Comparison

Dark Squares vs Tideforge Duel

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

Head to head
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/

About

Tideforge Duel

Features
Read full description

Two masters face off across a five-by-five sanctum. Each turn you play a form card, slide one of your pieces, and pass that card to your rival. Capture the enemy Warden, or march your own Warden onto their sanctum to win. Simple to learn, deep to master. Tideforge Duel is a calm, original strategy board game for one or two players. No clutter, no timers, no luck once the cards are dealt. Just you, the board, and the next clever move. TWO WAYS TO WIN Capture the enemy Warden, or walk your Warden onto their glowing sanctum. Every move opens one door and closes another. PLAY YOUR WAY - Solo against an AI with multiple difficulty levels - Online with a friend using a simple six-character room code - Hand an empty seat to the AI any time SHIFTING FORMS The card you play becomes the card your opponent can take next. Reading that exchange is the heart of the duel. SURGE (OPTIONAL) Turn on Surge for one extra twist per duel: a single move using the shared neutral form. Leave it off for the pure classic game. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Wins, losses, win streaks, your fastest victory, and a history of recent duels, all kept privately on your iPhone. BUILT TO RESPECT YOU - No ads - No in-app purchases - No subscriptions - No account required to play solo - Full Dynamic Type, sound, and haptic support Pick up a duel in a minute. Resume an unfinished one any time. Tideforge Duel is the quiet, original two-player strategy game you keep coming back to.

Screenshots

Dark Squares4 screens
Tideforge Duel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tideforge Duel at none against Dark Squares's 1. Dark Squares'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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Dark Squares sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Tideforge Duel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Dark Squares versus Tideforge Duel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark SquaresTideforge Duel
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvi KremerButtons Technology, LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dark Squares

Subscriptions1
  • Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month
None

Tideforge Duel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dark Squares free?
Dark Squares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tideforge Duel free?
Tideforge Duel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dark Squares or Tideforge Duel have ads?
Neither Dark Squares nor Tideforge Duel shows ads.

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