Refract Puzzle Game vs Gleamworks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Refract Puzzle Game
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Bend the light. Find the path. Refract is a neon logic game about placing mirrors and watching a beam come alive. Route light through compact boards, illuminate every target, and find the cleanest possible solution. BEND EVERY BEAM • Drag mirrors from your tray onto the grid • Tap a placed mirror to rotate its reflection • Watch the full route update as you experiment • Undo a move, reset the board, or use a hint when you need a nudge • Light every target to complete the puzzle MASTER THE SPECTRUM • Solve 100 levels across 10 distinct worlds • Begin with simple reflections, then face blockers and checkpoint routes • Split one beam into multiple paths • Tint light at a prism, then prove its color at a gate that absorbs any beam that does not match • Carry beams through linked portals • Combine every mechanic in the final mastery worlds CHASE THE PERFECT ROUTE Every board awards up to three stars. Finishing earns the first. Solving within a comfortable move budget earns the second. The third asks for a clean run: inside par plus two, with no hints and without clearing the board. Taking a mirror back off the grid is always free, so exploring an idea and changing your mind never costs you a star. Only the moves you keep count. EVERY BOARD STAYS REACHABLE A level opens once either of the two before it is done, so a single puzzle you cannot crack never blocks the rest of the campaign. Worlds open on stars you have already earned. RETURN DAILY A featured challenge changes every day. Solve it to earn bonus coins and gems, then come back tomorrow for a new route. MAKE THE GRID YOURS Earn coins and gems by playing. Spend them on hints or unlock atmospheric board themes including Solar Flare, Arctic Prism, and Ember Void. Optional App Store purchases offer another way to unlock the same kinds of items. DESIGNED TO FEEL GOOD • High-contrast neon visuals, with light that visibly travels along the beam • Clean chimes for lit targets and solves, mixed so your own music keeps playing • Responsive haptics for moves, invalid drops, and successful solves • Colorblind assist gives every beam color its own distinct shape • VoiceOver labels and board actions • Dynamic Type and Reduce Motion support • Sound, haptics, motion, and colorblind assist all toggle in Settings • Portrait play designed for iPhone and iPad The full 100-level campaign is free to complete. Refract has no ads, subscriptions, accounts, analytics, or tracking. Progress and preferences stay on your device. Requires iOS 17 or later.
Gleamworks
Guide beams of colored light through an intricate grid of optical pieces by rotating mirrors, splitters, and filters. Solve logic puzzles with no timers or move limits, at your own pace. Features additive color mixing and a colorblind-friendly mode.
- 250 handcrafted puzzles
- 6 unique piece types
- Additive color mixing
- No timers or move limits
- Offline play
- Colorblind-friendly mode
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Direct beams of colored light through an intricate grid of optical pieces. Rotate mirrors, splitters, filters, portals, and combiners to guide every beam to its matching receiver. Gleamworks is a thoughtful puzzle game built around light, color, and precision. Each level places every piece on the board — your job is to find the right rotation for each one. No guessing, no inventory management, just clean logic. FEATURES - 250 handcrafted puzzles across 12 difficulty tiers - 6 unique piece types: mirrors, filters, splitters, portals, combiners, and walls - Additive color mixing — combine red, yellow, and blue beams to create new colors - New mechanics introduced gradually as you progress - No timers, no energy systems, no move limits - Play at your own pace — offline, on your schedule - Hints available when you need a nudge - Colorblind-friendly mode with shape-based cues START SIMPLE, GO DEEP Early levels teach you the basics with mirrors and filters. By the midgame, you're splitting beams, mixing colors, and routing light through portals. Late-game puzzles demand creative thinking across large grids with every piece type in play. DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No flashing notifications, no social pressure, no pay-to-win mechanics. Gleamworks respects your time and attention. Sit down, solve a puzzle or ten, and walk away satisfied. **What's New (first release):** Welcome to Gleamworks! 250 light beam puzzles await. Rotate mirrors, mix colors, and guide every beam to its receiver.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Refract Puzzle Game at none against Gleamworks's shown. Gleamworks's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Refract Puzzle Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Gleamworks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Refract Puzzle Game ships an update every 2 months, Gleamworks daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Refract Puzzle Game | Gleamworks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 242 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Margot | James Knarr |
In-app purchases
Refract Puzzle Game
- Hint Cache$0.99
- Arctic Prism Theme$1.99
- Solar Flare Theme$1.99
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- Ember Void Theme$1.99
- Navigator Pack$2.99
- Starter Bundle$3.99
Gleamworks
- Gleamworks Ad-Free$2.99









