Comparison

The Guides vs G30

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Guides

Embark on a journey of challenging codes, puzzles, and interactive ciphers that test your wit and imagination. Unravel a fragmented story by finding clues and patterns, utilizing integrated decoding tools and a distress support system.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
  • Interactive ciphers
  • Fragmented story to unravel
  • Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
  • Screenshot saving for clues
  • Distress support system
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in: 15 Most Mind-Bending Puzzlers, 15 Most Mysterious Games, The Best Games You’ve Never Played, Challenge Your Brain, Best New Games * * * * * “Best Mobile Games of 2015” — CNET “Best iOS Games of 2015” — Apple ‘N’ Apps “Best One Handed Mobile Games for Long Commutes” — Appcessories * * * * * Consisting of hundreds of extremely challenging codes, puzzles and interactive ciphers, The Guides is a journey that will challenge your wit, stretch your imagination and test your ingenuity in unique and innovative ways. Simply stated, they’re not easy. Progressing will be difficult, but you have the appropriate tools at your disposal. Everything you need to proceed is — or has been — provided. Look for clues and patterns to build on what you have learned. Remember what you have seen as for no detail is too subtle or insignificant. As you explore deeper, you’ll begin to unravel the enigma of The Guides. Peculiar, isn't it? • • • • • • • "From the word 'Go'... it tells you nothing. And you have to work it out for yourself. And that, my friends, that is cool." James Gilmour for App Spy "The Guides gets under your skin... you’ll find yourself thinking about it outside of the game and coming back for more." Jennifer Allen for 148apps "The Guides is one of the year’s most interesting puzzle games. It’s a beautifully designed toy box filled with an enormous variety of code-breaking ciphers and visual riddles..." Owen Faraday for Pocket Tactics "It's brilliant, uncompromising, satisfying, and one of the best games I have ever played on my phone... quite possibly on any platform." chanandler of App Army for Pocket Gamer • • • • • • • • Four Sections and 100 pages embedded with countless challenges. • Meticulously designed interactive puzzles and ciphers with each being more unique than the last. • Piece together the fragmented story to reveal the source of the messages. • Various game mechanics such as the code interface screen and the title bar to provide added layers of support. • Integrated decoding tools — including morse, binary and many more — to assist you on your journey. • Ability to save screenshots to keep track of invaluable clues and notes. • A distress support system is available if you find yourself stuck, but use sparingly, for your transmissions are limited. Official Site: theguidesapp.com General Inquiries: info@theguidesapp.com Twitter: twitter.com/theguidesapp Facebook: fb.com/theguidesapp Instagram: instagram.com/theguidesapp

About

G30

Experience a unique puzzle game with a touching narrative about memory loss. Each level is a hand-crafted puzzle that reveals fragments of a person's life story, accompanied by atmospheric music and haptic feedback. Relax and immerse yourself in a deep, mysterious story without timers or scores.

Highlights
  • Hand-crafted story puzzles
  • Touching narrative about memory loss
  • Atmospheric music and haptic feedback
  • Relaxing gameplay, no timers
  • Unique visual and text puzzles
Features
Read full description

A puzzle you haven’t seen before. A story you won’t forget. G30 is a unique and minimalistic take on the puzzle genre, where each level is hand-crafted and meaningful. It’s a story of a person with a cognitive disorder, who is trying to recollect the elusive past – before the disease takes over and everything will fade away. KEY FEATURES • Each puzzle is a story. Solve the memories mystery hidden in 7 main chapters of unique and individually designed puzzles. • Experience a touching narrative. Live the life of a person whose memories have faded. • Feel the game. Atmospheric music and haptic feedback will dive you into the breathtaking story. • Relax and play. No scores, no timers, no “game over”. AWARDS • Most Innovative Game, Casual Connect USA & Kyiv • Best Mobile Game, CEEGA Awards • Excellence in Game Design, DevGAMM • Best Mobile Game & Critics’ Choice, GTP Indie Cup INNOVATIVE PUZZLES THAT ARE THE STORY Each level sparks a little memory of the person’s life. It’s a two-part puzzle: a visual image of the memory and a telescopic text, that reveals itself with every step. You start with fragmented pieces of the picture and have to move them to restore the original image. In turn, telescopic text reacts to your every step – the closer you are to the solution, the more text unfolds. You are indeed remembering – adding details to the memory and forming a clear picture. A DEEP AND MYSTERIOUS STORY G30 is about memory and consciousness – and what they mean for a human being. There are people around who are losing their ability to remember – some kinds of mental diseases do that to a person. G30 shows how they see the world, how they feel about the past they can’t remember and the reality they can’t recognize.

Screenshots

The Guides4 screens
G304 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: G30 at every 2 months against The Guides's every 4 months. The Guides's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $3.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

The Guides costs $2.99 and G30 $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Guides against 4.8 for G30. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 731 and 1.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 83% of G30's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, G30 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
The Guides versus G30: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe GuidesG30
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.8 (731 ratings)4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better82.8% of reviews
Number of ratings7311.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer2 Fountains LLCKovalov Ivan

Customer experience

The Guides

All ratings731 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral0.5%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative8.2%

G30

All ratings1,415 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.7%

User reviews

The Guides

From 731 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging and engaging puzzles
  • 🧠 Exercises the mind
  • 🎨 Minimalist and visually appealing
  • 🕹️ Unique gameplay experience
  • 🕵️‍♂️ Intriguing storyline and mystery

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🤯 Puzzles can be overly complex or unclear
  • 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile
  • 🤔 Lack of clear instructions or guidance

G30

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Immersive experience
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals
  • 🎶 Soothing music
  • 🧠 Thought-provoking story
  • 👍 Unique and engaging puzzles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional grammar/spelling issues
  • ⏱️ Short length of the game
  • 🤔 Confusing or unclear instructions
  • 🤯 Frustratingly difficult puzzles
  • 🔁 Repetitive soundtrack

Bugs and requests

The Guides

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Puzzle solutions not being accepted correctly
  • App crashes or freezes when switching between puzzles

Requested features

3 requests
  • More frequent updates and new content
  • Improved UI and accessibility options
  • Hint system or gradual difficulty scaling

G30

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Missing words in some levels
  • Inability to go back and complete missed words
  • Frequent crashes or loading issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Hint system or accessibility options
  • Improved English proofreading
  • Support for larger tablet screens

In-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

None

G30

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is G30 free?
G30 costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Guides or G30?
G30 is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while G30 averages 4.8 from 1.4K ratings.
Do The Guides or G30 have ads?
Neither The Guides nor G30 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Guides or G30?
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and G30 every 2 months. Most recently, The Guides was updated on October 26, 2026 and G30 on October 24, 2026.

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