Niggle (Oh Hell) vs Starbase Orion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Niggle (Oh Hell)
This app offers a digital version of the trick-taking card game Oh Hell! (also known as Niggle). It features a challenging AI with emotional responses, customizable rules, and local multiplayer options via WiFi or Bluetooth. Learn to accurately bid on the number of tricks you'll win each round.
- Challenging AI opponent
- Customizable rule options
- Emotional AI players
- Local WiFi multiplayer
- Local Bluetooth multiplayer
- Trick-taking card game
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If you're looking for the card game Oh Hell! then this is the app for you! It's got a powerful AI so you'll never have an easy game (I write AIs for a living!) and a huge range of customisable rule options to suit however you've traditionally played the game yourself. The AI players even have emotions and get happy and sad when they think they're going to make their bid or not. You can also play against your friends on their own devices over local WiFi or Bluetooth. For newcomers to the game, Niggle (also known as "Oh Hell") is an easy to learn card game in which you must try to guess how many tricks you are going to win each round. The fun comes from trying to get exactly the number of wins you guessed while stopping your opponents from achieving their target. For the latest news on all of my games follow @SeansGames on Twitter!
Starbase Orion
Engage in a deep 4X space strategy experience. Explore, expand, and conquer the galaxy by colonizing worlds, designing ships, and outmaneuvering opponents in turn-based combat. Features a robust AI and multiplayer options for galactic domination.
- Explore new worlds
- Expand your empire
- Exterminate rivals
- Design custom ships
- Engage in turn-based combat
- Diplomacy and espionage
- Multiplayer via GameCenter
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"The best 4X game currently available for mobile" - PocketTactics.com "This one is geek heaven" - AppAdvice.com "Master of Orion in Your Pocket” - GamePro.com "Starbase Orion has an epic-feeling" - TouchArcade.com "Starbase Orion is here, and it's glorious." - TUAW.com Explore. Expand. Exterminate. Can you defeat your friends and become the ruler of the galaxy? Starbase Orion is an old-school 4X space strategy game that draws inspiration from titles such as Master of Orion and Galactic Civilizations. Lead your empire from the birth of its space age; colonize new worlds, explore new horizons, and discover other players attempting to do the same. It is a race to the stars where only one empire can declare victory over the galaxy. New to 4X Strategy Games? No Problem Starbase Orion includes a hand tailored tutorial mission perfect for those new to the genre. It features high-quality voice acting provided by the very talented Maurice Thomas. Aged like a Fine Wine With nearly a five year life span the dedicated community of Starbase Orion players and the developer have produced twenty-four fantastic updates. Each update has introduced new features and player suggested functionality to make the game better, more strategic, and more immersive. Strong Single-Player Experience Compete against a battle-tested artificial intelligence. Our AI was derived from our entry into to 2010 Google AI contest, where it placed in the top 15% of thousands of competing intelligences. Go head-to-head against a single AI opponent, or ramp up the carnage with a 4 way free-for-all. GameCenter Multiplayer Turn-Based Games Starbase Orion was designed to provide a fantastic multiplayer experience. Launch the game, sign into GameCenter, and start a new multiplayer game. No need to coordinate play times or seek out other players. Just go play, when you want and on your terms. Choose Your Race, Or Create Your Own There are five uniques races included; Human, Draske, Vass, Cyban, and Isather. You can also create your own custom race by picking and choosing between different race characteristics. Intense Space Combat Design your ships from a variety of weapons, hull, and systems. Send them into battle against the enemy. Give them orders, then watch the battle in unfold as they duke it out in the dark expanses of space. Diplomacy, Espionage, Free Agents Direct confrontations not your cup of tea? Negotiate your way to victory through diplomatic endeavors. Confound your enemies with an army of spies. Contract one of the many power and unique leaders to help you to victory. iCloud Support Starbase Orion is built from the ground up for iOS 5. It supports iCloud so that your saved games are instantly available on all of your devices. Start a game at home on your iPad, then pick it up again the next day on your iPhone. Simple, streamlined, fantastic. Universal - You Bought the Cool Gadgets, Go Play on Them Full support for iPad, iPhone, iPod, standard and Retina displays. Play when you want, where you want. Guaranteed Pricing While it is quite common for apps to become “free for a day”, Starbase Orion is not one of those apps. The standard price for Starbase Orion is $7.99 USD; it will never run a “free for a day” campaign. Tens of thousands of players have placed their confidence in us by purchasing Starbase Orion, and this is our guarantee to you. Guaranteed Free Updates We have a lot more planned for Starbase Orion. We plan to release all updates for free, without any hidden fees or In-App Purchases.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Starbase Orion at 4.7 against Niggle (Oh Hell)'s 3.5. Starbase Orion also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 42%) and ratings volume (329 vs 15). Niggle (Oh Hell)'s advantage is price ($4.99 vs $7.99) and chart position (#98 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Niggle (Oh Hell) costs $4.99 and Starbase Orion $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Starbase Orion holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starbase Orion has 329 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of Niggle (Oh Hell)'s written reviews are positive against 81% of Starbase Orion's.
