Devil Shard vs The Pinball Wizard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Devil Shard
Embark on a retro-style match-3 RPG adventure to stop a war and face a great evil. Plan strategic combos, unlock powerful allies, and collect diverse equipment. Conquer numerous enemies and stages to uncover the truth and achieve a true ending.
- Match-3 puzzle with RPG elements
- Strategic tile swapping for combos
- Unlock and summon 9 incarnations
- Collect and upgrade 32 equipment
- Battle 37 different enemies
- Complete 8 story stages and a hidden stage
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Pocketgamer.uk 8/10 - "A brilliant and seamless combination of match-three, RPG, and turn-based combat that belies the simplicity of its excellent design" ----------------------------------------------------------- Devil Shard is a retro style match-3 RPG. You play as a hero who needs to stop a war caused by the emperor. During the journey you will discover more than the truth and face a great evil. Features - Combines RPG elements with match-3 rules puzzle game - Easily plan your combos by swapping adjacent tiles even if they don't create a match 3 - Unlock and summon 9 powerful incarnations to fight for you - 37 different enemies hoping to end your journey - 32 equipment with different abilities to collect and upgrade - 9 incarnations with unique abilities to unlock, upgrade and fight for you - 8 stages to complete with stories to experience - Unlock a hidden stage after finishing the story - 36 achievements to conquer - The hidden stage features: high scores, new loots, new bosses, a true ending, and 2 powerful incarnations ----------------------------------------------------------- Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TowerofFortune Gameplay Movie http://youtu.be/ccXuEksHkC8
The Pinball Wizard
Experience a unique blend of classic pinball physics and modern roguelite progression. Control a wizard as the ball, navigating dungeon-like tower floors, mastering flippers, and battling enemies. Collect upgrades and perks to enhance your abilities for each subsequent run.
- Classic pinball physics
- Roguelite progression system
- Handcrafted tower tables
- Pattern-driven boss battles
- Perks and upgrades
- Quick and deep mastery sessions
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Pinball—with a twist. Your wizard is the ball. Climb the castle tower one floor at a time, master the flippers, and outplay cunning enemies. Get stronger with perks and upgrades, then come back for “one more” at-bat. If you love classic pinball physics and modern progression, this is your game. WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT • A Pinball Feel: Snappy flippers, lanes, rails, bumpers—tight, readable physics. • Roguelite Progression: Level up, choose upgrades, and discover shot synergies. • Tower Tables: Handcrafted dungeon floors with hazards, secrets, and shortcuts. • Boss Battle: Pattern-driven arenas that reward precision and timing. • Quick runs, Deep Mastery: perfect for short sessions or longer sessions If you enjoy The Pinball Wizard, please leave a review—it helps more pinball fans discover the tower!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: The Pinball Wizard at Free against Devil Shard's $1.99. The Pinball Wizard also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Devil Shard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (84% vs 66%). On in-app purchases, monetization model, 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
The Pinball Wizard is free to download; Devil Shard costs $1.99 up front. Devil Shard sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and The Pinball Wizard sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
The Pinball Wizard holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Pinball Wizard has 1.1K ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Devil Shard's written reviews are positive against 66% of The Pinball Wizard's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Devil Shard ships an update every 7 months, The Pinball Wizard fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Devil Shard | The Pinball Wizard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (45 ratings) | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews — better | 66.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 45 | 1.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 309 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | GUAN LING WU | Frosty Pop |
Customer experience
Devil Shard
The Pinball Wizard
User reviews
Devil Shard
From 45 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Beautiful retro pixel art style
- 🎵 Great music and audio design
- ⚡ Simple yet challenging match-3 combat system
- 📱 Perfect for quick gaming sessions
Room to improve
- ⚙️ Excessive grinding required for progression
- 💀 Harsh death penalty resets all character progress
- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics and aggressive monetization
- 🎲 Heavy reliance on RNG and luck
- 😤 Unfair difficulty spikes in later dungeons
The Pinball Wizard
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and responsive controls
- 🎨 Charming and polished visuals
- 💰 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🕹️ Unique RPG-like pinball mechanics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Unresponsive or awkward controls
- 🕰️ Short main campaign length
- 🤕 Difficulty spikes and unfair enemy encounters
Bugs and requests
Devil Shard
Reported bugs
6 issues- Item selection scroll problem on iPhone 6s Plus (items display in middle of screen)
- Unable to equip, melt, or forge items on certain devices
- In-app purchase functionality broken
- Character equipment not persisting correctly
- No undo option for melted items
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- Difficulty balancing issues causing unfair difficulty spikes
Requested features
9 requests- Swipeable match-3 controls (standard for genre)
- More customization options for character progression
- Persistent progress or checkpoints upon death
- Better equipment distribution and tile spawning
- Reduced grinding requirements
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- More narrative depth and story elements
- Undo function for accidental item melting
- Improved menu systems and UI clarity
- Additional game modes or difficulty settings
The Pinball Wizard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Stuck on loading screen
- Freezing when upgrading skills
- Inconsistent damage and enemy behavior
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and content
- Expanded character customization
- Landscape mode support
- Improved enemy and level design
In-app purchases
Devil Shard
- 1000G$0.99
- 2500G$1.99
- 7500G$4.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 17500G$9.99
- 40000G$19.99
- 75000G$29.99
The Pinball Wizard
- Gift$0.99
- Gift$1.99
- Remove Ads$2.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Gift$3.99
Questions
Is Devil Shard free?
Is The Pinball Wizard free?
Which has better reviews, Devil Shard or The Pinball Wizard?
Do Devil Shard or The Pinball Wizard have ads?
Which is updated more often, Devil Shard or The Pinball Wizard?
Other comparisons
