Comparison

hexadot vs Illegal Shogi

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

Head to head
About

hexadot

Features
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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.

About

Illegal Shogi

Features
Read full description

Have you ever been in the middle of a shogi game and thought... "If only I could drop one more pawn on this file..." "If only I could put a rook right there, I'd turn this game around..." "I just want to grab that piece right now!" But rules are rules. Until now! Answering every player's wish for "just one more move," we proudly present Illegal Shogi — shogi (Japanese chess) with "violation skills" that let you break the rules for a move! - 11 violation skills, all included! * Double Pawn — drop a second pawn on the same file! * Phantom Drop — no piece in hand? Drop one anyway! * Stack Drop — land on your opponent's piece and it's yours! * Move Rival Piece — their piece, your move! * Double Move — cut into your opponent's turn and move again! * Extra Reach — reach one square farther than usual! Plus: Capture Own Piece, Free Promotion, Stranded Piece, Pawn Drop Mate and Ignore Check! Using a skill is easy: just press and hold it. - Don't worry, it's still a fair fight No skill can ever capture a king. Each skill has a limited number of uses per game and a recharge time, so every game stays a battle of wits to the very end. - But wait, there's more! * Four CPU levels, from Beginner to Hard — and the CPU uses violation skills too! * Two players can face off on a single device * Pick which violation skills to play with before each match, from one to all of them * Adjust uses per game, how long a skill lasts and its recharge time * Five time controls, for slow thinkers and speed players alike * Mix and match 3 boards and 3 piece sets * Supports the entering-king declaration (27-point rule) * Play regular shogi without violation skills against the CPU * No connection needed — play offline anytime And the price for all this? Absolutely free! Go ahead — flip the board with forbidden moves. Break the rules.

Screenshots

hexadot4 screens
Illegal Shogi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Illegal Shogi at none against hexadot's 1. Illegal Shogi also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. hexadot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Illegal Shogi asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
hexadot versus Illegal Shogi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterhexadotIllegal Shogi
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIAN KAINOA RICHARDSONyuuta kitani

In-app purchases

1 purchases

hexadot

One-time1
  • Full Game$2.99
None

Illegal Shogi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is hexadot free?
hexadot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Illegal Shogi free?
Illegal Shogi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do hexadot or Illegal Shogi have ads?
Neither hexadot nor Illegal Shogi shows ads.

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