Comparison

janvo vs Heretic Chess

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

Head to head
About

janvo

Features
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Janvo is a new type of strategy game that combines the familiar rules of Rock Paper Scissors with tactical board movement. Each piece has unique movement directions and ranges, creating a simple yet deeply strategic battle experience as you advance across the board and capture your opponent’s pieces. Features A battle system based on classic Rock Paper Scissors strengths and weaknesses Tactical positioning and mind games that influence every turn Multiple CPU difficulty levels for casual play Simple and intuitive controls suitable for all players Upcoming Updates Online multiplayer mode Expanded player profile and match history features Enjoy a fresh and strategic take on Rock Paper Scissors with Janvo.

About

Heretic Chess

Features
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Chess, but you build your own army. Start with normal pieces. Lose. Earn coins. Buy modifier cards that give your pieces new movement abilities - a Rook that leaps like a Knight becomes a Chancellor. A Bishop that slides like a Rook becomes a Queen. Stack enough upgrades and your pieces become monsters the AI never saw coming. PLAY → EARN → UPGRADE → RETRY Every game earns currency, win or lose. Losing is part of the plan. Spend coins on modifier cards between games, equip them on up to 5 pieces, and go again with a stronger army. The loop is addictive. The power fantasy is real. 10 MODIFIER CARDS • +Knight - give any piece the Knight's L-shaped leap • +Bishop - add diagonal sliding to a Rook or Knight • +Rook - add straight-line power to a Bishop or Knight • +Camel - the Knight's weird cousin: a (3,1) leap • +Knight & Bishop - create an Archbishop • +Knight & Rook - create a Chancellor • +Rook & Bishop - create a Queen from scratch • And more. Stack them. Break things. FAIRY CHESS PIECES Chancellor. Archbishop. Amazon. Centaur. Names you've seen on Wikipedia at 2am. Now they're in your army, doing absurd things on an 8×8 board. Every upgrade is a real fairy chess piece with movement rules that have existed for centuries, we just put them in your hands. NO ADS. NO WAIT TIMERS. NO ENERGY SYSTEM. Play as much as you want. Progress is real. Every coin you earn stays. Every card you buy is permanent on your save slot. Built with a custom fairy chess engine. Runs entirely on-device. No internet required.

Screenshots

janvo4 screens
Heretic Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: janvo at none against Heretic Chess's 1. janvo also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Heretic Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.4). On price 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. Heretic Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. janvo asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

janvo ships an update every 3 days, Heretic Chess weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
janvo versus Heretic Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterjanvoHeretic Chess
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperARC LAB LLCFatma Esra Ugurca

In-app purchases

None

janvo

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Heretic Chess

One-time1
  • Supporter Pack$4.99

Questions

Is janvo free?
janvo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heretic Chess free?
Heretic Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do janvo or Heretic Chess have ads?
janvo shows ads; Heretic Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, janvo or Heretic Chess?
janvo ships an update every 3 days, and Heretic Chess weekly. Most recently, janvo was updated on September 11, 2026 and Heretic Chess on September 23, 2026.

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