Comparison

Nivalis Cast vs LanternFlow

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

Head to head
About

Nivalis Cast

Features
Read full description

A field station out on the Arctic was left half packed, the generator still warm and the notebook gone. Five instruments remain on the shelf, and each one asks for a different kind of thinking. A sonar ping over an eight by eight Arctic field returns a range and a bearing, nothing else, and three readings are usually enough to stake a shoal before you commit. Open water moves through three depth layers, one tap picks your target, and then line tension begins, held and released while a halibut sulks before it dives or a char swings in a spiral that widens the longer you wait. The memory grid does not snap back, since frost takes two and a half seconds to close over a pair that did not match. Sliding floes have to join the auger hole to open water inside a move budget, and every board shipped was measured for a real shortest solution. Twenty-four species fill a journal, seven chapters of notes open along the way, and tackle comes off a compass rose you turn once a day rather than out of a shop. Plays offline, with no ads, no purchases and no account.

About

LanternFlow

Enjoy a relaxing tile-matching puzzle game with hundreds of hand-designed boards. Follow a charming story, discover special tiles, and use helpful tools. Play at your own pace, even offline, and collect unique tile sets.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of hand-designed boards
  • Story mode with shadow theatre
  • Special tiles and helpers
  • Daily challenges and trophies
  • Offline play
  • Collectible tile sets
Features
Read full description

Unwind with LanternFlow, a calm mahjong solitaire painted in warm wood, rice paper and ink. Tap a free tile and it moves to your tray. Two alike vanish. Fill the tray with four different tiles and the board wins, so look ahead, plan your pairs and clear every tile. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • Big, clear tiles that are easy on the eyes • Hundreds of hand-designed boards, from gentle warm-ups to clever puzzles, and every board can be solved • A story to follow: each chapter you finish plays the next episode of the shadow theatre, Momo and Tiko's journey to the Moon Palace • A new special tile to discover every few levels • Helpers when you need them: a hint, undo and an aimed magnet that gathers a whole kind of tile • When nothing is left to decide, the board finishes itself • Build three lantern islands with the stars you earn • Collect tile sets with their own look, from black lacquer to blue-and-white porcelain • Catch Tiko on the board and collect Tiko's Friends, a tile set of his own • Two golden tiles together pay 10 coins • A daily challenge with trophies, daily goals and a win streak • No clock: play at your own pace, even offline • Your progress is saved in the cloud • In 18 languages CLASSIC MAHJONG, AT YOUR OWN PACE LanternFlow keeps the heart of classic mahjong solitaire: match pairs of free tiles and clear the board. Every level is a short, relaxing tile-matching puzzle that keeps your mind sharp, with big tiles you can read at a glance. Play mahjong whenever you like, at home or on the go, even without the internet. Questions or ideas? Write to hello@pollflow.io

Screenshots

Nivalis Cast4 screens
LanternFlow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nivalis Cast at none against LanternFlow's 10. Nivalis Cast also leads on ads (none vs shown). LanternFlow's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price 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. LanternFlow sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Nivalis Cast asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nivalis Cast ships an update weekly, LanternFlow every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Nivalis Cast versus LanternFlow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNivalis CastLanternFlow
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.3 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB466 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYates GallagherFlow Group AB

In-app purchases

None

Nivalis Cast

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

LanternFlow

One-time10
  • 800 Coins$1.99
  • Pearl Garden$2.99
  • Coin Lantern$3.49
Show 7 more
  • Amber Lanterns$3.99
  • All tile collections$4.99
  • Imperial Cloisonné$4.99
  • Moonlit Crystal$4.99
  • Amber Pack$4.99
  • No Ads Bundle$8.99
  • All tile collections$9.99

Questions

Is Nivalis Cast free?
Nivalis Cast is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is LanternFlow free?
LanternFlow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Nivalis Cast or LanternFlow have ads?
LanternFlow shows ads; Nivalis Cast does not.
Which is updated more often, Nivalis Cast or LanternFlow?
Nivalis Cast ships an update weekly, and LanternFlow every 3 days. Most recently, Nivalis Cast was updated on October 31, 2026 and LanternFlow on November 12, 2026.

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