Retro PingPong vs SHI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retro PingPong
Experience classic ping-pong with an 80s aesthetic. This game captures the feel of vintage arcade and console experiences.
- 80s style graphics
- Classic ping-pong gameplay
- Vintage console feel
- Simple controls
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Tennis in the 80s style. Retro PingPong defines the good old ping-pong game on the old game consoles.
SHI
Engage with stories from early Japan by solving intricate puzzles on a beautifully designed lacquer box. Journey through ancient tales, uncover hidden meanings, and experience the art of Japanese lacquerware.
- Challenging lacquer box puzzles
- Engaging ancient Japanese stories
- Beautiful Japanese lacquerware design
- Japanese language learning elements
- Taiko drum soundscapes
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Solve challenging puzzles on a beautiful Japanese lacquer box and engage with stories based in early Japan: In the beginning, so the Kojiki tells, sea was sky and sky was sea. Journey towards calmness while rotating a lacquer box, puzzle by puzzle, word by word, further in time. In SHI•RO you reconcile past and present with empress Gemmei, travel through dark forests to invite spirits to the shrine of old Yoshida, and climb Mount Inari with a fox. PLAY AN ENGAGING STORY SHI•RO tells the story of an ancient empress, a lost love and a blossoming friendship. Based on the first Japanese writing, the Kojiki, you engage with an emerging world. SOLVE CHALLENGING PUZZLES Over 60 handmade puzzles challenge you along the journey of empress Gemmei. Think out of the box while playing on a lacquer box! Will you help the empress to separate the sea from the sky? ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL DESIGN SHI•RO celebrates the beauty of Japanese lacquerware by transforming your device into a lacquer box. Gold and silver shimmer in your hands while you unriddle complex geometries and find stories of depth beyond the surface. LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF JAPAN By solving puzzles, you hear words of Japanese language, or as a native speaker of Japanese, learn words in English. Japanese Taiko drums will guide your way. ENTER THE SHI•RO UNIVERSE By purchasing SHI•RO, you get access to the complete first part, KURO. But more is in the making! Once we release the second part MIDORI and the third part AKA, you will be able to purchase them in-game and continue your journey.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SHI at 68% against Retro PingPong's 17%. SHI also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 32 months) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.6). Retro PingPong's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Retro PingPong costs $0.99 and SHI $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Retro PingPong ships an update every 32 months, SHI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retro PingPong | SHI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | — | 4.6 (215 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews | 68.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 215 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 32 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 10.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 181 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Patric Eckhart | the brothers grimm |
Customer experience
Retro PingPong
SHI
Bugs and requests
Retro PingPong
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SHI
Reported bugs
5 issues- Cannot find a way to reset the game
- Error with game purchase
- Parts don't seem to work
- Game enforces arbitrary move order
- Confusing UI, need clearer restart/reset options
Requested features
6 requests- More levels/stories
- Ability to reset the game
- Landscape view option for iPad
- Daily puzzles
- More instructions/tutorial
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- Option to go back one move
In-app purchases
Retro PingPong
No in-app purchases
SHI
No in-app purchases









