Hoplite vs Square Valley
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hoplite
Engage in challenging turn-based tactical combat on small maps. Strategize your moves carefully to overcome procedurally generated levels and unlock upgrades. Compete with friends on leaderboards and test your skills in daily challenges.
- Turn-based tactical movement
- Procedurally generated levels
- Quest mode with upgrades
- Challenge mode with daily challenges
- Leaderboard rankings
- Hard but fair gameplay
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"Blanket recommendation for this one." - Pocket Tactics (5 stars) "It's very simple to learn, but there's a huge amount of depth to the game" - Touch Arcade (5 stars) Hoplite is a turn-based strategy game focusing on tactical movement around small maps. This game is designed to be hard, yet fair. You'll need to think before you act if you hope to win. Every move counts! Quest Mode: • Make strategical choices to upgrade your abilities as you dive deeper into the underworld. • Earn achievements and unlock access to new upgrades. • Procedurally generated levels give a new experience every play. • Challenge your friends and see how you rank on the leaderboard. Challenge mode: • Jump straight into the action with a randomized set of upgrades. • Try to beat the daily challenge or play predetermined challenges at two difficulty levels.
Square Valley
Shape unique lands by strategically placing tiles like houses, farms, and natural elements. Connect them with roads and rivers while overcoming placement challenges. Progress through levels to unlock new tiles and face increasingly complex world-building puzzles.
- Tile placement for world creation
- Connect tiles with roads and rivers
- Strategic planning and puzzle solving
- Three chapters with 45 levels
- Unlock new tiles and overcome obstacles
- Replay levels for higher scores
- Sandbox mode for custom experiences
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A charming tile-laying puzzle game. Make the best valley you can out of the tiles and placements you're given. Puzzles with no randomness can become a bit boring over time. And when it is too random, it can feel unfair. Square Valley sits nicely in the middle where you are challenged for each level, but it still feels fair in the end. Satisfying. Every level is comprised of a fixed set of tiles that come together to form a challenge each step of the way. You're continually cycling through your deck of tiles – always a fresh look. You're also limited to only certain spots on the board where you can place the tiles all in order to reach the highest score you can. A windmill wants the surrounding wheat fields, forests have winding rivers through them, and churches stand firm within the city walls packed with houses. Not to worry, you won't get stuck. There's generous room to succeed at every level. Leaderboards are there too, for those who want to keep challenging themselves. Feel free to push forward, or go back to previous levels and beat your old self. When you complete that last turn, you'll find yourself with a unique little village to be proud of. Features: + Pay once – no ads, no in-app purchases, no account required + 150+ tiles · 45 levels · 3 chapters + A new challenge every day, for everyone + Set your own rules to play with tiles drawn at random + Competitive leaderboards + Works offline
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Square Valley at every 2 weeks against Hoplite's every 3 months. Square Valley also leads on price ($2.99 vs $3.99). Hoplite's advantage is chart position (#103 vs unranked) and ratings volume (787 vs 93). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Hoplite costs $3.99 and Square Valley $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Hoplite against 4.8 for Square Valley. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hoplite has 787 ratings behind it against 93, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Hoplite's written reviews are positive against 86% of Square Valley's.
Hoplite ships an update every 3 months, Square Valley every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 23, 2026.
| Parameter | Hoplite | Square Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (787 ratings) | 4.8 (93 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 90.8% of reviews — better | 85.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 787 — better | 93 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #103 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Douglas Cowley | Ryan Becijos |
Customer experience
Hoplite
Square Valley
User reviews
Hoplite
From 787 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple yet deep gameplay
- 👍 Addictive and challenging
- 🕹️ Elegant and intuitive controls
- 💎 Excellent value for money
- 🔍 Surprising depth and strategy
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or compatibility issues
- 🔧 Lack of landscape mode support
- 🔊 Mutes music/podcast playback
- 🕹️ Accidental moves due to controls
Square Valley
From 93 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Engaging tile placement puzzle mechanics
- 🎵 Relaxing and pleasant background music
- 🎨 Beautiful minimalist art style and visuals
- 😌 Calming and stress-relieving gameplay
- 💰 No ads or in-app purchases
Room to improve
- ❓ Unclear tile descriptions and requirements
- 🎲 High randomness can lead to unwinnable scenarios
- 📊 No real-time score feedback during gameplay
- 🐛 Occasional scoring calculation bugs
- 📱 Portrait-only mode (no landscape on iPad)
Bugs and requests
Hoplite
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on launch with certain OS versions
- Agility upgrade not functioning properly
Requested features
4 requests- More game modes or levels
- Customization options for the character
- Landscape mode support
- Ability to start at higher levels
Square Valley
Reported bugs
8 issues- Leaderboard freezes when displaying top 10 scores
- Tile scoring miscalculations (e.g., Cherry Orchard, Fir Grove)
- Tutorial bug where selected tiles change unexpectedly
- Some tiles don't work as described in requirements
- Scoring feedback unclear until level completion
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- Inconsistent tile placement rules not documented
- Protected Copper Beech scoring issues
- Random tile placement can create impossible scenarios
Requested features
14 requests- More levels and chapters
- Landscape/iPad support with larger maps
- iCloud synchronization across devices
- Real-time score feedback per tile placement
- Glossary with detailed tile explanations
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- Personal stats and score history per level
- Customizable sandbox mode with more options
- Music volume slider (separate from sound effects)
- Global leaderboards with player names
- Board game physical version
- Expansion packs with new tile sets
- Undo and skip buttons (mentioned as implemented in recent update)
- Additional language translations
- Split-screen multiplayer mode
In-app purchases
Hoplite
No in-app purchases
Square Valley
No in-app purchases
