Comparison

Elixir Balls vs Prison Ferry

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

Head to head
About

Elixir Balls

Features
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Pour, sort and seal. Elixir Balls is a ball sort puzzle set in a dark alchemist's apothecary — glowing essences, amber glass and candlelit shelves. Tap a vial to lift its top orbs. Tap another to pour them across. Keep going until every vial holds a single colour, then watch the cork drop and the glass bloom with light. That is the whole game. No tutorial, no walls of text. You will understand it in ten seconds and still be playing it in a month. ā–ø ENDLESS LEVELS, EVERY ONE SOLVABLE Levels are not hand-made and they do not run out. Each one is generated fresh and then proved solvable by a solver before it ever reaches you. If a board is in the game, it has a solution — you will never be handed an impossible puzzle. Difficulty climbs from three colours to ten, and every tenth level is a deliberate breather. ā–ø FOUR ESSENCES THAT CHANGE THE RULES The deeper you go, the stranger the apothecary gets: • Clouded Vial — only the top orb is visible. What lies beneath is revealed as you pour. • Sealed Essence — a locked orb that will not move until you complete the colour on its padlock. • Prima Materia — an iridescent wildcard that belongs anywhere, with anything. • Volatile Essence — a burning timer. Let it reach zero and the level is lost. Each one is introduced on its own, with room to learn it, and never more than two appear at once. ā–ø NO READING REQUIRED There is not a single word of gameplay text. No tutorial popups, no instructions, no story to skip. Whatever language you speak, and whether or not you read at all, you can play this. Menus are available in English and Turkish. ā–ø PLAY ANYWHERE, ANY TIME • Completely offline. No internet, no account, no sign-up, no ads to load before you can start. • A level fits in a spare minute — a bus stop, a queue, a kettle boiling. • Portrait, one-handed, thumb-friendly. ā–ø EARN, COLLECT, PERFECT • Three stars for a clean solve. Beating a board is easy; beating it efficiently is the real puzzle. • Coins for every level, spent on hints, undos and an extra vial when you are truly stuck. • Four apothecary skins to unlock, from workshop glass to molten bloodmoon and frosted crystal. ā–ø MADE TO BE COMFORTABLE • A colourblind mode with a distinct glyph on every colour. • Sound and vibration each have their own switch. • Nothing is ever communicated by sound alone. • A stuck board is never a loss. Undo, take a hint, add a vial, or restart — there is always a way forward. ā–ø A QUIET GAME No timers on the main mode. No lives to wait for. No energy bar, no daily streak nagging you to come back. Elixir Balls asks for your attention when you want to give it, and leaves you alone when you do not. Pour the essence. Seal the vial. Light the shelf.

About

Prison Ferry

Features
Read full description

You're the escort: ferry prisoners across the river. But if the guards are outnumbered, they escape! Load officers and prisoners into the boat and get everyone to the far bank without losing a single one. [One simple rule] On a bank or in the boat, prisoners escape if they outnumber the guards. Leave prisoners with no guard, and they escape too. [Plan your moves on a river island] Leave people on an island mid-river. The boat can't go straight across; it stops at the island on the way. But the island needs guards too. Who stays where? [New helpers, tougher prisoners] - Boss: needs two guards alone - Police dog: guards, but can't row - Chief: guards two prisoners alone - Cuffed pair: chained together, takes two seats [120 levels, 3 stars for the shortest route] Every level is solvable. Cross in the fewest trips to earn 3 stars. Stuck? Watch a short video to see your next move (no video with Remove Ads). Undo before anyone escapes; restart any time. The puzzles play offline (hint videos need a connection). Contains ads. The in-app purchase Remove Ads turns off full-screen ads and lets you use hints without videos.

Screenshots

Elixir Balls4 screens
Prison Ferry4 screens

Verdict

The call

Elixir Balls and Prison Ferry are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Elixir Balls sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Prison Ferry sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Elixir Balls versus Prison Ferry: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElixir BallsPrison Ferry
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 6 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKemal Kaan CetindagHayato Namiki

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Elixir Balls

One-time1
  • Remove Interstitials$2.99
1 purchases

Prison Ferry

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Elixir Balls free?
Elixir Balls is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Prison Ferry free?
Prison Ferry is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Elixir Balls or Prison Ferry have ads?
Both Elixir Balls and Prison Ferry show ads.

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