KAMI vs The Guides
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
KAMI
A beautiful and relaxing puzzle game where you fold colored paper to fill the screen. It offers a handcrafted Japanese aesthetic and a calming soundtrack. The game challenges you to solve puzzles in as few moves as possible.
- Fold colored paper to fill screen
- Minimal move puzzles
- Handcrafted Japanese aesthetic
- 72 unique puzzles
- Calming soundtrack
- Relaxing gameplay
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A beautiful and relaxing paper puzzle game. ***Editor's Choice*** Mac App Store # 1 Best New Game, Mac App Store # 1 iOS Puzzle Game in 12 countries # 1 Game Mac App Store US # 1 Game Mac App Store UK KAMI is deceptively simple: fold out coloured paper to fill the screen in as few moves as possible. "Beautiful aesthetics, soothing sounds and deceptively challenging puzzles" - Macworld "KAMI feels fresh and unique. This is a game that gives you space to breathe, never harrying with time limits or catastrophes" - PocketGamer "Highly polished... a unique art style that isn’t just for show, but actually enhances the gameplay" - Apple'N'Apps "Gloriously well-made...Stylishly challenging" - 148 Apps "Elevated by its top-notch production values and visual splendour" - AppSpy Relaxing and easy to pick up, you'll soon find yourself deep in contemplation to perfect each puzzle. Created by State of Play, famous for their handcrafted aesthetic, KAMI has been created with real paper in an elegant Japanese theme. KAMI is tactile, engaging and stunning to look at. ► 72 unique puzzles! 45 included plus 27 Premium Puzzles. ► Beautiful handcrafted Japanese look, created using real paper ► Calming and elegant soundtrack ► Created by State of Play, creators of the award-winning papercraft game 'Lume'
The Guides
Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.
- Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
- Interactive ciphers
- Fragmented story to unravel
- Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
- Screenshot saving for clues
- Distress support system
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Featured by Apple in: 15 Most Mind-Bending Puzzlers, 15 Most Mysterious Games, The Best Games You’ve Never Played, Challenge Your Brain, Best New Games * * * * * “Best Mobile Games of 2015” — CNET “Best iOS Games of 2015” — Apple ‘N’ Apps “Best One Handed Mobile Games for Long Commutes” — Appcessories * * * * * Consisting of hundreds of extremely challenging codes, puzzles and interactive ciphers, The Guides is a journey that will challenge your wit, stretch your imagination and test your ingenuity in unique and innovative ways. Simply stated, they’re not easy. Progressing will be difficult, but you have the appropriate tools at your disposal. Everything you need to proceed is — or has been — provided. Look for clues and patterns to build on what you have learned. Remember what you have seen as for no detail is too subtle or insignificant. As you explore deeper, you’ll begin to unravel the enigma of The Guides. Peculiar, isn't it? • • • • • • • "From the word 'Go'... it tells you nothing. And you have to work it out for yourself. And that, my friends, that is cool." James Gilmour for App Spy "The Guides gets under your skin... you’ll find yourself thinking about it outside of the game and coming back for more." Jennifer Allen for 148apps "The Guides is one of the year’s most interesting puzzle games. It’s a beautifully designed toy box filled with an enormous variety of code-breaking ciphers and visual riddles..." Owen Faraday for Pocket Tactics "It's brilliant, uncompromising, satisfying, and one of the best games I have ever played on my phone... quite possibly on any platform." chanandler of App Army for Pocket Gamer • • • • • • • • Four Sections and 100 pages embedded with countless challenges. • Meticulously designed interactive puzzles and ciphers with each being more unique than the last. • Piece together the fragmented story to reveal the source of the messages. • Various game mechanics such as the code interface screen and the title bar to provide added layers of support. • Integrated decoding tools — including morse, binary and many more — to assist you on your journey. • Ability to save screenshots to keep track of invaluable clues and notes. • A distress support system is available if you find yourself stuck, but use sparingly, for your transmissions are limited. Official Site: theguidesapp.com General Inquiries: info@theguidesapp.com Twitter: twitter.com/theguidesapp Facebook: fb.com/theguidesapp Instagram: instagram.com/theguidesapp
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Guides at none against KAMI's 6. KAMI's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#161 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
KAMI costs $2.99 and The Guides $2.99 up front. KAMI sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. The Guides asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for KAMI against 4.8 for The Guides. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 512 and 731 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of KAMI's written reviews are positive against 88% of The Guides's.
KAMI ships an update fortnightly, The Guides every 4 months. Both last shipped on September 26, 2026.
| Parameter | KAMI | The Guides |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (512 ratings) | 4.8 (731 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.8% of reviews | 87.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 512 | 731 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #161 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 8.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | State of Play Games | 2 Fountains LLC |
Customer experience
KAMI
The Guides
User reviews
KAMI
From 512 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun, unique, and challenging
- 👍 Aesthetically pleasing
- 👍 Relaxing and meditative
- 👍 Thought-provoking puzzles
- 👍 Great value for money
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Limited free content, requires in-app purchases
- 🔒 Expensive in-app purchases for hints and extra levels
- 🔒 Not optimized for larger screens
- 🔒 Repetitive puzzles
The Guides
From 731 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
- 🧠 Exercises the mind
- 🎨 Minimalist and visually appealing
- 🕹️ Unique gameplay experience
- 🕵️♂️ Intriguing storyline and mystery
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🤯 Puzzles can be overly complex or unclear
- 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile
- 🤔 Lack of clear instructions or guidance
Bugs and requests
KAMI
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on iOS 8.1.3 / iPhone 6 Plus
- Bottom half of screen is black on iPad Air
- Achievements not working properly
- Saves and progress being lost
Requested features
5 requests- Add more free levels
- Improve hint system
- Add color blind mode
- Sync progress across devices
- Add more variety to puzzles
The Guides
Reported bugs
2 issues- Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
- App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles
Requested features
3 requests- More frequent updates and new content
- Improved UI and accessibility options
- Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling
In-app purchases
KAMI
- Premium Pack: 5 Color Retro$0.99
- Premium Pack: Noughts & Crosseyes$0.99
- Pack of 5 Hint Credits$0.99
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- Premium Pack: Convolution$0.99
- Pack of 15 Hint Credits$1.99
- Unlimited hints$3.99
The Guides
No in-app purchases









