Comparison

The Guides vs holedown

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

holedown

Dig deep underground by strategically shooting balls to break blocks and reach planet cores. Collect crystals for upgrades and master bouncing patterns in this charming, minimalist game with an original soundtrack. Enjoy hours of gameplay with procedurally generated planets and multiple modes.

Highlights
  • Dig through six planets
  • Collect crystals for upgrades
  • Procedurally generated planets
  • Original space acid soundtrack
  • Endless play mode
  • Intuitive one-handed play
Features
Read full description

Dig deep underground by shooting balls and breaking blocks, traversing your way to the planet cores. With limited shots per round and some blocks fixed firmly to the wall, thoughtfully strategize and aim for maximum impact. Knock down as many blocks as possible while collecting crystals for upgrades and getting deeper beneath the surface. Choose your ideal upgrades such as more starting balls, more shots per round, or storing more crystals, based on your play style and overall strategy. Work your way into the procedurally generated planets with a delightful spectacle of bouncing as you get closer to the planet’s core. Balance your plan between ball bouncing patterns and unpredictable, surprising bounces in this mesmerizing and curious game oozing with charm. Immerse yourself in a world of extravagant minimalistic art while jamming out to an original space acid soundtrack as you feel the satisfaction of digging further underground. Features: • Six planets to dig through • Original soundtrack of seven diverse and space-acid themed tunes • A tight experience with 5+ hours of gameplay’ • Intuitive, one-handed play • Endless play mode • 5 achievements • 11 leaderboards • Split view support • Toggle for screen shake

Screenshots

The Guides4 screens
holedown4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Guides at 4.8 against holedown's 4.3. The Guides also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 72%) and update cadence (every 4 months vs every 9 months). holedown's advantage is chart position (#110 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 holedown $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Guides holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 731 and 399 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 72% of holedown's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, holedown every 9 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Guides versus holedown: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Guidesholedown
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.8 (731 ratings) — better4.3 (399 ratings)
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better71.8% of reviews
Number of ratings731 — better399
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#110 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer2 Fountains LLCwebbfarbror AB

Customer experience

The Guides

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

holedown

All ratings398 ratings
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews202 reviews
Positive71.8%
Neutral14.4%
Negative13.9%

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

holedown

From 399 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Satisfying physics and animations
  • 🎨 Charming visuals and audio
  • 💰 Fair pricing, no ads or IAPs

Room to improve

  • 🔚 Short campaign length
  • 🔁 Lack of replayability after completion
  • 🔇 No option to disable sound effects
  • 🐛 Occasional save data loss

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

holedown

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Save data randomly resets
  • Gameplay freezes after certain actions
  • Sound effects not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planets/levels
  • Diverse block types and gameplay mechanics
  • Ability to skip crystal counting animation
  • Cloud save sync between devices

In-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

None

holedown

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is holedown free?
holedown costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Guides or holedown?
The Guides is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while holedown averages 4.3 from 399 ratings.
Do The Guides or holedown have ads?
Neither The Guides nor holedown shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Guides or holedown?
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and holedown every 9 months. Most recently, The Guides was updated on October 26, 2026 and holedown on October 26, 2026.

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