Comparison

The Guides vs Piano Cube !

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

Piano Cube !

This app combines cube solving with music creation. Memorize algorithms through melodies or compose music by manipulating cube patterns. It's a fun and unique tool for cubers of all levels.

Highlights
  • Cube solving with musical algorithms
  • Compose music using cube patterns
  • Support for 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 cubes
  • Customizable piano keyboards
  • Timer, scramble, and reset functions
  • Progress and preferences autosave
  • Switchable cube size and design
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Memorizing cube algorithms may be challenging, while music is very easy to memorize. Double your muscle memory with the Piano Cube! Every melody is an algorithm, and every algorithm is a melody. Discover new algorithms or compose music just by turning the 2×2×2 or 3×3×3 cube! Create cube patterns or algorithms using musical patterns! The Piano Cube is a fantastic, unique, and fun tool suitable for beginners, intermediates, and advanced cubers. Main features: - A selection of 16 2×2×2 and 3×3×3 cubes - Western and Japanese cube color schemes - Preset and customizable piano keyboards - Timer, turn metric, scramble and reset functions - Progress and preferences autosave function - Change the cube size and its design on the fly - Select your preferred musical instrument - Switch between portrait and landscape modes - Choose dark or light mode - Full-screen cube-solving mode - Enable/disable sounds - Ad-Free

Screenshots

The Guides4 screens
Piano Cube !4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Piano Cube ! at 100% against The Guides's 88%. Piano Cube ! also leads on chart position (#84 vs unranked). The Guides's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Piano Cube ! every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
The Guides versus Piano Cube !: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe GuidesPiano Cube !
Price$2.99$2.99
Rating4.8 (731 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings731 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#84 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer2 Fountains LLCEmilian Brenici

Customer experience

The Guides

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

Piano Cube !

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Piano Cube !

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

None

Piano Cube !

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Piano Cube ! free?
Piano Cube ! costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Guides or Piano Cube ! have ads?
Neither The Guides nor Piano Cube ! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Guides or Piano Cube !?
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and Piano Cube ! every 5 months. Most recently, The Guides was updated on October 26, 2026 and Piano Cube ! on October 26, 2026.

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