Dark Squares vs ORVORA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real chess mechanics
- Weapon and spell loadouts
- King capture victory condition
- Play friends online
- Play against AI
- Ranked online duels
- Unlock and upgrade weapons
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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/
ORVORA
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ORVORA is a deterministic strategy game played across three rotating rings. Each turn you move one stone, then turn a ring — and the whole board changes. Guide your stones through your own gate into the golden Nexus. The first player to land three stones in the centre wins. WHAT YOU PLAY • Four bot levels, from a relaxed beginner to a long-thinking master • Two players passing a single device • Private online matches with a short friend code and live clocks • Four interactive lessons that teach every rule on the real board • Three tactical puzzles using the official rules • Post-match analysis: the turning point is free; candidate moves and the evaluation graph unlock with ORVORA Plus ORVORA PLUS A one-time purchase. It removes all advertising and unlocks the candidate-move list and the evaluation graph in match analysis. It never changes the rules, the clocks or the scoring. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ahmetmvural.com.tr/privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Dark Squares at none against ORVORA's shown. ORVORA's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). 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. Dark Squares sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and ORVORA sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Dark Squares | ORVORA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 75 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Avi Kremer | Ahmet Muhammet Vural (AN) |
In-app purchases
Dark Squares
- Dark Squares Pro$4.991 Month
ORVORA
- ORVORA Plus$2.99









