Close Cities vs Shells
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Close Cities
Build beautiful cities on diverse worlds by solving unique puzzles. This relaxing game guides you through 160 levels with a simple tap or drag interface, requiring no architectural knowledge. Conquer each world's challenges and travel through time with its calming soundtrack.
- Build cities on empty maps
- Solve 160 unique puzzle levels
- Intuitive tap and drag controls
- No architectural knowledge needed
- Travel through different worlds
- Relaxing music and pace
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Close Cities is a relaxing puzzle game in which you will have to build cities in different worlds over time. Find a road and start there. Solve all 160 levels and become a Close Cities legend! UNIQUE PUZZLES You will start each level with an empty map that you will have to fill with beautiful cities. Choose the right road, choose the area and tap or drag with your fingers! DOES NOT REQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF ARCHITECTURE Close Cities offers a fun experience even if you don't know the difference between a square and a bevel. The game's tutorial will show you everything you need to know at a relaxed pace. CONQUER ITS 160 LEVELS Each world has its king and 16 levels that you must solve to build his empire. TRAVEL THROUGH TIME During the course of the game you will discover different worlds over time with relaxed music to let you go.
Shells
A geometry puzzle game where you slide blocks into larger shells to rearrange the board and solve challenges. It offers over 360 levels across 8 worlds with a focus on spatial reasoning and problem-solving. Enjoy a relaxing experience with a soothing soundtrack.
- Nested block sliding mechanics
- Over 360 original levels
- 8 distinct game worlds
- Optional hint system
- Soothing piano soundtrack
- Compact 4x4 grid gameplay
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Shells is a geometry puzzle game about the elegance of nested pieces on a tiny board. Slide your block into larger shells to rearrange the board and find your way out! Features: - Simple core mechanics and deep emergent complexity packed into a compact 4x4 grid. Train your brain by challenging your problem solving and spatial reasoning skills! - Gradual difficulty curve featuring over 360 original levels spread across 8 distinct worlds. - Flexible progression structure with multiple levels to choose from at any given point. - Adjust the difficulty to your liking with the optional hint system! - Soothing piano soundtrack accompanied by relaxing sound effects and backgrounds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shells at 100% against Close Cities's 69%. Shells also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Close Cities's advantage is ratings volume (356 vs 22). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Close Cities sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Shells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Shells holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Close Cities has 356 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Close Cities's written reviews are positive against 100% of Shells's.
Close Cities ships an update every 3 weeks, Shells weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Close Cities | Shells |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (356 ratings) | 5.0 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 356 — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 158 MB | 102 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo | arlybird games LLC |
Customer experience
Close Cities
Shells
In-app purchases
Close Cities
- Hints - Small Pack$0.99
- Hints - Medium Pack$2.99
- Remove Ads + Hints$2.99
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- Hints - Big Pack$5.99
Shells
- Small Bundle$0.99
- Medium Bundle$1.99
- Large Bundle$3.99
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- Unlimited Bundle$8.99
