Samurai Sudoku vs Moonlight Apothecary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Samurai Sudoku
Experience a unique Sudoku challenge with five interconnected grids. Apply standard Sudoku rules to each 9x9 grid, filling numbers to ensure each row, column, and region has one of each digit. Offers multiple difficulty levels and puzzle variations.
- Five overlapping Sudoku grids
- Five difficulty levels
- Various Sudoku types (Gattai, Butterfly)
- Hint feature with conflict checking
- Highlight same numbers
- Autosave progress
- Record best completion times
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Samurai Sudoku puzzle contains five overlapping sudoku grids. The basic sudoku rules apply to each 9 x 9 grid. Basic Rule: Fill numbers in the board such that every row, column and region contains one occurrence of each number. **** Samurai Sudoku features **** # Content - 5 difficulty levels - Various types of Sudokus, including Gattai (3 overlapping sudoku grids), Butterfly (4 overlapping sudoku grids), etc. # Features - "Hint" auto fills the board with memo that has no direct conflicts with other numbers - Highlight same numbers as you select a number on board - Autosave the process of unfinished levels - Record best completion time for each level # Challenge - Game Center Achievements - Try to complete as many levels as possible If you have encountered any problem, please send an email to brightskygames@me.com
Moonlight Apothecary
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A color-sorting puzzle where you don't have to sort every bottle. All you need is the one bottle the order asks for — the right color, in the right amount. As always, the apothecary is cluttered with colorful potions. Read each order carefully and fill the delivery bottle just right. Moonlight Apothecary is an order-based color-sorting puzzle you play with one simple move: pick a bottle and pour it into another. The other bottles can stay mixed — once the ordered potion is ready in exactly the requested amount, the brewing is complete. ■ Fill each order exactly: Orders Every stage tells you the color, the amount, and the delivery bottle. Move only the color you need, or clear the colors in the way first? The key is not finishing the whole board, but getting the order right. ■ Follow the story, chapter by chapter Orders sit on maps that show each chapter's setting. Starting with getting the Moonlight Apothecary ready to open, your journey takes you to the forest, misty night roads, the royal capital, and the far border. Answer orders from a forest lookout, a traveling merchant, and many other customers. Finish every order in a chapter to add its scenery to your Codex. ■ Two potions at once — and sometimes a big bottle Some orders ask for two kinds of potion at the same time. Decide which to finish first while watching how much space each bottle has. Some orders also include a bottle larger than usual, and pouring the way you always do will make it overflow. Reading the difference in size is part of an apothecary's skill. ■ Record your potions in the Moonlight Codex The first time you finish a potion, it is added to the shelf in your Codex. Read its effects and ingredients, revisit the letters your customers sent, and zoom in on the illustrations. ■ Learn the basics in Sorting Practice The classic rule — sort every bottle into a single color — is included too. Practice moving potions and get ready for trickier orders. ■ Test your skill with Moonlit Trials As you progress through the chapters, your Mentor sends you tough trials. Sort every bottle, and finish the given color in the moon-marked bottle. ■ Help when you're stuck Undo your last move, restart the board, and get notified automatically when no moves are left. When you're unsure, you can ask your Mentor for the steps from the current board. ■ Stages that grow tougher bit by bit Both Orders and Sorting Practice include many stages that slowly get harder. In Orders, your eye for amounts and the state of the delivery bottle is put to the test step by step. You don't need to sort everything. Just make the one ordered bottle perfect. Now, let's start today's orders.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Moonlight Apothecary at none against Samurai Sudoku's 10. Moonlight Apothecary also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Samurai Sudoku sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Moonlight Apothecary asks for nothing beyond the download.
Samurai Sudoku ships an update every 2 months, Moonlight Apothecary every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Samurai Sudoku | Moonlight Apothecary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (383 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 383 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stanley Lam | NAOTO MORI |
Bugs and requests
Samurai Sudoku
Reported bugs
10 issues- App crashes when watching required videos
- Weekly puzzle videos fail to load
- Game freezes mid-puzzle with no progress saved
- Purchased puzzles disappear after app updates or reinstalls
- Ad screens block gameplay with no visible close button
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- Unresponsive number input requiring multiple taps
- App locks up permanently in certain situations
- Video orientation mismatch on horizontal device orientation
- Occasional glitches requiring app restart
- Multiple solutions recognized as single correct answer
Requested features
10 requests- Auto-fill feature for candidate notes/pencil marks
- Pause button for games in progress
- Left-handed mode option
- Highlight vertical and horizontal lines for easier solving
- Ability to create and submit custom puzzles
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- Larger puzzle sizes and more complex variations
- Clue system that provides one hint at a time
- Screen lock to prevent auto-dimming during gameplay
- Bundled subscription option instead of individual pack purchases
- Auto-generate puzzles instead of hard-coded content
Moonlight Apothecary
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Samurai Sudoku
- Diagonal Samurai Pack$1.99
- Samurai Beginner Pack$1.99
- Samurai Median Pack$1.99
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- Samurai Advanced Pack$1.99
- Samurai Expert Pack$1.99
- Samurai Advanced Pack 2$1.99
- Samurai Basic Pack$1.99
- Jigsaw Samurai Pack$2.99
- Anti Diagonal Samurai Pack$2.99
- Samurai Sudoku$3.99
Moonlight Apothecary
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Samurai Sudoku free?
Is Moonlight Apothecary free?
Do Samurai Sudoku or Moonlight Apothecary have ads?
Which is updated more often, Samurai Sudoku or Moonlight Apothecary?
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