TanZen HD vs Root Down
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TanZen HD
Engage in a classic tangram puzzle experience with over 500 challenges. Fit seven geometric pieces into a shaded area without overlap to solve each puzzle. Perfect for quick breaks or extended play sessions.
- Over 500 tangram puzzles
- Classic tangram gameplay
- Fit seven geometric pieces
- No overlapping pieces
- Puzzle completion recognition
- Play for short or long durations
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Find your Zen, with this updated version of the classic tangram puzzle game with over 500 puzzles! Choose a puzzle to solve, and try to fit all seven game pieces within the shaded puzzle area without overlapping. TanZen HD will recognize when the puzzle is finished. Pick up and play for two minutes, or two hours!
Root Down
An original abstract strategy game for two players with unique movement rules. Figure out how to move your pieces to capture your opponent's and win. Offers AI play and pass-and-play modes with variable setups.
- Abstract strategy gameplay
- Unique piece movement rules
- AI opponent
- Pass-and-play mode
- Variable game setups
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Root Down is an original abstract strategy game designed by Martin Grider for 2-players. It's rules about which pieces you can move are a little quirky, but once you figure it out, it's very quick to play, and has some interesting gameplay mechanics. In Root Down, you have two types of pieces. There are "kicker" pieces that must be next to a "root" piece to move. (Root pieces cannot move.) Kickers can only move exactly as far as the number of kickers next to the root. After a kicker moves, it "kicks" all of the neighboring pieces, then settles down into a new "root" piece. If you kick one of your own root pieces, it becomes another "kicker"! Kicking an opponent's root does the same, and if you kick it again before it has a chance to move, you'll to capture it! The game features an AI player, as well as pass-and-play options. There are several variable setups to chose from. Each one plays slightly different. Please use the "send feedback" button to send me your input, or email me: rootdown@abstractpuzzle.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Root Down at Free against TanZen HD's $2.99. TanZen HD's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 27 months). On review sentiment, 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
Root Down is free to download; TanZen HD costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TanZen HD holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TanZen HD has 245 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 96% of TanZen HD's written reviews are positive against 100% of Root Down's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
TanZen HD ships an update every 2 months, Root Down every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on July 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TanZen HD | Root Down |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (245 ratings) — better | 4.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 245 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 27 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Little White Bear Studios, LLC | Martin Grider |
Customer experience
TanZen HD
Root Down
Bugs and requests
TanZen HD
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes or freezes after completing all puzzles
- Compatibility issues on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- More advanced or challenging puzzle designs
- Ability to create and share custom puzzles
- Option to turn off the visible outline of the target shape
- Expanded background and music selection
Root Down
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TanZen HD
No in-app purchases
Root Down
No in-app purchases
