Comparison

Dark Squares vs hexadot

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

hexadot

Features
Read full description

One dot can change the whole board. hexadot is a turn-based strategy game built around chain reactions on a shifting hex grid. Place your dots, build toward critical mass, and trigger cascades that spread across neighboring cells. The last color standing wins. EVERY MOVE MATTERS Grow your position one dot at a time. A crowded hex bursts into its neighbors, creating captures, counter-captures, and long tactical chains. INSTANT CAPTURE When a hex bursts, the strongest arriving force captures its neighbors outright — no drawn-out battles, just decisive chain reactions. A BOARD THAT FIGHTS BACK Cracked hexes can collapse into voids, changing critical mass and reshaping future cascades. Add frozen hexes and bulwarks for even more tactical variety. PLAY YOUR WAY • Solo against computer-controlled opponents • Three free games every day • Optional Full Game unlock for unlimited play • Pass-and-play with up to four human players in Full Game • Game Center turn-based matches with up to four humans in Full Game • Multiple board sizes and speed settings • Optional hints and turn timer • Momentum moves for tactical pushes and pivots • Winning-cascade replay Designed natively for iPhone and iPad with responsive layouts, smooth animations, haptic feedback, and complete offline solo play. No hexadot account. No subscription. No ads or tracking. Online matches use Apple Game Center.

Screenshots

Dark Squares4 screens
hexadot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Dark Squares at 15.0 against hexadot's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and hexadot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Squares ships an update weekly, hexadot fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Dark Squares versus hexadot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark Squareshexadot
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvi KremerIAN KAINOA RICHARDSON

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dark Squares

Subscriptions1
  • Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month
1 purchases

hexadot

One-time1
  • Full Game$2.99

Questions

Is Dark Squares free?
Dark Squares is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is hexadot free?
hexadot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dark Squares or hexadot have ads?
Neither Dark Squares nor hexadot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dark Squares or hexadot?
Dark Squares ships an update weekly, and hexadot fortnightly. Most recently, Dark Squares was updated on October 15, 2026 and hexadot on September 29, 2026.

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