# Devil Shard vs DarkMan Project

The clearest difference is price: DarkMan Project at Free against Devil Shard's $1.99. DarkMan Project also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). Devil Shard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On device support there is nothing between them.

DarkMan Project is free to download; Devil Shard costs $1.99 up front. Devil Shard sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. DarkMan Project asks for nothing beyond the download.

Devil Shard ships an update every 7 months, DarkMan Project weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Devil Shard | DarkMan Project |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.4 (45 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devil-shard/id869735685/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **45** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 47 MB | 395 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Game Stew](https://appshunter.io/developer/517689895) | [Sanghyun Joe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1238988980) |

## What reviewers say

### Devil Shard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/devil-shard/id869735685)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1000G | $0.99 | one-time |
| 2500G | $1.99 | one-time |
| 7500G | $4.99 | one-time |
| 17500G | $9.99 | one-time |
| 40000G | $19.99 | one-time |
| 75000G | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚙️ 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### DarkMan Project

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkman-project-survivor-one/id6783929042)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Devil Shard free?

Devil Shard costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is DarkMan Project free?

DarkMan Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Devil Shard or DarkMan Project have ads?

DarkMan Project shows ads; Devil Shard does not.

### Which is updated more often, Devil Shard or DarkMan Project?

Devil Shard ships an update every 7 months, and DarkMan Project weekly. Most recently, Devil Shard was updated on October 13, 2026 and DarkMan Project on October 15, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*