract strategy board game where players push their opponent's marbles off the edge of a hexagonal board. The first player to push six opponent marbles wins. It's designed for iPad, with players facing each other across the device.

Highlights
  • Two-player abstract strategy
  • Push opponent's marbles off board
  • Hexagonal game board
  • Designed for iPad
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop controls
  • Confirm or undo moves
Read full description

Abalone is a two-player abstract strategy board game. Players are represented by opposing black and white marbles on a hexagonal board with the objective of pushing six of the opponent's marbles off the edge of the board. The present version is made for iPad, and the players shoud stay on the opposite short sides of the iPad, in front of each other. One player gets the black marbles and the second the white ones. The board consists of 61 hexagonal cells. Each player has 14 marbles that rest in the spaces and are initially automatically arranged as the game begins. The players take turns with the black marbles moving first. For each move, a player moves a straight line of one, two or three marbles of one color one space in one of six directions. The move can be either broadside / arrow-like (parallel to the line of marbles) or in-line / in a line (serial in respect to the line of marbles). The marbles should be moved one at a time, dragging them with a finger, and dropping them on the destination cells. If the move of two or three is longitudinal, i.e. in the same direction of the marble sequence, the leading piece must be moved first, followed by the second one, and (eventually) the tird one. After the moves are made, the player shoud confirm them, hitting the Confirm button, or cancel them, using the Undo button. A player can push their opponent's marbles (a "sumito") that are in a line to their own with an in-line move only. They can only push if the pushing line has more marbles than the pushed line (three can push one or two; two can push one). Marbles must be pushed to an empty space (i.e. not blocked by a marble) or off the board. The winner is the first player to push six of the opponent's marbles off of the edge of the board. The dynamics of the basic game may have one serious flaw: it seems that a good but conservative player can set up their marbles in a defensive wedge and ward off all attacks indefinitely. An attacker may try to outflank this wedge or lure it into traps, but such advances are often more dangerous to the attacker than the defender. Thus, from the starting position, it takes little skill and no imagination to avoid losing, and nothing in the rules prevents games from being interminable. The first player who succedes pushing six opponent's mables off the edge of the board wins the game.

Screenshots

Shogi Demon4 screens
Abalone Game1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shogi Demon at 4.5 against Abalone Game's 2.7. Shogi Demon also leads on review sentiment (40% vs 0%). Abalone Game's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (16.5 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Shogi Demon costs $1.99 and Abalone Game $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shogi Demon holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Shogi Demon's written reviews are positive against 0% of Abalone Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shogi Demon ships an update every 5 months, Abalone Game every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Shogi Demon versus Abalone Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShogi DemonAbalone Game
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better2.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.016.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB1 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNUTRACTORLuigi Fonti

Customer experience

Shogi Demon

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral15.0%
Negative45.0%

Abalone Game

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Shogi Demon

No in-app purchases

None

Abalone Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shogi Demon free?
Shogi Demon costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Abalone Game free?
Abalone Game costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shogi Demon or Abalone Game?
Shogi Demon is rated higher. Shogi Demon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Abalone Game averages 2.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Shogi Demon or Abalone Game have ads?
Neither Shogi Demon nor Abalone Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shogi Demon or Abalone Game?
Shogi Demon ships an update every 5 months, and Abalone Game every 4 days. Most recently, Shogi Demon was updated on October 24, 2026 and Abalone Game on October 24, 2026.

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