Comparison

Kerplinkus vs Sparkle HD

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

Head to head
About

Kerplinkus

This challenging puzzle game offers a unique take on block removal, requiring players to manage eight columns simultaneously. Swap any two blocks to clear them, avoiding an out-of-control cascade. Enjoy retro audio and graphics, with the option to play your own music.

Highlights
  • Unique block removal mechanics
  • Manage 8 columns simultaneously
  • Swap any two blocks
  • Retro audio and graphics
  • Play with your own music
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

“[Kerplinkus] delivers a fresh take on the formula that's simple and highly challenging — in fact, it can be downright panic inspiring. It's a pretty frantic affair.” -Blake of Touch Arcade “Kerplinkus promises retro take on match-based puzzle play... mixing the old with the new... [in] a distinctly old skool flavour.” -Keith Andrews of Pocket Gamer “Is very, very addictive. Prying yourself away from the game proves very difficult. It has high replay potential and will offer many hours of entertainment.... This is a must-buy for casual puzzle game players.” -Linda Ta of AppSafari “If you love playing casual puzzle games on your iPhone or iPod touch such as Bejewelled or Trism then [this] is definitely worth taking a look at.... If games like Pac Man, Space Invaders and Tetris still have a place in your heart then Kerplinkus could definitely find its way on to your homescreen.” -Phil Wheeler of AppAdvice “This tile-matching game sets itself well apart from competing products, due to its hectic gameplay, muted art style, and classic SID-chip soundtrack.... It is actually very different from the normal mode of thinking.... A really nice effort by the crew at [Kranky Robot].” -AppGamers.com "Refreshing! - Just like it says, not another match 3!" - Zztfox "Nice! - Great to see this classic brought into the new era!" - Lord Gek "A great original puzzler! - Excellent game, fun, different, challenging, and simple to understand! A new favorite - I look forward to seeing what else this developer releases. Recommended :)" - ralp99 Kerplinkus is a completely new take on the casual puzzle game. It's like spinning plates. You must focus on ALL 8 columns or 1 will grow out-of-control. No match 3. No movement restrictions. No special-blocks. Swap ANY 2 blocks anywhere, anytime. Just focus on removing blocks, not creating them. Features: - Retro Audio: Old school music and sound effects. - Retro Graphics: Color cycling and simple graphics to achieve that retro vibe. - iPod Music: Play your own music in the background. - Mute Audio: Kerplinkus(tm) respects the iPhone’s ring/silent switch. - Volume Control: Conveniently adjust the volume from the option menu or the pause screen. - Game Center.

About

Sparkle HD

Embark on an epic marble shooter adventure to banish darkness and save the world. Match three or more orbs of the same color to make them disappear, earning power-ups and discovering magical amulets to overcome challenging levels. Explore diverse game modes and uncover hidden secrets.

Highlights
  • Match-3 orb clearing gameplay
  • Discover 10+ powerful amulets
  • Utilize over a dozen power-ups
  • Multiple game modes (Quest, Challenges, Survival)
  • Game Center Achievements
  • Colorblind mode
Read full description

Pop the Orbs and Save the World on your iPad! Top 10 game in 22 countries! REVIEWS "Highly polished and easily recommended action puzzler." toucharcade.com "It's a blast." gamepro.com - 5/5 "Sparkle has wonderful details and exciting gameplay." appsafari.com - 5/5 "Sparkle has taken over the throne as best marble shooter in the App Store. MUST BUY." appadvice.com - 4.5/5 DESCRIPTION Get ready to save the Crowberry Woods in this marble shooter hit! Banish the Orbs of Darkness with your Orb Slinger by tapping where you want your orb to land. Match three same color orbs to make them disappear. Match more to earn amazing Powerups! Don't let the Orbs of Darkness fall into the abyss! Discover more than ten powerful Amulets like Firebolt throughout your journey. Use the Amulets to clear some of the trickier challenges. Embark on an extraordinary journey and reclaim your land! FEATURES - Enjoy hours and hours of top quality action puzzling - Travel through Crowberry Woods and discover more than 10 powerful Amulets - Use over a dozen powerups - Game Center Achievements - Magnificent soundtrack (check the trailer!) - Uncover the 12 secrets of the woods. Hint: Butterflies - Wide selection of different hand crafted levels - 3 game modes: Quest, Challenges, and Survival. - Includes colorblind mode. Check out the gameplay trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHQUI9R8mPI

Screenshots

Kerplinkus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Kerplinkus at 5.0 against Sparkle HD's 3.8. Kerplinkus also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and price ($0.99 vs $4.99). Sparkle HD's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.6). On review sentiment, 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

Kerplinkus costs $0.99 and Sparkle HD $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kerplinkus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Kerplinkus's written reviews are positive against 83% of Sparkle HD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kerplinkus ships an update every 2 months, Sparkle HD every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Kerplinkus versus Sparkle HD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKerplinkusSparkle HD
Price$0.99 — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better3.8 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better83.2% of reviews
Number of ratings711 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS13.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanny Bliss10tons Ltd

Customer experience

Kerplinkus

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.0%

Sparkle HD

All ratings11 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative27.3%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive83.2%
Neutral8.4%
Negative8.4%

Bugs and requests

Kerplinkus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Sparkle HD

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Multiple balls launching at once
  • Game glitching during fast gameplay
  • App crashes (particularly on day 11 and other levels)
  • Premature ball clearing from board with certain power-ups
  • Slingshot pulled off board prematurely
Show 4 more
  • Random color loading without pattern
  • Facebook amulet unlock not working despite sending emails
  • iPad case compatibility issues with screen rotation
  • Performance issues on iPad 3rd generation retina display

Requested features

11 requests
  • Multiple player profiles/save slots
  • Level skip or restart button
  • Additional campaign levels
  • Screen rotation support
  • Score tracking system
Show 6 more
  • Leaderboards
  • Same-device multiplayer
  • Reset level button without losing lives
  • Facebook amulet alternative unlock method
  • Better visual distinction for black orbs
  • More music and sound variety

In-app purchases

None

Kerplinkus

No in-app purchases

None

Sparkle HD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kerplinkus free?
Kerplinkus costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sparkle HD free?
Sparkle HD costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kerplinkus or Sparkle HD?
Kerplinkus is rated higher. Kerplinkus averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Sparkle HD averages 3.8 from 11 ratings.
Do Kerplinkus or Sparkle HD have ads?
Neither Kerplinkus nor Sparkle HD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kerplinkus or Sparkle HD?
Kerplinkus ships an update every 2 months, and Sparkle HD every 11 months. Most recently, Kerplinkus was updated on September 9, 2026 and Sparkle HD on September 20, 2026.

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