Rithmomachia vs Blither
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rithmomachia
A digital adaptation of an ancient European board game, this app recreates a strategic battle of numbers and pieces. It offers a unique gameplay experience inspired by chess, with capture mechanics tied to numerical values on each piece.
- Ancient European board game adaptation
- Number-based capture mechanics
- Chess-like strategy
- Double-sized board
- Historical game recreation
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Rithmomachia, also known as The Philosophers' Game, was an early European board game which peaked in popularity in about the 15th century. The earliest known description of it dates from the eleventh century. Some sources indicate it's date of origin to be much earlier, possibly even having a Greek origin. A literal translation of the name is "The Battle of the Numbers". The game is much like chess, except the board is double the size and most methods of capture depend on numbers inscribed on each piece.
Blither
A two-player abstract strategy game where players move and place pieces to capture territory. Win by surrounding opponent pieces or groups. Offers AI and local multiplayer modes with customizable boards and multiple win conditions.
- Move and place pieces
- Capture by surrounding
- Play against AI
- Local human multiplayer
- Customizable board sizes
- Multiple win conditions
- Dark mode support
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Blither is a simple capture and territory game for two players. Turns are simple: MOVE a piece, then PLACE a piece. Capture by surrounding one of each of your opponent's piece types (or a group of pieces of the same type) to win the game! The app features: - play against AI or human opponents (on the same device) - play a custom game on larger or smaller boards - multiple win condition (play "high score mode" for a different experience!) - the app supports dark mode via your system settings (or you can choose from the options screen) - saves various statistics
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Blither at 100% against Rithmomachia's 0%. Blither also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 38 months). Rithmomachia's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). 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
Rithmomachia costs $1.99 and Blither $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Blither holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rithmomachia has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Rithmomachia's written reviews are positive against 100% of Blither's.
Rithmomachia ships an update every 38 months, Blither every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rithmomachia | Blither |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 38 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Random5 LLC | Martin Grider |
Customer experience
Rithmomachia
Blither
In-app purchases
Rithmomachia
No in-app purchases
Blither
No in-app purchases
