Comparison

Superliminal vs Phial

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

Head to head
About

Superliminal

Experience a first-person puzzle game where perception is reality. Solve impossible challenges by thinking creatively and embracing the unexpected in a dreamlike world with a unique narrative.

Highlights
  • First-person perspective puzzles
  • Optical illusion mechanics
  • Perspective-based challenges
  • Intriguing voiced narrative
  • Subdued and surreal world design
Features
Read full description

*NOTICE - TRY BEFORE YOU BUY* - Play the beginning for free. A one-time in-app purchase unlocks the full game. No ads. Falling asleep at 3AM, you close your eyes to the cheesy commercial of Dr. Pierce's dream therapy program. You wake up in an unfamiliar enviornment, only to realize that you're stuck in a dream - a dream where perception is reality. Welcome to Superliminal. Superliminal is a first-person puzzle game inspired perspective and optical illusions. Players tackle impossible puzzles by thinking outside the box and learning to expect the unexpected. This game features a wonderfully subdued world, an intriguingly voiced narrative, and things that are really weird.

About

Phial

Features
Read full description

Pour. Plan. Repeat until every drop is home. Phial is a quiet color-sort puzzle that turns three minutes of your day into something genuinely satisfying. Tap a phial, pour into another, organize every color until each bottle is complete. Simple in five seconds. Deep enough to keep you thinking for hours. WHY PHIAL IS DIFFERENT Most sort puzzles are built to hijack your attention. Phial is built to give it back. Slow, deliberate levels. Hand-tuned difficulty. No timers. No streaks. No daily-quest anxiety. Just liquid, glass, and quiet logic. GAME FEATURES • Hundreds of hand-tested levels with smooth difficulty progression • A Botanical Archivist aesthetic — cream paper, ruby ink, brass details, glass that looks like glass • Smart hint system for when you're truly stuck (three free hints per level, refill via optional ad) • Undo every move, restart any level, no penalties • 100% offline — play on planes, trains, subways, anywhere • Zero forced ads, zero pop-ups during play, zero dark patterns PERFECT FOR • Stressful days that need a 5-minute reset • Long commutes where Wi-Fi isn't reliable • Bedtime wind-down without harsh blue light • Anyone who finds joy in tidy, organized things • Fans of water sort, ball sort, and pouring puzzles who want something more thoughtful DIFFICULTY ZONES • Easy (Levels 1–20): Calm puzzles to settle your mind • Normal (Levels 21–50): Logic challenges that reward planning • Hard (Level 51+): Deep puzzles for sharp solvers A WORD ON ADS A few ads keep Phial free for everyone. They only appear between levels — never during. If you'd rather have none, the one-time "Remove Ads" upgrade is the only purchase in the game. Buy once, gone forever, unlimited hints included. PRIVACY FIRST Phial doesn't track you, doesn't sell your data, and doesn't require an account. No login, no email, no analytics empire. Just a puzzle. — Pour something nice. —

Screenshots

Superliminal4 screens
Phial3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Superliminal at none against Phial's shown. On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Superliminal sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Phial sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Superliminal ships an update every 8 days, Phial every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Superliminal versus Phial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSuperliminalPhial
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.4K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.4K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB36 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNoodlecakeTruong Bao

Bugs and requests

Superliminal

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on loading screens
  • Glitches with objects and navigation
  • Unremovable red line on screen
  • Inconsistent and buggy door behavior
  • Saving and progress issues across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add controller support
  • Improve camera controls and sensitivity
  • Provide more levels and content
  • Add a hint system or tutorial
  • Optimize performance and stability

Phial

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Superliminal

One-time2
  • Full Game$2.99
  • Full Game Unlock$7.99
1 purchases

Phial

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Superliminal free?
Superliminal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phial free?
Phial is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Superliminal or Phial have ads?
Phial shows ads; Superliminal does not.
Which is updated more often, Superliminal or Phial?
Superliminal ships an update every 8 days, and Phial every 6 days. Most recently, Superliminal was updated on October 30, 2026 and Phial on October 10, 2026.

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