Comparison

Black Sonata Board Game vs Castle Combo

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

Head to head
About

Black Sonata Board Game

Unravel a centuries-old mystery by tracking a hidden figure through Elizabethan London. This digital adaptation of a board game challenges you with deduction and strategic planning to identify the Dark Lady. Experience high replayability with unique challenges in every game.

Highlights
  • Solitaire gameplay
  • Hidden-movement mechanics
  • Deduction puzzle
  • High replayability
  • Historically inspired theme
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The identity of the Dark Lady from Shakespeare's sonnets has eluded scholars and historians for more than four centuries. In Black Sonata, you will pursue the elusive Dark Lady through the streets and alleyways of Elizabethan London, catching glimpses and whispers that may yield clues to her identity. However, not all of the evidence is clear. You will need to sharpen your wits if you are to finally unmask the Dark Lady before she slips quietly from the pages of history and is lost. Based on the acclaimed solitaire board game from Side Room Games, Black Sonata delivers a rich deduction experience inspired by Shakespeare’s sonnets. Each game presents a unique challenge, requiring careful observation, logical deduction, and strategic planning. Features • Engaging solitaire gameplay • Hidden-movement mechanics • Challenging deduction puzzle • High replayability • Historically inspired setting and theme Credits Publisher: Side Room Games (https://www.sideroomgames.com/) Game designer: John Kean (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/89849/john-kean) Music: "The Descent" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sounds: "Medieval Fanfare" tobyk (https://www.freesound.org/people/tobyk/sounds/26198/), "Game Fail Fanfare" el_bos (https://freesound.org/s/677855/), "Finger Tap 2.5" Joao_Janz (https://freesound.org/s/478285/) App is created with permission and for game publisher Side Room Games.

About

Castle Combo

Recruit characters and arrange them in a grid to create powerful combinations and score points. This digital adaptation of an award-winning card game offers a solo campaign and tactical challenges.

Highlights
  • Card drafting and tableau building
  • 3x3 grid combo creation
  • Solo campaign mode
  • Multiple bot difficulty levels
  • Automatic scoring
  • Interactive tutorial
Features
Read full description

Recruit the perfect cast and turn nine cards into one brilliant combo. Castle Combo is the official digital adaptation of the award-winning card game created by Grégory Grard and Mathieu Roussel, illustrated by Stéphane Escapa and originally published by Catch Up Games. Choose characters from the Castle and the Village, arrange them in a 3×3 grid and create powerful combinations to score as many points as possible. Every card counts. Manage your gold, move the Messenger between the two markets and decide which character deserves a place in your realm. With 78 unique characters and countless scoring combinations, every game presents a completely new tactical puzzle. A BRAND-NEW SOLO CAMPAIGN Enjoy a campaign created especially for the digital edition. Complete increasingly challenging scenarios, adapt to special events and pursue different objectives as you master every corner of Castle Combo. BUILD THE PERFECT COMBO Recruit nine characters from two open markets. Combine their immediate abilities, conditions and end-game scoring effects to create the most valuable 3×3 combo. EASY TO LEARN, DEEP TO MASTER Castle Combo offers fast, satisfying games filled with meaningful decisions from the very first card. Experiment with new strategies, discover unexpected synergies and keep beating your best score. PLAY YOUR WAY Learn the rules with an interactive tutorial Play the original board game against bots with different difficulty levels Put your skills to the test in an exclusive solo campaign Enjoy automatic scoring and a smooth digital experience Play quick strategy games designed for mobile devices Castle Combo is a clever blend of card drafting, tableau building and combo creation—perfect for board game fans and anyone who enjoys fast-paced tactical challenges. Your combo only has room for nine characters. Choose wisely.

Screenshots

Black Sonata Board Game4 screens
Castle Combo3 screens

Verdict

The call

Black Sonata Board Game and Castle Combo both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Castle Combo's written reviews are positive against 50% of Black Sonata Board Game's. Castle Combo also leads on ratings volume (37 vs 1) and chart position (#12 vs #153). On rating, 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

Black Sonata Board Game costs $4.99 and Castle Combo $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Black Sonata Board Game against 5.0 for Castle Combo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Castle Combo has 37 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Black Sonata Board Game's written reviews are positive against 100% of Castle Combo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Black Sonata Board Game ships an update every 9 days, Castle Combo every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Black Sonata Board Game versus Castle Combo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlack Sonata Board GameCastle Combo
Price$4.99$3.99 — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better5.0 (37 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings137 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#153#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB219 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarian GablovskyMANTITA GAMES, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA

Customer experience

Black Sonata Board Game

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Castle Combo

All ratings23 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Black Sonata Board Game

No in-app purchases

None

Castle Combo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Black Sonata Board Game free?
Black Sonata Board Game costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Castle Combo free?
Castle Combo costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Black Sonata Board Game or Castle Combo?
Black Sonata Board Game is rated higher. Black Sonata Board Game averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Castle Combo averages 5.0 from 37 ratings.
Do Black Sonata Board Game or Castle Combo have ads?
Neither Black Sonata Board Game nor Castle Combo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Black Sonata Board Game or Castle Combo?
Black Sonata Board Game ships an update every 9 days, and Castle Combo every 11 days. Most recently, Black Sonata Board Game was updated on November 5, 2026 and Castle Combo on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Black Sonata Board Game or Castle Combo?
Black Sonata Board Game currently peaks at #153 in the App Store charts, and Castle Combo at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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