Comparison

When Lights Align vs Search Light

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

Head to head
About

When Lights Align

Features
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When Lights Align is a narrative-driven atmospheric adventure where you play as a lone firefly drifting through a mysterious, ever-changing natural world. Each space unfolds with its own quiet presence, inviting exploration and a sense of discovery. Use your glow to light your way, communicate, and survive. The environment responds in subtle ways, telling a silent story through light, color, and ambience. Lose yourself in a calm, immersive experience where every movement carries you deeper into the unknown.

About

Search Light

Features
Read full description

Every light in the city has gone out. You are a child with a small lantern, walking through the dark. Free and ad-free. Nothing is locked, and no purchase gives you an advantage. SEARCH LIGHT is a wordless platformer. Run, jump, burst your light and rekindle the people who faded. Three hundred handcrafted levels. No procedural generation — every level was built by hand. More than sixty districts, each with its own rule: rising water, bridges locked to a metronome, streets that turn upside down, an ember you carry in your palm that dims as you walk. You are following the trail your mother left behind. Every memory fragment you collect reveals a line of her story. - One-touch controls, left-handed mode, adjustable button size - Gentle mode, reduced shake, high contrast - No internet needed — the story plays fully offline - Endless Night: the same daily seed for everyone on earth, daily rankings - The city's shared light: every life relit by every player, counted together - Fully localised in 11 languages The only purchase is an optional "light a lantern" tip on the main menu. Leave one if you want to say thanks; leave nothing and you miss nothing. Hatsoft — a one-person studio.

Screenshots

When Lights Align4 screens
Search Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: When Lights Align at none against Search Light's 3. When Lights Align also leads on update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Search Light sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. When Lights Align asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

When Lights Align ships an update daily, Search Light fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
When Lights Align versus Search Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhen Lights AlignSearch Light
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size146 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJessica ImmanuelTolga Hatipolu

In-app purchases

None

When Lights Align

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Search Light

One-time3
  • Small Lantern$0.99
  • Medium Lantern$2.99
  • Grand Lantern$4.99

Questions

Is When Lights Align free?
When Lights Align is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Search Light free?
Search Light is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do When Lights Align or Search Light have ads?
Neither When Lights Align nor Search Light shows ads.
Which is updated more often, When Lights Align or Search Light?
When Lights Align ships an update daily, and Search Light fortnightly. Most recently, When Lights Align was updated on September 29, 2026 and Search Light on October 8, 2026.

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