Comparison

Leadlight vs Retro Alley

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

Head to head
About

Leadlight

A serene logic puzzle game where players connect numbered dots to complete intricate patterns. With 100 unique challenges and no time limits, it offers a relaxing yet engaging experience. Enjoy evolving visual themes and satisfying gameplay.

Highlights
  • 100 uniquely solvable puzzles
  • Progressive difficulty
  • Four evolving visual themes
  • Tap or drag controls
  • Undo and hint options
  • Haptics and sound effects
Features
Read full description

Leadlight is a calm, luminous logic game about joining islands with bridges. Every island shows a number: exactly how many bridges it needs. Draw them one at a time, never let two bridges cross, and the board settles into a single connected pattern, like light coming through leaded glass. Every level is verified to have exactly one solution, so there is always a way through by reasoning alone. Nothing is random, and nothing is guesswork. - Luminous themes to unlock, including Prism Garden, Tidal Archive, Ember Causeway, Moonlit Relay and Solar Foundry - Hints for when a board stops making sense - Plays entirely offline

About

Retro Alley

Features
Read full description

Wander through a nostalgic Japanese shopping alley and search the crowded shelves for the items on your list. Retro Alley is a cozy hidden object game with no time limits, no stamina, and no pressure — just you, eight charming little shops, and shelves full of lovingly drawn knick-knacks. WHO IT'S FOR - You want to play at your own pace, without timers or stamina bars rushing you - You're tired of hidden object games buried under aggressive ads - You want something quiet to sink into before bed or during your commute FEATURES - No time limits, no stamina, no fail states. Search for as long as you like - Eight retro shops to explore — a candy shop, a greengrocer, a hardware store, a bathhouse, a night festival, and more — with 96 stages in all - A new "Daily Special" puzzle every day - A shop cat is hiding somewhere in every shop. Can you spot them all? - Fully offline. Play in airplane mode, anywhere - Ads kept light: no full-screen ads while you are searching. Watching a video for extra hints is always your choice, never a requirement - Forgiving tap detection and pinch-to-zoom make even the tiniest items easy to find Every item in the game is original hand-drawn artwork inspired by everyday Japanese goods of the Showa era — ramune bottles, kokeshi dolls, paper lanterns, wind chimes, spinning tops, and more. Each shop has its own atmosphere, from the sweet haze of the candy store to the lantern-lit night festival. There is nothing to buy and nothing to unlock with money: every stage can be reached simply by playing. This app displays ads so it can remain free to play. For details on the data handled for advertising, please see our privacy policy.

Screenshots

Leadlight4 screens
Retro Alley4 screens

Verdict

The call

Leadlight and Retro Alley are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Leadlight ships an update every 3 weeks, Retro Alley fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Leadlight versus Retro Alley: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLeadlightRetro Alley
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStrongware LLCERI MUNAKATA

In-app purchases

None

Leadlight

No in-app purchases

None

Retro Alley

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Leadlight free?
Leadlight is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retro Alley free?
Retro Alley is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Leadlight or Retro Alley have ads?
Both Leadlight and Retro Alley show ads.
Which is updated more often, Leadlight or Retro Alley?
Leadlight ships an update every 3 weeks, and Retro Alley fortnightly. Most recently, Leadlight was updated on October 15, 2026 and Retro Alley on October 9, 2026.

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