Solitaire vs Dark Squares
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Solitaire
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Solitaire Chess is a single-player siege puzzle played on a hexagonal honeycomb board. Pick your side and outwit a sharp AI — every move is a plan. [How it plays] ‧ Two sides, two strategies: as the Attacker, break out from the center and thread along the honeycomb paths to land on any red goal node on the rim; as the Defender, wall the attacker in before it can escape. ‧ A real AI opponent, powered by Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS), with Relaxed and Standard strengths — it never plays soft. ‧ Adjustable board size: radius 10–20 — the larger the board, the deeper the play. ‧ A rule with depth: the Defender can leap diagonally across a complete hexagon. ‧ Multiple board themes you can switch instantly, mid-game. ‧ Touch-mode toggle: "Place" and "Move board" are separate, so panning and zooming never drops a stone by accident. ‧ Stats: win rate and match history at a glance. [Who it's for] ‧ Fans of abstract strategy — chess, Go, and tactics games ‧ Anyone who wants to sharpen logic and spatial thinking in a single match ‧ A quick brain workout for your commute or lunch break [Privacy & offline] ‧ Fully offline — no account, no network required ‧ No ads, no tracking, no personal data collected ‧ All records stay on your device only ‧ Independently built by Intoxicated Child Studio [Free to play, Pro to unlock] The game is free to play. A one-time Pro unlock (non-consumable, yours forever) opens up larger boards, the Standard AI, full stats history, and every theme. Customers who bought the earlier paid version are granted Pro automatically — no repurchase needed. Set your siege on the honeycomb
Dark Squares
Experience chess with a magical twist. Arm your pieces with weapons and spells to outmaneuver opponents. Win by capturing the king in this strategic, fast-paced adaptation.
- Real chess mechanics
- Weapon and spell loadouts
- King capture victory condition
- Play friends online
- Play against AI
- Ranked online duels
- Unlock and upgrade weapons
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This is not the chess you know. Dark Squares is chess, unhinged: every piece can wield a weapon. All the strategy of chess, none of its mercy. FREEZE the knight charging at you. TELEPORT your queen across the board. BLIGHT the enemy ranks and watch them wither. ASCEND a humble pawn into royalty. And when the path is open — take the king. HOW IT PLAYS • Real chess at the core: every classic move works, every classic plan matters. • Weapons change everything: arm a loadout of spells before each battle and cast them at the perfect moment. • Win by capture: no checkmate formalities — the game ends when a king falls. MODES • Play a Friend: challenge friends directly to friendly duels — and earn XP while you're at it. • Play vs Computer: three difficulty levels, and yes — the computer casts weapons too. • Open arena: bring your full loadout against anyone online. • Normalized arena: a fair, ranked duel — both players draft from the same weapon pool, so skill alone decides it. PROGRESSION • Earn XP in every online game — win or lose. • Unlock new weapons and upgrade them to higher tiers as you climb the ladder. • Build your Armory and craft the loadout that fits your style. DARK SQUARES PRO • An optional subscription ($4.99/month, auto-renews) that instantly adds four more weapon families — Aegis, Silence, Blight and Oracle. • Pro is variety, never raw power — free weapons stay fully competitive. Dark Squares is young and evolving — your feedback shapes what comes next. Every piece, a weapon. Every move, a gambit. Welcome to Dark Squares. Privacy Policy: https://darksquares.web.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Solitaire at none against Dark Squares's 1. Dark Squares's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Dark Squares sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Solitaire asks for nothing beyond the download.
Solitaire ships an update every 9 months, Dark Squares weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Solitaire | Dark Squares |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kuo-Tsun Huang | Avi Kremer |
In-app purchases
Solitaire
No in-app purchases
Dark Squares
- Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month