Niggle (Oh Hell) ships an update every 6 months, Starbase Orion every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Niggle (Oh Hell) | Starbase Orion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (15 ratings) | 4.7 (329 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.1% of reviews | 81.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 329 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #98 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 11.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 239 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sean O'Connor | Chimera Software, LLC |
Customer experience
Niggle (Oh Hell)
Starbase Orion
User reviews
Niggle (Oh Hell)
From 15 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Excellent AI gameplay and strategy depth
- ⚙️ Highly customizable game rules and scoring options
- 🎯 Faithful recreation of the classic card game
- 👥 Great for practicing real-life game skills
- 📊 Tracks game statistics and high scores
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🐛 Game crashes mid-hand or mid-game
- 😕 Childish UI design in recent updates
- 🔊 Unmutable sound effects and voices
- 🎨 Poor card visibility and contrast
Starbase Orion
From 329 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent 4x strategy game
- 👍 Faithful recreation of Master of Orion
- 🚀 Continuously updated with new features
- 👍 Vibrant player community
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay and intuitive controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Limited diplomacy and foreign relations
- 🔍 Automated combat lacks depth
- 🔍 Repetitive late-game experience
- 🔍 Outdated visuals
Bugs and requests
Niggle (Oh Hell)
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes frequently during gameplay
- Game freezes when changing settings
- Sound mute button doesn't work properly
- Cards disappear mid-game
- Save game doesn't restore to correct position
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- Game stops working after reaching 100 games
- Opening screen freezes and closes
- Cards played off-suit by AI when suit available
- Inaccurate scoring calculations
- Tricks awarded to wrong player
- Slow card dealing animation
- Network game functionality broken
- Game confusion when dragging cards too fast
Requested features
16 requests- Online multiplayer with friends via Facebook or network
- Ability to play with 3-5 players instead of just 4
- Variable hand sizes (1-13 cards and back down)
- Speed control for card animations
- No Trump option when Ace is turned as trump card
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- Classic UI option to revert from childish design
- Ability to customize AI personality for each player
- Straight card layout instead of curved
- Better score board visibility and positioning
- Joker and bower card support
- Simultaneous bidding option
- Ability to name opponents
- Screen rotation support
- Multiple scoring variant options
- Adjustable AI difficulty levels
- Round indicator during gameplay
Starbase Orion
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes and save file corruption
- UI issues with overlapping text and unresponsive controls
- Multiplayer matchmaking and connectivity problems
Requested features
5 requests- More ship classes and customization options
- Expanded tech tree and research system
- Deeper diplomacy and espionage mechanics
- Manual control of ship combat
- Improved end-game content and victory conditions
In-app purchases
Niggle (Oh Hell)
No in-app purchases
Starbase Orion
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Niggle (Oh Hell) free?
Is Starbase Orion free?
Which has better reviews, Niggle (Oh Hell) or Starbase Orion?
Do Niggle (Oh Hell) or Starbase Orion have ads?
Which is updated more often, Niggle (Oh Hell) or Starbase Orion?
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