Comparison

Root Down vs Touch 9

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

Head to head
About

Root Down

An original abstract strategy game for two players with unique movement rules. Figure out how to move your pieces to capture your opponent's and win. Offers AI play and pass-and-play modes with variable setups.

Highlights
  • Abstract strategy gameplay
  • Unique piece movement rules
  • AI opponent
  • Pass-and-play mode
  • Variable game setups
Features
Read full description

Root Down is an original abstract strategy game designed by Martin Grider for 2-players. It's rules about which pieces you can move are a little quirky, but once you figure it out, it's very quick to play, and has some interesting gameplay mechanics. In Root Down, you have two types of pieces. There are "kicker" pieces that must be next to a "root" piece to move. (Root pieces cannot move.) Kickers can only move exactly as far as the number of kickers next to the root. After a kicker moves, it "kicks" all of the neighboring pieces, then settles down into a new "root" piece. If you kick one of your own root pieces, it becomes another "kicker"! Kicking an opponent's root does the same, and if you kick it again before it has a chance to move, you'll to capture it! The game features an AI player, as well as pass-and-play options. There are several variable setups to chose from. Each one plays slightly different. Please use the "send feedback" button to send me your input, or email me: rootdown@abstractpuzzle.com

About

Touch 9

Features
Read full description

Tap the numbers from 1 to 9 that appear randomly at the beginning of each game in order. The game is a time trial to see how fast you can complete the tapping. In addition to the reflexes to instantly grasp the position of the numbers and tap them, this application can also train your parallel thinking and peripheral vision to think about which numbers are placed around you at the same time. Please aim for the top of the world ranking!

Screenshots

Root Down4 screens
Touch 92 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Root Down at none against Touch 9's shown. Touch 9's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 27 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.4). On price, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Root Down ships an update every 27 months, Touch 9 every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Root Down versus Touch 9: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoot DownTouch 9
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.414.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin GriderSaki Inoue

In-app purchases

None

Root Down

No in-app purchases

None

Touch 9

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Root Down free?
Root Down is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Touch 9 free?
Touch 9 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Root Down or Touch 9 have ads?
Touch 9 shows ads; Root Down does not.
Which is updated more often, Root Down or Touch 9?
Root Down ships an update every 27 months, and Touch 9 every 6 weeks. Most recently, Root Down was updated on October 19, 2026 and Touch 9 on October 25, 2026.

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