Shadowmatic vs Rules!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Rotate abstract objects
- Create recognizable silhouettes
- Stunning visuals
- Relaxing gameplay
- Unique thematic environments
- Assistant button for hints
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** 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.
Rules!
Engage in a fast-paced, challenging, and fun puzzle game with a hundred levels. Features a daily brain workout for Apple Watch and animated stickers. Offers multiple game modes and unique mechanics.
- Daily Apple Watch brain workout
- Animated sticker pack
- Beginner, Expert, or Timeless game modes
- Multi-touch interface
- Color perception assistance
- Surprising new game mechanics
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• Includes a daily brain workout mini-game for Apple Watch • Includes animated sticker pack • App Store – Best Apple Watch Game of 2015 • App Store – Best of 2014 • German Developer Award 2014 – Best mobile Game • German Video Game Award 2015 – Best mobile Game • Pocket Gamer Awards 2015 Finalist Best Casual/Puzzle Game & Most Innovative Game RULES! is a cute puzzle game that's challenging, fast-paced and fun. • Choose your preferred type of game: Beginner, Expert or Timeless • “What’s presented here is a stylish, original, clever puzzle game that I’m having trouble putting down long enough to write this review.” ~ Gamezebo “A delightfully constructed memory test that grows in complexity and appeal the deeper in you go.” ~ Pocket Gamer “The Coding Monkeys have never released anything that wasn’t utterly brilliant, therefore Rules shall almost certainly be brilliant.” ~ Pocket Tactics Follow RULES! into a hundred level-deep maze of cuteness and order: • Multi-touch interface at its finest • Color perception assistance mode • Whales, Unicorns, Robots and Squirrels! • A plethora of surprising new game mechanics
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shadowmatic at 4.8 against Rules!'s 4.2. Shadowmatic also leads on ratings volume (2.1K vs 67) and review sentiment (86% vs 69%). Rules!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On update cadence, ads 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
Shadowmatic costs $3.99 and Rules! $2.99 up front. Shadowmatic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Rules! asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shadowmatic holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadowmatic has 2.1K ratings behind it against 67, 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 69% of Rules!'s.
Shadowmatic ships an update every 2 months, Rules! monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shadowmatic | Rules! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better | 4.2 (67 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.8% of reviews — better | 68.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 67 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #29 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 388 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TRIADA Studio | 137b |
Customer experience
Shadowmatic
Rules!
User reviews
Shadowmatic
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Rules!
From 67 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Challenging and fun game
- 👍 Gorgeous design and smooth UI
- 👍 Great brain workout
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Fair monetization with no ads or IAPs
Room to improve
- 🕰️ Very short time limit
- 🔁 Having to restart from level 1 after losing
- 🎨 Colorblind-unfriendly
- 🤔 Repetitive gameplay with same rule order
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
Rules!
Reported bugs
2 issues- Freezing and crashing issues, especially on Apple Watch
- Unresponsive tapping on certain tiles
Requested features
5 requests- Option to save progress and continue from last level
- Randomized rule order
- Difficulty settings with longer time limits
- Colorblind accessibility options
- More game modes and challenges
In-app purchases
Shadowmatic
- Pack of 20 Hint-Points$0.99
- "Other Worlds" chapter$1.99
- Pack of 50 Hint-Points$1.99
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- Pack of 150 Hint-Points$3.99
- Pack of 500 Hint-Points$7.99
Rules!
No in-app purchases








