janvo vs Eastern Dark Chess
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
janvo
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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.
Eastern Dark Chess
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Chinese Chess Skirmish is a beautifully crafted, fully offline Xiangqi (Chinese Chess) and Dark Chess (Banqi) experience for iPhone and iPad. Whether you're a lifelong Xiangqi master or just curious about Asia's most beloved strategy game, you'll find a mode that fits. TWO TIMELESS GAMES, ONE APP • Classic Xiangqi — the 2,500-year-old game of generals, cannons, and palace strategy. Play standard Xiangqi or "Skirmish," a fast-paced variant where horses and elephants are replaced with extra chariots for a rapid, attack-heavy showdown. • Dark Chess (Banqi) — the popular face-down variant where every piece is hidden until flipped. Mix bluffing with classical strategy across nine hand-painted board layouts: Classic 8×4, Cross-32, Cross-64, H-shape, Tian-shape, Double 8×8, Ri-shape, and more. SMART AI, THREE DIFFICULTIES Easy plays a polished, beginner-friendly game with built-in quiescence search to avoid blunders. Medium and Hard use deeper minimax with alpha-beta pruning — strong enough to challenge seasoned players. Every move is honest: the AI never peeks at hidden Dark Chess pieces. TWO PLAYERS, ONE DEVICE Pass-and-play mode lets two players share one screen. Perfect for couples, friends, or family game night — no internet, no accounts, no waiting for a match. BEAUTIFUL HOME SCREEN WIDGET Add a Chinese Chess widget to your home screen and choose from seven hand-crafted themes: Bronze Relief, Cyberpunk, Wasteland, Storybook, Ancient Scroll, Ink Wash, and Imperial Jade. Switch any time with iOS's Edit Widget UI. Supports Medium and Large sizes on iPhone, plus Extra Large on iPad. NINE LANGUAGES English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, French, Italian. OFFLINE • AD-FREE • PRIVACY-RESPECTING No accounts. No ads. No tracking. No internet required. Just chess. Designed for landscape on every device — iPhone (compact, dense layout) and iPad (spacious, room-to-breathe layout). Includes piece-display options (traditional characters or pictorial icons), background music with sequence/random/recycle playlist modes, and adjustable AI difficulty. Whether you're learning your first Xiangqi moves or playing your thousandth Banqi game, Chinese Chess Skirmish is built to be the most thoughtful and beautiful Chinese chess app on iOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Eastern Dark Chess at none against janvo's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
janvo ships an update every 3 days, Eastern Dark Chess every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | janvo | Eastern Dark Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 4 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 102 MB | 422 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ARC LAB LLC | 尚 王 |
In-app purchases
janvo
No in-app purchases
Eastern Dark Chess
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is janvo free?
Is Eastern Dark Chess free?
Do janvo or Eastern Dark Chess have ads?
Which is updated more often, janvo or Eastern Dark Chess?
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