Comparison

Shadowmatic vs Hidden Folks

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

Head to head
About

Shadowmatic

Rotate abstract objects in a spotlight to cast recognizable silhouettes. Explore unique environments with captivating music and stunning visuals. Discover unexpected shapes and solve mind-bending puzzles.

Highlights
  • Rotate abstract objects
  • Create recognizable silhouettes
  • Stunning visuals
  • Relaxing gameplay
  • Unique thematic environments
  • Assistant button for hints
Features
Read full description

** Apple Design Award Winner ** ** App Store Best of 2015 ** Shadowmatic is an imagination-stirring puzzle where you rotate abstract objects in a spotlight to find recognizable silhouettes in projected shadows, relevant to the surrounding environment. “Other Worlds” is a chapter of Shadowmatic with over 30 levels in 3 unique thematic environments: Ancient Worlds, Music and Space. The chapter is available as a separate purchase. The game combines stunning visuals with relaxing and captivating gameplay. On your journey to discover the right solution you will stumble upon many unexpected and infinitely varied silhouettes. The game features 15 rooms, each flavored with unique concept, atmosphere, and music. - - - - - - - - - - “Simple to the point of beauty, and beautiful to the point of becoming a work of art, this is a game you won't want to win, because you won't want the experience to end” - Pocket Gamer “It's fun, it's unique, and it's the perfect type of game to show off to people who typically don't play video games, as it's almost like an interactive piece of art” - Touch Arcade “It’s always awesome to see a breathtaking, unique, and thoroughly innovative puzzle game pop up on the App Store” - Macworld “Full of whimsical puzzles and thoughtful designs, Shadowmatic is a delightful and captivating iOS game” - CNET “'Fantastically original': Shadowmatic works modern-day wonders with the ancient Chinese art of shadow puppetry” - The Guardian “It’s like a mind-bending shadow-puppet spectacle” - TIME “This game requires you to look at things a little differently” - Washington Post - - - - - - - - - - Hints. The game includes a system of hints. To enjoy the game to its fullest, however, we recommend resorting to them on rare occasions only. Assistant Button. The Assistant button in the upper right corner will help you solve the puzzle by gradually rotating the objects in the correct direction. When you press the button, Hint-Points are used Music. Every room in the game features its own music arrangement, adding up to the distinctive atmosphere and feel in each. The music is best experienced with headphones, and is available separately on iTunes. -- More than 130 levels in 15 unique environments -- Gorgeous graphics -- Secondary objectives -- Assistant Button -- Nonlinear level progression -- 3D parallax view -- Achievements -- Arcade Mode -- Synchronization with Apple TV ** The game is optimized for every iOS device separately (starting from iPhone 5s and newer), however it's best experienced on the latest devices. Follow us on Twitter: @ShadowmaticGame Join us on Facebook: @Shadowmatic Follow us on Instagram: @Shadowmatic Questions? Shoot us an email: support@triadastudiogames.com ----------------------------------------------------- Triada Studio is a computer graphics and animation studio with over 20 years of industry experience. Shadowmatic is the company’s first project that bridges its vast computer graphics experience with an experimental in-house 3D engine.

About

Hidden Folks

Explore charming, hand-drawn worlds to find hidden characters. Interact with the environment by opening doors, cutting bushes, and more to reveal them. Unlock new areas as you discover enough targets.

Highlights
  • Hand-drawn interactive landscapes
  • Hundreds of targets to find
  • Unique environmental interactions
  • Multiple color modes
  • iMessage stickers
  • Community-translated languages
Features
Read full description

Game of the Year (2017) on the App Store! Search for hidden folks in hand-drawn, interactive, miniature landscapes. Unfurl tent flaps, cut through bushes, slam doors, and poke some crocodiles! Rooooaaaarrrr!!!!! A strip of targets shows you what to look for. Tap a target for a hint, and find enough to unlock the next area. ------/ Game Features /------ - 32 hand-drawn areas - 300+ targets to find - 2000+ mouth-originated sound effects - 500+ unique interactions - 3 color modes: normal, sepia, and night mode - 100+ iMessage stickers - iCloud synchronisation - 22 languages (translated by the community) ------/ Need help? /------ You can always email game designer Adriaan de Jongh: support@hiddenfolks.com

Screenshots

Shadowmatic4 screens
Hidden Folks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hidden Folks at none against Shadowmatic's 5. Hidden Folks also leads on ratings volume (13K vs 2.1K). Shadowmatic's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Shadowmatic costs $3.99 and Hidden Folks $4.99 up front. Shadowmatic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Hidden Folks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Shadowmatic against 4.9 for Hidden Folks. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hidden Folks has 13K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Shadowmatic's written reviews are positive against 93% of Hidden Folks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Shadowmatic versus Hidden Folks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowmaticHidden Folks
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (2.1K ratings)4.9 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews93.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K13K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#23#15 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size388 MB247 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTRIADA StudioHidden Folks B.V.

Customer experience

Shadowmatic

All ratings2,090 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews423 reviews
Positive85.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative8.7%

Hidden Folks

All ratings12,500 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews1,141 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.5%
Negative4.2%

User reviews

Shadowmatic

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Unique and creative gameplay
  • 👍 Relaxing and calming experience
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and visuals
  • 🧠 Challenging puzzles that exercise the mind
  • 🎶 Soothing background music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Precision issues with controls, especially for complex puzzles
  • 🤔 Unclear objectives at times, making it difficult to understand what the desired solution is
  • ⏱️ Frustration when getting stuck on a puzzle for a long time
  • 👀 Difficult for left-handed players due to the positioning of the controls

Hidden Folks

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Charming, quirky art style
  • 👍 Engaging, interactive gameplay
  • 👍 Clever, humorous sound effects
  • 👍 Relaxing, no-pressure experience
  • 👍 Highly detailed, layered scenes

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Some objects too small/hard to find
  • 🔍 Difficulty level can be inconsistent
  • 🔍 Lack of ability to zoom out on larger maps
  • 💰 Paid updates/expansions required

Bugs and requests

Shadowmatic

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on certain devices, especially newer iPad models
  • Progress not saving properly, causing players to lose progress

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and new puzzle types to keep the game fresh
  • Ability to save progress and resume puzzles
  • Option to mirror the game screen for left-handed players
  • Hints that provide more useful guidance, not just the final solution

Hidden Folks

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Conveyor belt issue on factory level
  • Certain hidden objects not appearing

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels/content updates
  • Ability to save/resume progress
  • Customizable hint system
  • Randomized/procedurally generated levels

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Shadowmatic

One-time5
  • Pack of 20 Hint-Points$0.99
  • "Other Worlds" chapter$1.99
  • Pack of 50 Hint-Points$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Pack of 150 Hint-Points$3.99
  • Pack of 500 Hint-Points$7.99
None

Hidden Folks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadowmatic free?
Shadowmatic costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Hidden Folks free?
Hidden Folks costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadowmatic or Hidden Folks?
Hidden Folks is rated higher. Shadowmatic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Hidden Folks averages 4.9 from 13K ratings.
Do Shadowmatic or Hidden Folks have ads?
Neither Shadowmatic nor Hidden Folks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadowmatic or Hidden Folks?
Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, and Hidden Folks every 2 months. Most recently, Shadowmatic was updated on September 22, 2026 and Hidden Folks on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Shadowmatic or Hidden Folks?
Shadowmatic currently peaks at #23 in the App Store charts, and Hidden Folks at #15. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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