Comparison

Othello Puzzle vs Dark Squares

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

Head to head
About

Othello Puzzle

This game challenges you with strategic end-game positions from a classic flipping board game. Solve puzzles across multiple worlds, earn stars for optimal moves, and enjoy a new daily challenge. A full classic game mode is also available.

Highlights
  • 120 levels in six worlds
  • Daily puzzle challenges
  • Star system for best moves
  • Full classic game mode
  • 18 achievements
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Othello Puzzle turns the classic flipping game into short, clever end games. Every level is a position near the end of a game: find the moves that leave you ahead when the last stone is placed. The computer defends perfectly, so every win is earned. 120 LEVELS IN SIX WORLDS Each world brings a new idea. Start with pure end games, then play around rocks that block lines, anchored stones that never turn, gold squares that count double and flags you have to hold at the end. The last world mixes them all. STARS FOR THE BEST LEAD Win with the best possible lead for three stars. Stars open the next worlds, and the level map shows how far you have come. A NEW PUZZLE EVERY DAY The daily puzzle has a theme for each weekday. The calendar keeps a whole year of puzzles to catch up on, counts the days you solved each month and your daily streak. FREE GAME AGAINST THE COMPUTER Play a whole classic game from the opening. Choose the computer's strength: easy, medium, hard or ultra. 18 ACHIEVEMENTS Corners, big flips, perfect runs, streaks and more. Plays offline, in English and German, on iPhone and iPad.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real chess mechanics
  • Weapon and spell loadouts
  • King capture victory condition
  • Play friends online
  • Play against AI
  • Ranked online duels
  • Unlock and upgrade weapons
Features
Read full description

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

Othello Puzzle4 screens
Dark Squares4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Othello Puzzle at none against Dark Squares's 1. Dark Squares's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Dark Squares sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Othello Puzzle asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Othello Puzzle against 5.0 for Dark Squares. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Othello Puzzle ships an update every 9 months, Dark Squares weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Othello Puzzle versus Dark Squares: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOthello PuzzleDark Squares
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMoritz BergerAvi Kremer

Customer experience

Othello Puzzle

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Dark Squares

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Othello Puzzle

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dark Squares

Subscriptions1
  • Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Othello Puzzle free?
Othello Puzzle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dark Squares free?
Dark Squares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Othello Puzzle or Dark Squares?
Othello Puzzle and Dark Squares are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Othello Puzzle or Dark Squares have ads?
Othello Puzzle shows ads; Dark Squares does not.
Which is updated more often, Othello Puzzle or Dark Squares?
Othello Puzzle ships an update every 9 months, and Dark Squares weekly. Most recently, Othello Puzzle was updated on November 12, 2026 and Dark Squares on October 31, 2026.

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