Sidius Nova vs Almost Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sidius Nova
Lead your species to survival after a homeworld destruction. Collect resources, build ships, and engage in epic space battles. Choose to play as humans or an alien armada, unlocking new ships and strategies as you conquer galaxies.
- Resource collection
- Ship building
- Epic space battles
- Playable factions (humans/aliens)
- Unlockable ships
- Galactic conquest
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by Stefan Schmitt and Ben Jelter -YOUR HOMEWORLD HAS BEEN DESTROYED- Your remaining motherships are the only way to guarantee the survival of your species. Collect resources to build ships for epic space battles. "has the same 'one more turn oh god one more turn' hook that its grander siblings on the PC have" -KOTAKU Also featured on Space Sector! HOURS OF STRATEGIC DEEP SPACE GAMEPLAY Sidius Nova is a strategy game designed from the ground up to provide a deep and satisfying experience on your iOS device. PICK A SIDE Play as the last humans alive or an alien armada. UNLOCKABLE SHIPS Earn new ships as you play! Conquer entire galaxies and expand your fleet by researching new units. New units dramatically expand the gameplay by offering new defensive and offensive strategies. Follow @sidiusnova on twitter to find out more and give us feedback!
Almost Chess
Experience chess with a randomized board layout, offering a fresh tactical challenge for all skill levels. Adapt to new puzzles daily and test your strategic thinking in this unpredictable version of the classic game.
- Randomized board layouts
- Single player AI challenges
- Two player local mode
- Daily puzzling positions
- Valid move highlighting
- ELO rating system
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ALMOST CHESS It's chess... but not quite as you remember it. Every game starts with a completely randomized board layout (except the kings, they're not completely lost). Whether you're a grandmaster or a beginner, everyone starts with the same advantage: pure confusion! Features: • Single Player: Challenge our AI that's learning to adapt just like you • Two Player: Share the chaos with a friend • Daily Challenge: A new puzzling position every day for everyone worldwide • Valid Move Highlights: We're not completely heartless • ELO Rating System: Climb the ranks in this bizarre version of chess Perfect for: • Chess players looking for a fresh challenge • Casual gamers who want the strategy without the memorization • Anyone who's ever thought "regular chess is too predictable" No opening theory. No memorized patterns. Just pure tactical thinking and adaptability. Can you master Almost Chess? Free to play. In single-player games, you can optionally watch a rewarded ad to earn an extra undo. The Remove Ads purchase unlocks unlimited undos and hides rewarded-ad prompts. Download now and discover how good you are at chess when nobody knows what they're doing!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sidius Nova at 84% against Almost Chess's 33%. Almost Chess's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Sidius Nova sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Almost Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sidius Nova ships an update every 3 months, Almost Chess monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidius Nova | Almost Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (49 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 84.3% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 49 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 190 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stefan Schmitt | hourafter |
Customer experience
Sidius Nova
Almost Chess
Bugs and requests
Sidius Nova
Reported bugs
5 issues- Occasional crashing
- Repeated crashing during combat
- Crashing when fighting mothership
- Game progress not syncing between devices
- App leaves residual files after uninstallation
Requested features
16 requests- Add multiplayer/hot seat/skirmish
- Add longer single player campaign
- Add more frequent dialogue
- Add meaningful player-driven plot choices
- Add 'back' button for dialogue
Show 11 moreShow fewer
- Option to skip mothership death animation
- Rework research point system
- Add bonus for multiple fleets
- Improve mothership strength/abilities
- Add iPad version/support
- Add iPhone 5 screen support
- Add Game Center support
- Add cloud saving system
- Add endless mode
- Add asynchronous multiplayer
- Add fast forward button
Almost Chess
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sidius Nova
- Genius (RP earned x2)$0.99
- Laboratory (8,000 RP)$1.99
- Singularity (Unlock Everything)$3.99
Almost Chess
- Remove Ads$2.99
Questions
Is Sidius Nova free?
Is Almost Chess free?
Do Sidius Nova or Almost Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidius Nova or Almost Chess?
Other comparisons
