Comparison

Dark Squares vs Overboard!

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

Overboard!

Features
Read full description

Two moves. One push. No mercy. Overboard! is a fast, brutal two-player abstract strategy game. Slide your pieces into position — up to two moves per turn — then shove. Force any one of your opponent's pieces off the board and you win on the spot. Simple rules, deep tactics: • Squares move and push. Rounds only move — but they block like champions. • Every turn MUST end with a push. Run out of pushes and you lose. • After you push, the anchor locks your piece in place: no immediate counter-shove. • Rails guard the sides. The ends are open water. WAYS TO PLAY • Pass & Play — one phone, two players, zero setup • Play a Friend — Game Center invites, play at your own pace • Ranked Lobby — matched with strangers near your rating, with a full Elo system • Match History — replay any finished game move by move Learn it in two minutes with the built-in guide. Master it never.

Screenshots

Dark Squares4 screens
Overboard!2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Overboard! 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. Overboard! asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Dark Squares versus Overboard!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark SquaresOverboard!
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 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvi KremerSanketh Kamath

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dark Squares

Subscriptions1
  • Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month
None

Overboard!

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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