Comparison

Doom Kitchen vs Shadow Merge

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

Head to head
About

Doom Kitchen

Defend your city from a zombie apocalypse by cooking special food that turns them to ash. Strategically arrange your kitchen and choose the right meals for different zombie types to survive.

Highlights
  • Defense roguelike gameplay
  • Zombie-themed survival
  • Kitchen arrangement strategy
  • Food-based combat
  • Enemy-specific food choices
Features
Read full description

Doom Kitchen is a defense Roguelike. The zombie virus has swept the world, and your city is in crisis! As a special chef, you suddenly find that zombies have lost their ability to act after eating special food and turn to ashes. A sense of purpose arises, and you decide to pick up the spatula and save... Zombies are coming again, or survive first!! Features: - Arrange your kitchen properly within the limited space. - Choose the right food and facilities for different enemies. - Test your organizational skills and combat strategy.

About

Shadow Merge

Features
Read full description

Match 3 stones. Summon an army. Watch the shadows burn. Shadow Merge: Tactics is a dark fantasy match 3 auto battler roguelite. Plan your moves on a 6x6 stone board, raise a swarm of warriors and archers, and send them into an endless siege against monsters, elite fiends and towering bosses. There is no castle to defend: your army is your only life. Lose it and the run is over. HOW IT WORKS - PREPARE: every round you get action points (AP) to swap stones. Match 3 or more to spawn units. Bigger matches call bigger armies. - COMBAT: the grid locks and your army fights automatically in a fast, smooth pixel battle. No pausing, no micromanaging: your planning wins the war. - SURVIVE: clear the wave, keep your survivors and prepare for something worse. Mini-bosses arrive every 5th wave, the Dark Lord every 10th. SEVEN STONES, SEVEN CHOICES - Dark Wood spawns archers for ranged damage. - Metal spawns warriors for the front line. - Water wraps your units in a defensive shield aura. - Demon's Blood sends them into a frenzy. - Berserk and Wizard Stones summon elite fighters. - Soul Crystals refund AP and fuel your permanent upgrades. ROGUELITE DEPTH - Choose a Rite after big fights: pick one blessing to shape the run, from Iron Front to Rain of Bolts and Soul Broker. - Spend Soul Crystals in the Meta-Shop on permanent upgrades: Vanguard Training, Strategic Reserve and Alchemical Insight. - No two runs feel the same. Chain combos, plan AP and decide what to buff. BUILT FOR MOBILE - Fast 2x battle speed toggle when you want the action quicker. - Play offline. No internet needed to fight. - Global leaderboards for Max Wave and Max Power with Sign in with Apple. - Haptics, atmospheric dark fantasy music and a hand-crafted gothic interface. - Available in English, Turkish, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Swedish. FAIR MONETIZATION - Free to play with 4 free runs every day. Watch a short ad for a bonus run or to revive your fallen army once per run. - Shadow Merge Pro is a one-time purchase: unlimited daily runs, a free revive every run and no banner ads. No subscription, no tricks. If you love puzzle strategy, auto battlers, roguelike runs, army builders and dark fantasy tactics, this one is for you. Match, merge and conquer the shadows. Support: https://shadowmerge.netlify.app/support Privacy Policy: https://shadowmerge.netlify.app/privacy Terms of Use: https://shadowmerge.netlify.app/terms

Screenshots

Doom Kitchen3 screens
Shadow Merge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Doom Kitchen at none against Shadow Merge's 1. Doom Kitchen also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Shadow Merge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Doom Kitchen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Doom Kitchen ships an update every 9 days, Shadow Merge every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Doom Kitchen versus Shadow Merge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDoom KitchenShadow Merge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB73 MB
Age rating9+12+
Developer利园 宋Ozan Can OCAK

In-app purchases

None

Doom Kitchen

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Shadow Merge

One-time1
  • Shadow Merge Pro$1.99

Questions

Is Doom Kitchen free?
Doom Kitchen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shadow Merge free?
Shadow Merge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Doom Kitchen or Shadow Merge have ads?
Both Doom Kitchen and Shadow Merge show ads.
Which is updated more often, Doom Kitchen or Shadow Merge?
Doom Kitchen ships an update every 9 days, and Shadow Merge every 4 days. Most recently, Doom Kitchen was updated on November 4, 2026 and Shadow Merge on November 10, 2026.

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