Neolysium vs Almost Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Neolysium
This strategy card game challenges players to build a thriving environment and generate energy. It focuses on decision-making and strategic creativity with positive, non-violent gameplay. Enjoy a pure gaming experience with no ads or data collection.
- Strategic card play
- Environment building
- Energy generation
- Decision making
- Non-violent gameplay
- No ads
- No personal data collection
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Welcome to Neolysium the strategy card game for building a better world. Each hand is a new challenge to create a thriving environment that generates abundant energy. The game will test your decision making skills and strategic creativity while promoting a positive non-violent gameplay suitable for all ages. The game has no ads, does not collect any personal information, and is built solely for your enjoyment. How to play You start the game with 4 cards in hand and 10 spaces to play cards. Each turn you will draw a card from the deck and choose to either play a card to build your environment or discard. The objective is to maximize the amount of energy your environment produces. The game is over when you have used all of your playable spaces or your deck has run out of cards. Cards have attributes that can produce energy, create play spaces, add more cards to your deck, and other abilities to be discovered. Certain cards require other cards to be played first so having an understanding of your deck is important for developing an effective strategy. Every turn is a critical decision in managing spaces, card count, and energy output.
Almost Chess
Experience chess with a randomized board layout, offering a fresh tactical challenge for all skill levels. Adapt to new puzzles daily and test your strategic thinking in this unpredictable version of the classic game.
- Randomized board layouts
- Single player AI challenges
- Two player local mode
- Daily puzzling positions
- Valid move highlighting
- ELO rating system
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A familiar game. An unfamiliar board. Almost Chess is a chess variant with randomized starting positions, so you can focus on the position in front of you instead of memorized openings. PLAY YOUR NEXT MOVE Face AI opponents selected for your in-game rating. Tap a piece to see its legal moves, find tactical opportunities and work toward checkmate. Your rating tracks progress inside Almost Chess; it is not an official chess rating. A NEW CHALLENGE TO RETURN TO Try the daily challenge with three attempts per day. Weekly challenges rotate board restrictions for a different way to play. In the Gauntlet, each win brings a stronger opponent; a loss ends your run. Gauntlet games do not allow undo. MAKE THE BOARD YOURS Explore random boards with no queens, mirrored positions, pawns or extra chaos. Choose from 12 board themes and track your statistics and achievements. LANGUAGE OPTIONS Play in English, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese. Follow your device language or choose a language in Settings. ADS AND OPTIONAL PURCHASE Full-screen ads may appear between completed games. Eligible single-player games start with one free undo; you can choose to watch a rewarded ad for one more undo when an ad is available. The optional one-time Remove Ads purchase removes ads and gives unlimited undos in eligible single-player games. It does not add undo to the Gauntlet.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Neolysium at 71% against Almost Chess's 33%. Neolysium also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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. Almost Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Neolysium asks for nothing beyond the download.
Neolysium ships an update every 9 days, Almost Chess fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Neolysium | Almost Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (13 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 13 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Samuel Anderson | hourafter |
Customer experience
Neolysium
Almost Chess
In-app purchases
Neolysium
No in-app purchases
Almost Chess
- Remove Ads$2.99
Questions
Is Neolysium free?
Is Almost Chess free?
Do Neolysium or Almost Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, Neolysium or Almost Chess?
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