Comparison

Mysterious Creatures vs Shadow

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

Head to head
About

Mysterious Creatures

Engage in a unique seek-and-find experience by sifting through virtual shirasu to discover hidden sea creatures. Collect a variety of miniature marine life, from baby shrimp to tiny squid, and build your personal collection of these elusive finds.

Highlights
  • Sift through virtual shirasu
  • Discover hidden sea creatures
  • Collect miniature marine life
  • Build a personal collection
  • Hint system for assistance
  • Save game progress
Features
Read full description

Find the mysterious sea creatures lurking in the shirasu! What's shirasu, you ask? Shirasu, also known as whitebait in English, are the small young of fish like sardines and anchovies. They are very small and are used as a garnish or topping in many Japanese dishes, most commonly found as a simple topping for rice. Shirasu are caught in large batches and have an opalescent white color and resemble super tiny fish! They are cooked and salted lightly after being caught. Their close culinary cousin are chirimen, which are baby sardines that have been fully dried. Shirasu, on the other hand, are only partially dried, and have a softer consistency. They're a delicious and simple way to spice up a plain bowl of rice and an everyday part of cuisine in Japan. But... there's more to them than meets the eye! Because the small fish are caught in large batches, occasionally another miniature deepsea creature gets mixed into the shirasu. They're harmless, but you can sometimes find a mini squid, baby shrimp, or tiny fish in the mix! Of course, some are more rare than others, but this kind of seek-and-find suspense has caught on big with children and adults alike. Think of it as the deep-sea version of breakfast cereal... This game simulates the experience of sifting through the shirasu to find mysterious little beasts. See if you can collect them all! How to Play - Using your fingers, sift through the shirasu and look for mysterious creatures. Tap one to add it to your collection. - Pressing the pause button at top right will allow you to look through your collection. - Pressing the Twitter button will allow you to tweet the number of samples you've caught of the selected specimen. - Pressing the magnifying glass at top left will display a hint. Hints are replenished after 10 minutes. - The game is saved each time the pause button is pressed. ※The creatures in the game have been stylized for uniformity, so their color and shape may differ from the real thing.

About

Shadow

Embark on a nostalgic adventure in a town that bridges two worlds. Help a girl regain her memories, solve puzzles, and uncover mysteries with her loyal dog. Interact with unique characters and explore diverse locations to find a way back home.

Highlights
  • Nostalgic townscape exploration
  • Mystery solving and puzzles
  • Switch between human and dog characters
  • Interact with unique characters
  • Story-driven gameplay
  • Inventory system for items
Read full description

<About This Game> A girl who lost her memories lives in a town with a nostalgic atmosphere. One day, she wanders into another world that looks exactly like her town... While regaining her memories, she searches for a way back to her original world with her beloved dog. ---------------------------------------- Listen to the troubles of the “Shadow” characters you meet along the way, or help them find lost items to receive items and hints that advance the story! Plenty of event characters too—but watch out for enemy characters along the way!? Explore various locations like towns, schools, forests, and otherworldly realms... Solve puzzles and mysteries to advance the story! ---------------------------- ------------ ■How to Play ・Tap the protagonist with your finger to move them up, down, left, or right. ・Press the dog icon button to switch between playing as the “person” or the “dog.” Some areas are only accessible to the dog, so switch between characters to explore. ・Tap objects or furniture that catch your interest to inspect them. ・Tap items on the ground to pick them up; they'll all be added to your “Inventory”. (To use an item, select it from your inventory. While holding the item, inspect a character, piece of furniture, or building to use it. ・Choosing the wrong option, getting attacked by enemies, or failing to find a necessary item will result in Game Over. ・If you get stuck, check the hint displayed above the play screen or talk to Shadow. ■Features ・A townscape with a nostalgic atmosphere ・A Showa-era style world ・Exploration possible ・Mystery solving, puzzles ・Unique characters like monstrous heads and talking animals ・Animations included <About Used Materials> ・Sound effects: Pocket Sound – https://pocket-se.info/

Screenshots

Mysterious Creatures4 screens
Shadow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shadow at 58% against Mysterious Creatures's 0%. Shadow also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 months). Mysterious Creatures's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Shadow sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Mysterious Creatures asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mysterious Creatures ships an update every 4 months, Shadow every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mysterious Creatures versus Shadow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMysterious CreaturesShadow
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews58.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB234 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMasakazu YoneharaNOELITH, INC.

Customer experience

Mysterious Creatures

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral40.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Shadow

Written reviews12 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Mysterious Creatures

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Shadow

One-time3
  • Ad Removal B Pack$0.99
  • Ad Removal A Pack$0.99
  • Ad Removal AB Value Pack$1.99

Questions

Is Mysterious Creatures free?
Mysterious Creatures is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shadow free?
Shadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mysterious Creatures or Shadow have ads?
Both Mysterious Creatures and Shadow show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mysterious Creatures or Shadow?
Mysterious Creatures ships an update every 4 months, and Shadow every 6 days. Most recently, Mysterious Creatures was updated on October 26, 2026 and Shadow on October 24, 2026.

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