Node vs Tidewall
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Node
Drag and drop colorful shapes onto a dotted grid to solve puzzles. Link matching colors to fill the board and advance through increasingly challenging levels. Enjoy a daily timed puzzle and compete on leaderboards.
- Drag and drop shape puzzles
- Link matching colors
- Endless unique levels
- Daily timed challenges
- Leaderboard competition
- Satisfying haptics and sounds
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It’s simple: drag and drop colorful shapes onto the dotted grid, find the perfect fit, and watch everything click into place. Link up matching colors, fill the board and move on to the next challenge. It starts easy… then gets wonderfully tricky. There are endless levels to play, and no two puzzles are ever the same. Whether you've got a few spare minutes or you're in for a longer session, there’s always a fresh challenge waiting. Every day brings a new timed puzzle on a bigger grid. Race the clock, beat your own score and climb the leaderboard if you're feeling competitive. Node is easy to pick up, satisfying to master, and a great way to switch off while still giving your brain a bit of a workout. Why you’ll love it: - Clean, colorful design that feels great to play - Puzzles that stay fresh and never repeat - A daily challenge to test your speed - Haptics and sounds that makes the overall experience that little bit more satisfying - Super simple to learn, but hard to put down - Perfect for winding down, waking up, or anything in between How neatly can you connect the Nodes?
Tidewall
Defend your coast from rising tides and incoming raiders by building walls, towers, and deploying various units. Engage in multiple game modes, from campaign to survival, and compete on global leaderboards.
- Build walls, towers, and deploy guards
- Command naval units and aircraft
- Dig underground factories
- Multiple game modes: Campaign, Survival, Versus
- Global leaderboards and career score
- Offline and live multiplayer battles
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The sea is rising and the raiders are coming. Build a wall of brick, iron, and grit — and hold the line. Tidewall is a coastal defense game with the soul of a tower-defense classic. Stack walls, raise towers, post guards, launch boats and planes, and dig factories beneath the sand — then watch it all tested by the tide and everything that rides in on it. DEFEND YOUR COAST • Place walls, towers, and guards in a living side-view world • Command naval units and aircraft; build underground factories for the long game • Every wave hits harder — raiders dig, barricade, and chase MANY WAYS TO PLAY • Campaign — climb the levels and break through the boss fights • Invasion & Aid Allies — push the offensive and survive the carrier boss • Survival & Endless — one coast, no finish line, how long can you last? • Chase — fast, taunting raiders that never let up • Versus — duel the Commander offline, or send a link and battle a friend live CLIMB THE GLOBAL BOARD • Every run feeds your Career Score and earns badges • Compare yourself against players worldwide on the leaderboard PLAYS YOUR WAY • One app, every language: English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, and French • Free to play. Optional Tide Pearls and a one-time "Unlock All Units" if you want a boost Hold back the rising tide.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Node at none against Tidewall's 5. Node also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Tidewall's advantage is 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. Tidewall sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Node asks for nothing beyond the download.
Node ships an update every 4 days, Tidewall every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Node | Tidewall |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 118 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Ryan Boyling | Mason Moran |
Customer experience
Node
Tidewall
In-app purchases
Node
No in-app purchases
Tidewall
- Handful of Pearls$0.99
- Pouch of Pearls$4.99
- Unlock All Units$8.99
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- Chest of Pearls$9.99
- Hoard of Pearls$19.99









