Ark Nova vs Sudoku Ladder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ark Nova
Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.
- Plan and design a modern zoo
- Build enclosures and accommodate animals
- Support global conservation projects
- Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
- Upgrade action cards for gameplay
- Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
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Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.
Sudoku Ladder
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Solve the same puzzle simultaneously against the ghost of an opponent on an identical grid. Beat the grid and your 'Difficulty' rank increases. Beat the grid the fastest and your 'Speed' rank increases THREE WAYS TO PLAY Campaign: The ranked competitive mode where your rating rises with every win. Race opponents across 7 difficulty tiers. Win clean, and your solve becomes a ghost for future opponents to race against. Climb the leaderboard and find out what level of difficulty defines you. Free play: Just the enjoy the game without stakes. Daily Time-Attack: A new seeded puzzle every day at midnight UTC, identical for all players. Competing on a daily leaderboard or just do your daily Sudoku dose A 2D RATING SYSTEM Unlike traditional ratings, your score is measured in two independent dimensions: - Dimension 1: Difficulty: How hard are the puzzles you solve? Race tougher opponents and unlock harder grids. - Dimension 2: Speed: How fast do you solve them? Beat your competition on the clock. Your position on the 2D rating plane determines your next opponent RACE AGAINST GHOSTS Your wins become ghosts records that other players will race play against. Your ghost plays your moves on their device but racing it never affects your rating or standing. FEATURES - Seeded grids for reproducible races - Synthetic league opponents with realistic timing models - Real-time leaderboards (Campaign & Daily) - Save and resume mid-game - Puzzle difficulty scaling (Easy through Master) - Precise timer and move history - Pure offline play (no internet required) - Non intrusive ads you can turn off
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sudoku Ladder at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ark Nova's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and chart position (#22 vs unranked). On 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
Sudoku Ladder is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, Sudoku Ladder every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ark Nova | Sudoku Ladder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | #22 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 682 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Dire Wolf Digital | Lucas Langlois |
Bugs and requests
Ark Nova
Reported bugs
2 issues- iPad Flash exit issue
- Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements
Requested features
4 requests- Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
- Full screen mode
- Option to reverse zoom direction
- Improved card readability/zoom
Sudoku Ladder
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Ark Nova
No in-app purchases
Sudoku Ladder
No in-app purchases









