Shotgun King vs Shikaku
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shotgun King
Experience a unique twist on chess where you command a king armed with a shotgun. Fight your way through enemy pieces, strategically reload, and upgrade your abilities to reclaim your kingdom. This roguelike chess adventure offers challenging gameplay and extensive replayability.
- Chess with a shotgun mechanic
- Roguelike progression with upgrades
- 15 difficulty ranks
- Unlockable cards
- Over 100 achievements
- Endless and chase modes
Read full descriptionHide full description
Chess, but all your army has gone over to the white side, leaving you with nothing but your royal shotgun and your wounded pride. Carried by your dark folly, you decide it's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King. Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. Avoid checkmate and kill the enemy king to complete the floor. After each floor, you may choose between two random combinations of one upgrade for you and one upgrade for the other side. Choose wisely and keep on winning floors and you just may get your kingdom back. Runs may take ~20 minutes to complete. The game features 15 ranks of difficulty, unlockable cards, over 100 achievements to complete, an endless mode, and now a chase mode where you get continually assailed from all sides!
Shikaku
Engage in a minimalist logic puzzle game where you divide a grid into rectangular pieces. Each piece must contain a number representing its total area. Enjoy daily challenges, endless modes, and customizable themes.
- Grid division logic puzzles
- Daily puzzle chapters
- Infinite puzzle generation
- Customizable themes
- XP system for mastery
- Ad-free experience
Read full descriptionHide full description
Master the Geometry of Logic. Step into the world of Shikaku (also known as Rectangles), a classic Japanese logic puzzle reimagined for the modern era. Shikaku is a minimalist experience designed for those who find beauty in structure and peace in problem-solving. THE GOAL Divide the grid into rectangular and square pieces such that each piece contains exactly one number. That number must represent the total area (the number of cells) of that rectangle. It’s simple to learn, but mastery requires a deep understanding of logical geometry. WHY PLAY SHIKAKU? • Handcrafted Minimalism: A clean, distraction-free interface that lets you focus entirely on the puzzle at hand. • Daily Chapters: Every day brings a new "Chapter" with three stages of escalating difficulty. Start your morning with a light challenge and end your day with a masterclass in logic. • Infinite Endless Mode: Never run out of puzzles. Generate grids of various sizes—from quick 4x4 warm-ups to daunting large-scale grids. • Personalize Your Experience: Express yourself with over 16 vibrant themes, including Tokyo Neon, Sakura, Botanical, and Midnight. • Mastery XP System: Prove your skill. Turn off assistive features to earn 1.5x XP and climb the ranks of logic masters. • Zero Distractions: No ads. No interruptions. Just you and the grid. Whether you’re a Sudoku veteran or a casual puzzle lover, Shikaku offers a meditative yet mentally stimulating escape. Handcrafted with pride by De Groot Studio.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Shikaku at Free against Shotgun King's $6.99. Shikaku also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 65%). Shotgun King's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (771 vs 16). On ads, in-app purchases, device support 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
Shikaku is free to download; Shotgun King costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shotgun King holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shotgun King has 771 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Shotgun King's written reviews are positive against 76% of Shikaku's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Shotgun King ships an update every 5 days, Shikaku every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shotgun King | Shikaku |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (771 ratings) — better | 4.4 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.0% of reviews | 76.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 771 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #50 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 468 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Plug In Digital | BRIDGE DIGITAL EUROPE LIMITED |
Customer experience
Shotgun King
Shikaku
In-app purchases
Shotgun King
No in-app purchases
Shikaku
No in-app purchases









