Comparison

Shadowmatic vs Samorost 2

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

Samorost 2

Embark on a surreal journey to rescue a kidnapped dog from mischievous aliens. Explore a unique world, interact with strange characters, and enjoy a calming soundtrack. This enhanced version offers improved graphics, a revamped save system, and new features like zoom and achievements.

Highlights
  • Surreal story and atmosphere
  • Rescue a kidnapped dog
  • Explore unique worlds
  • Interact with curious strangers
  • Soothing soundtrack
  • Enhanced graphics
  • Revamped save system
Features
Read full description

Samorost 2 tells a surreal story of a space gnome whose dog just got kidnapped by mischievous aliens. Set out on a short expedition to rescue the pup, deal with curious strangers and relax to the soothing music by Tomáš "Floex" Dvořák. The new and improved version brings: - Enhanced graphics with full-screen support - A bunch of game design tweaks - Revamped save system (no more level codes!) - New zoom feature - Achievements

Screenshots

Shadowmatic4 screens
Samorost 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shadowmatic at 4.8 against Samorost 2's 3.9. Shadowmatic also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 54%) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 73). Samorost 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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 Samorost 2 $2.99 up front. Shadowmatic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Samorost 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shadowmatic holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowmatic has 2.1K ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Shadowmatic's written reviews are positive against 54% of Samorost 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, Samorost 2 every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Shadowmatic versus Samorost 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadowmaticSamorost 2
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better3.9 (73 ratings)
Positive reviews85.8% of reviews — better54.4% of reviews
Number of ratings2.1K — better73
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#36 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size388 MB126 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTRIADA StudioAmanita Design s.r.o.

Customer experience

Shadowmatic

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

Samorost 2

All ratings73 ratings
Positive67.1%
Neutral12.3%
Negative20.5%
Written reviews158 reviews
Positive54.4%
Neutral15.8%
Negative29.7%

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

Samorost 2

From 73 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful art style
  • 🎶 Great soundtrack
  • ✨ Unique and imaginative
  • 💡 Clever puzzles
  • 💖 Charming and poetic

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Too short
  • 🤔 Puzzles can be unclear
  • 📱 Difficult controls on small screens
  • 💡 Lack of hints
  • 💰 Overpriced for length

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

Samorost 2

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Sound freezes
  • Game crashes
  • Controls not working
  • Character stuck
  • Spanner not working
Show 12 more
  • Bolts not falling off
  • Game hangs up
  • Feature won't work
  • Red error bar appears
  • Game won't install
  • Touch features too sensitive
  • Detail lost on small screens
  • Glitchy on iOS/iPad
  • Error 1009
  • Cannot get dwarf to move
  • Game freezes at same spot
  • Interaction is one-sided

Requested features

4 requests
  • More hints
  • Longer gameplay
  • Zoom functionality
  • Reset game progress

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

Samorost 2

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadowmatic free?
Shadowmatic costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Samorost 2 free?
Samorost 2 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shadowmatic or Samorost 2?
Shadowmatic is rated higher. Shadowmatic averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Samorost 2 averages 3.9 from 73 ratings.
Do Shadowmatic or Samorost 2 have ads?
Neither Shadowmatic nor Samorost 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadowmatic or Samorost 2?
Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, and Samorost 2 every 6 days. Most recently, Shadowmatic was updated on September 30, 2026 and Samorost 2 on September 27, 2026.

Other comparisons