Comparison

Samurai Sudoku vs Moonlight Apothecary

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Moonlight Apothecary

Features
Read full description

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

Samurai Sudoku4 screens
Moonlight Apothecary4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Samurai Sudoku sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Moonlight Apothecary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Samurai Sudoku versus Moonlight Apothecary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSamurai SudokuMoonlight Apothecary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (383 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings383 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStanley LamNAOTO 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
Show 5 more
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • 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

10 purchases

Samurai Sudoku

One-time10
  • Diagonal Samurai Pack$1.99
  • Samurai Beginner Pack$1.99
  • Samurai Median Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • 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
None

Moonlight Apothecary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Samurai Sudoku free?
Samurai Sudoku is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Moonlight Apothecary free?
Moonlight Apothecary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Samurai Sudoku or Moonlight Apothecary have ads?
Both Samurai Sudoku and Moonlight Apothecary show ads.
Which is updated more often, Samurai Sudoku or Moonlight Apothecary?
Samurai Sudoku ships an update every 2 months, and Moonlight Apothecary every 10 days. Most recently, Samurai Sudoku was updated on November 10, 2026 and Moonlight Apothecary on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons