Comparison

ArcaChess vs Drawer Tales

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

Head to head
About

ArcaChess

Features
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ArcaChess is an online chess game that keeps every rule of classic chess and changes only one moment: the capture. Instead of disappearing, both pieces are pulled into an arena and fight it out in real time, arcade-style. A piece's value becomes its strength โ€” health points, speed, damage, spell. Every capture plays out as a duel. The stronger piece gets the advantage, not the win. The remaining piece's health carries over to its next duel. THE ARENA โ€” THE HEART OF THE GAME One piece attacks another, the board fades away, the duel begins. Two joysticks: move your piece, dodge projectiles, time your spell just right. Every piece plays differently. The rook hits hard and can take more punishment than even the queen, but moves slowly. The knight is the fastest and fires two spears at once. The queen chains a triple spell, the king unleashes a devastating royal blaze. The pawn has only a single arrow and 80 health โ€” it has to make up for it with dodging. The attacker picks the terrain โ€” side corridors, zigzag barricades, or scattered blocks. The setting changes everything. And when only the two kings remain on the board, everything comes down to one final duel, with no advantage for either side. ONLINE CHESS AND MULTIPLAYER Real-time chess matches against players from around the world, ranked or casual. ELO rating, global leaderboard, friends list, private messaging, and quick in-match chat. Start a private match to play with a friend, join a guild or create your own, complete with its own chat room. SOLO MODE Three levels of AI to sharpen your openings and get comfortable in the arena before facing real opponents. COLLECTION 81 unlockable looks: 43 piece styles, 24 boards, and 14 shot sounds. From 8-bit to stained glass, from circuit board to Roman mosaic. Plus 141 avatars for your profile. PROGRESSION Daily missions, unlockable achievements, daily rewards, and chests. Your level, stats, and collection are all tied to your account. WHO IS IT FOR? Whether you've played chess your whole life or never got past the basic rules, ArcaChess levels the playing field: a beginner with good aim can take down an experienced player. It's a chess game for people who find chess too slow, and an arcade game for people who find arcade games too shallow. ArcaChess plays one-handed, in portrait mode, and a match fits in a coffee break. The game is free. Download ArcaChess: the chess game where every capture is a battle.

About

Drawer Tales

Features
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A tiny courier. A desk full of possibilities. Behind the wooden drawers, little doors lead to hidden mailboxes and neighbors with stories to share. Slide each drawer into place, connect the route and send your courier on a delivery through this warm miniature world. THINK SMALL. DISCOVER MORE. Explore 60 puzzles across six chapters. Line up doorways, work around wooden walls and fixed drawers, and reach every mailbox before the exit. A route that looks right may still leave a letter behind. FIND YOUR THREE-STAR ROUTE Try a different arrangement, undo a move or use a hint when you need a nudge. Earn stars for fewer moves. Replay completed hard levels with three stars to earn more stamps. MAKE THIS LITTLE WORLD YOURS Collect five couriers, each with a different look and story. Spend earned stamps on 15 decorations for the room and the puzzle drawers, from a trailing plant to a tiny wooden house. Open the letter journal to meet the neighbors along the way. A QUIET MOMENT, WHEREVER YOU ARE Play the puzzles offline, with no account required. Your progress is saved on your device. Enjoy a softly animated room, seasonal scenery, sound controls and a Reduce Motion option. Available in English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Thai. Optional rewarded ads offer extra hint tickets or stamps and require an internet connection. You can continue playing without watching ads. Open a drawer. See where the next letter takes you. MORE LETTERS, NEW CHALLENGES Take on six resident orders and six self-solve challenges to earn extra stamps. Each challenge stage gives you three delivery attempts, with free restarts and unlimited drawer moves and undo. Hints are disabled in challenges; the regular campaign keeps unlimited delivery attempts. Every drawer in the 30 new levels can move.

Screenshots

ArcaChess4 screens
Drawer Tales4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drawer Tales at none against ArcaChess's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. ArcaChess sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Drawer Tales asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcaChess ships an update weekly, Drawer Tales every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
ArcaChess versus Drawer Tales: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcaChessDrawer Tales
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 11 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size229 MB145 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaxime SOLAYDINH TAN HOANG

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ArcaChess

One-time2
  • 150 Bitcoin$2.99
  • 10 Diamants$8.99
None

Drawer Tales

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ArcaChess free?
ArcaChess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drawer Tales free?
Drawer Tales is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ArcaChess or Drawer Tales have ads?
Neither ArcaChess nor Drawer Tales shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcaChess or Drawer Tales?
ArcaChess ships an update weekly, and Drawer Tales every 11 days. Most recently, ArcaChess was updated on November 5, 2026 and Drawer Tales on October 24, 2026.

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