Root Down vs Rotex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Abstract strategy gameplay
- Unique piece movement rules
- AI opponent
- Pass-and-play mode
- Variable game setups
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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
Rotex
A two-player abstract strategy game where players aim to connect five tiles in a row. Each turn involves claiming a tile and rotating a section of the board to outmaneuver your opponent.
- Connect 5 tiles in a row
- Board rotation mechanic
- Online multiplayer
- Single player vs AI
- Pass and play mode
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Rotex is a 2-player abstract strategy game with a simple objective — be the first player to connect 5 tiles in a row, in any direction. But, there's a twist… literally! On each turn, players will also rotate a region of the board clockwise. Use your rotations wisely to foil your opponent's plan and set yourself up for victory! Features: • Online Multiplayer - Invite a friend, or let Game Center find you a match. Take turns at your leisure! • Single Player vs Computer - Practice against an AI opponent, with three difficulty levels to choose from! • Pass and Play - Grab a friend and play against each other on the same device! How to Play: The goal is to connect five tiles in a row in any direction. On each turn, players must do two things: 1.) Select a grey tile on the board to turn it to their color. 2.) Select one of the seven gears on the board to rotate the tiles around it one notch in the clockwise direction. The game ends when one player connects five in a row of their color, or when there are no more grey tiles left to claim. If neither player gets five in a row, or both players get five in a row at the same time, the game is a draw.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Root Down at 100% against Rotex's 50%. Root Down also leads on price (Free vs $0.99). Rotex's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 5 months vs every 27 months). On ratings volume, ads, 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
Root Down is free to download; Rotex costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Rotex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Root Down's written reviews are positive against 50% of Rotex's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Root Down ships an update every 27 months, Rotex every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Root Down | Rotex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Martin Grider | Curt Stein |
Customer experience
Root Down
Rotex
In-app purchases
Root Down
No in-app purchases
Rotex
No in-app purchases









