Comparison

Ark Nova vs Chesspy

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Chesspy

Solve daily chess logic puzzles by strategically placing pieces to attack numbered targets. Compete with friends in multiplayer battles or tackle endless challenges. Offers a tutorial for beginners and advanced modes for experienced players.

Highlights
  • Daily chess logic puzzles
  • Multiplayer battles with friends
  • Piece placement strategy
  • Tutorial for beginners
  • Unlimited daily boards
  • Hints and past missions
Features
Read full description

Place chess pieces. Hit every number. Numbered squares are targets. Place chess pieces so each target is attacked by exactly its number — in the app, your pieces are called agents. A 0 is a safe square: nothing may attack it. Match every number and the next board is right there. Every board has exactly one solution, and you can reach it by logic alone — no guessing. Today’s Mission • Twenty boards in a row, growing from 3×3 to 6×6. • Three hearts. Placing or moving an agent so a number newly turns red costs one heart. Removing and undoing are always free. • Lose your last heart and you can see that board’s answer. • Everyone gets the same mission each day. Finish it to see your Top % today. • Sundays bring the S-Rank Mission: it starts at 4×4 and the last five boards are 7×7. Battles • Create a battle and get a six-digit code. Paste the link in a group chat and friends jump straight in. • Everyone plays the same five boards with three hearts. Most boards, then fewest hearts lost, then fastest time wins. • Up to 16 players, each joining as a chess piece: king, queen, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns. • A battle stays open for 7 days. Joining is free for anyone. The agents • The rook attacks along rows and columns, the bishop along diagonals — all the way to the edge, right past other agents. • From board 10 the knight joins in, jumping in an L. • No chess needed. A three-board tutorial shows you how on the board. More to play • Unlimited: opens after today’s mission. Endless boards that grow to 7×7 — two free runs a day. • Hints: stuck in Unlimited or a past mission? Get the reason for the next move, one step at a time. One free hint a day. • Past missions: anyone can play one past day for free. • Streaks, six achievements that unlock agent designs, and a result card to share. • Dark mode and a colour-blind palette. • English, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, French, German and Spanish. Pro (one-time purchase) • Unlimited, with no daily limit • Hints, with no daily limit • Create battles • Every past mission — fill a missed day to keep your streak • Every agent design and detailed stats • Pro never touches a daily score, and Today’s Mission has no hints. Everyone plays by the same rules. No ads. No account. Your records stay on your device; Top % and battles use only a random ID with no name.

Screenshots

Ark Nova4 screens
Chesspy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chesspy at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Chesspy also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly) and review sentiment (100% vs 73%). Ark Nova's advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 1) and chart position (#23 vs unranked). On ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

Chesspy is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chesspy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Ark Nova's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chesspy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ark Nova ships an update fortnightly, Chesspy every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Ark Nova versus Chesspy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArk NovaChesspy
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews72.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better1
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#23 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size682 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDire Wolf DigitalJaewon Seo

Customer experience

Ark Nova

All ratings1,236 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews132 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral10.6%
Negative16.7%

Chesspy

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Chesspy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

None

Chesspy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chesspy free?
Chesspy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ark Nova or Chesspy?
Chesspy is rated higher. Ark Nova averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Chesspy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ark Nova or Chesspy have ads?
Neither Ark Nova nor Chesspy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ark Nova or Chesspy?
Ark Nova ships an update fortnightly, and Chesspy every 2 days. Most recently, Ark Nova was updated on October 12, 2026 and Chesspy on October 8, 2026.

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