Comparison

Criminal Case vs Fireboy & Watergirl

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

Head to head
About

Criminal Case

Engage in a captivating detective adventure by investigating crime scenes, gathering clues, and interrogating suspects. Analyze evidence to uncover the truth and bring murderers to justice in a grim city. Prove your detective prowess in this immersive hidden object game.

Highlights
  • Investigate crime scenes
  • Examine and analyze clues
  • Interrogate witnesses and suspects
  • Solve murder cases
  • Play with friends
  • Analyze evidence
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A murder has been reported in Grimsborough, Detective. Grab your badge — the Chief is waiting. Criminal Case is the original hidden object detective game: the award-winning phenomenon that has turned more than 100 million players into detectives since 2012. Search crime scenes for clues, examine the evidence, interrogate the suspects — and when the proof is solid, arrest the killer yourself. INVESTIGATE CRIME SCENES Every case starts at the scene of the crime. Search gorgeous hand-drawn locations for hidden objects and vital clues, race the clock for the best score, and earn the stars that move your investigation forward. RUN THE LAB Take your findings to the forensics team. Analyze samples, decode messages, reconstruct torn documents and match fingerprints. In Grimsborough, every detail talks — if you know how to listen. INTERROGATE THE SUSPECTS Bring witnesses and suspects in for questioning. Compare their statements with the facts, catch them lying, and profile your killer trait by trait until only one name is left. ARREST THE KILLER Most mystery games end when you find the last object. Criminal Case is where it gets serious: match the evidence to your suspects and put the right one behind bars. Get it wrong, and a killer walks free. ONE CITY. 56 CASES. ONE CONSPIRACY. From the smokestacks of the Industrial Area to the runways of the Airport, the six districts of Grimsborough hide 56 murder cases — and the deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that they are all connected. THE ORIGINAL, SINCE 2012 Facebook Game of the Year 2013. More than 100 million detectives worldwide. The classic that defined crime investigation games on mobile — still updated, still free, still one of a kind. Played back in the day? Welcome back, partner. Jones kept your desk exactly as you left it. BETTER WITH FRIENDS Connect with your friends to team up on investigations, compare your detective skills on the leaderboards, and send each other energy and gifts. THE FIRST OF 8 SEASONS Grimsborough is where the saga begins. Once you have cleaned up this city, seven more seasons of Criminal Case are waiting for you — from Pacific Bay all the way to Paris. Criminal Case is free to play, with optional in-app purchases (you can disable these in your device settings). The optional Pizza subscription raises your energy bar to 170 and removes ads: 2.99 USD/week (or local equivalent) after a 3-day free trial, auto-renewing unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Terms of Service: https://prettysimplegames.com/legal/terms-of-service Privacy Policy: https://www.prettysimplegames.com/legal/privacy-policy The killer thinks they got away with it, Detective. Prove them wrong.

About

Fireboy & Watergirl

Guide Fireboy and Watergirl through challenging Elemental Temples. Solve intricate puzzles, race against the clock, and collect all the diamonds. Enjoy this adventure solo or team up with a friend.

Highlights
  • Elemental Temple exploration
  • Cooperative puzzle solving
  • Time-based challenges
  • Diamond collection
  • Single-player and multiplayer modes
Features
Read full description

Fireboy and Watergirl need help to explore the Elemental Temples. Solve the puzzles, beat the times and collect all the diamonds! Play alone or with a friend to join Fireboy and Watergirl in this new adventure!

Screenshots

Criminal Case4 screens
Fireboy & Watergirl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Criminal Case at 4.7 against Fireboy & Watergirl's 3.4. Criminal Case also leads on ratings volume (36K vs 257) and review sentiment (60% vs 39%). Fireboy & Watergirl's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Criminal Case sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Fireboy & Watergirl sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Criminal Case holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Criminal Case has 36K ratings behind it against 257, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Criminal Case's written reviews are positive against 39% of Fireboy & Watergirl's.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Criminal Case versus Fireboy & Watergirl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCriminal CaseFireboy & Watergirl
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (36K ratings) — better3.4 (257 ratings)
Positive reviews59.9% of reviews — better39.1% of reviews
Number of ratings36K — better257
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#140 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size132 MB30 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPretty SimpleOslo Albet

Customer experience

Criminal Case

All ratings35,824 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews1,031 reviews
Positive59.9%
Neutral10.2%
Negative29.9%

Fireboy & Watergirl

All ratings257 ratings
Positive55.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative35.4%
Written reviews169 reviews
Positive39.1%
Neutral14.8%
Negative46.2%

User reviews

Criminal Case

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Fun and intriguing game
  • 🕵️‍♀️ Interesting crime stories and puzzles
  • 🧠 Challenging and mentally stimulating
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
  • ⌚ Slow energy recharge and long wait times
  • 🤖 Poor customer support and lack of response
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and tedious tasks
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and technical issues

Fireboy & Watergirl

From 257 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Nostalgic and fun gameplay
  • 🚀 Great concept and mechanics
  • 💡 Multiplayer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 📺 Excessive and disruptive ads
  • 🔍 Camera issues and zooming problems
  • 🎮 Confusing and unresponsive controls

Bugs and requests

Criminal Case

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to connect to Facebook and sync progress
  • Disappearing energy and in-game items
  • Freezing and crashing during gameplay

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to save energy and progress across sessions
  • More efficient energy system and reduced wait times
  • Improved customer support and communication
  • Reduced reliance on ads and in-app purchases

Fireboy & Watergirl

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Screen zooming in and out during gameplay
  • Levels becoming unplayable due to camera issues
  • Freezing and crashing on certain devices
  • Inability to switch between Fireboy and Watergirl

Requested features

4 requests
  • Separate jump and movement buttons
  • Keyboard support for tablets
  • Reduced ad frequency or paid ad-free option
  • More levels and content from the original game

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Criminal Case

Subscriptions1
  • Pizza3 Days trial$2.997 Days
One-time9
  • Instant Analysis$0.99
  • Ham$0.99
  • Instant Access$0.99
Show 6 more
  • Instant Analysis$1.99
  • Instant Analysis$2.99
  • Pizza$2.99
  • 1 Complete Meal$3.99
  • 1 Burger$4.99
  • 2 Burgers + 1 Free Orange Juice$9.99
1 purchases

Fireboy & Watergirl

One-time1
  • Unlock all levels$0.99

Questions

Is Criminal Case free?
Criminal Case is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fireboy & Watergirl free?
Fireboy & Watergirl is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Criminal Case or Fireboy & Watergirl?
Criminal Case is rated higher. Criminal Case averages 4.7 out of 5 from 36K ratings, while Fireboy & Watergirl averages 3.4 from 257 ratings.
Do Criminal Case or Fireboy & Watergirl have ads?
Criminal Case shows ads; Fireboy & Watergirl does not.

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