Comparison

Save The Pencil vs Illusion Bowling

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

Head to head
About

Save The Pencil

Guide a pencil character through a rebellious stationery cupboard by tapping dots to connect them. Solve 120 challenging puzzles across 8 chapters, dodge various stationery enemies, and collect stars to unlock bonus levels and new characters.

Highlights
  • Tap-to-move gameplay
  • 120 challenging puzzles
  • 8 distinct chapters
  • Unlockable bonus levels
  • Collect stars for high scores
  • Dodge stationery enemies
  • Unlock new characters
Features
Read full description

Save the Pencil is back, rebuilt and remastered for modern iPhone. Guide HB across the page, connect every dot and keep his lead away from a stationery cupboard full of trouble. Each route is a compact puzzle of timing, precision and planning. FEATURES • 120 handcrafted campaign levels across 8 distinctive paper chapters • 50 additional bonus levels • Collect three stars on every level • Dodge paperclips, spinning rulers, erasers, staples, scissors and more • Take on a unique boss at the end of every chapter • Earn blue dots as you play and spend them on helpful extras • Completely remastered artwork, animation, audio and effects • No third-party advertising Tap a dot, draw your route and save HB's lead. It is join the dots, but not as you know it.

About

Illusion Bowling

Navigate a world of optical illusions to hit bowling pins. Manipulate perspective to create virtual pathways, bridges, and walls. Solve 66 unique levels by cleverly shifting your viewpoint.

Highlights
  • Optical illusion gameplay
  • Perspective manipulation
  • Physics-based puzzles
  • 66 challenging levels
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Illusion Bowling is all about rolling balls through a world of optical illusion. You have to hit a bowling pin with a ball but it is impossible in the normal world. Only by using new pathways that get created by optical illusions it becomes possible. Your tool for creating the optical illusion pathways is merely changing the view perspective. If two distant platforms look from a certain view angle as if they touch each other then the ball can roll over from one platform to the other, like over a virtual bridge. This way you can create virtual bridges, virtual walls or shift the ball sideways by scratching one platform over another. • 66 levels • No advertisements • No In-App Purchases. All content is unlocked.

Screenshots

Save The Pencil4 screens
Illusion Bowling4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Illusion Bowling at 4.7 against Save The Pencil's 3.4. Illusion Bowling also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#2 vs unranked). Save The Pencil's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 73%) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On ads 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

Save The Pencil costs $2.99 and Illusion Bowling $3.99 up front. Save The Pencil sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Illusion Bowling asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Illusion Bowling holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 233 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Save The Pencil's written reviews are positive against 73% of Illusion Bowling's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Save The Pencil versus Illusion Bowling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSave The PencilIllusion Bowling
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating3.4 (65 ratings)4.7 (233 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.7% of reviews — better73.3% of reviews
Number of ratings65233 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#2 — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPerfect DimensionDaniel Koenig-Meier

Customer experience

Save The Pencil

All ratings65 ratings
Positive56.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews312 reviews
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative11.2%

Illusion Bowling

All ratings114 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.7%

Bugs and requests

Save The Pencil

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Rulers and obstacles glitching out
  • App crashing on launch or during gameplay
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels and content updates
  • Improved touch sensitivity
  • Ability to skip difficult levels

Illusion Bowling

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Save The Pencil

One-time4
  • 1,000 Blue Dot Pack$0.99
  • 5,000 Blue Dot Pack$2.99
  • 10,000 Blue Dot Pack$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 50,000 Blue Dot Pack$9.99
None

Illusion Bowling

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Save The Pencil free?
Save The Pencil costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Illusion Bowling free?
Illusion Bowling costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Save The Pencil or Illusion Bowling?
Illusion Bowling is rated higher. Save The Pencil averages 3.4 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Illusion Bowling averages 4.7 from 233 ratings.
Do Save The Pencil or Illusion Bowling have ads?
Neither Save The Pencil nor Illusion Bowling shows ads.

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