Comparison

The Guides vs ½ Halfway

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

½ Halfway

Guide two light elements to reunite and restore harmony in a black and white world. Strategically use objects to solve mind-bending puzzles and prove your puzzle-solving skills. Enjoy a stress-free, offline experience with beautiful minimalist artwork.

Highlights
  • Challenging hand-crafted levels
  • Offline play
  • Minimalist artwork & animations
  • Stress-free gameplay
  • Simple swipe controls
  • No ads or in-app purchases
Features
Read full description

In a world dominated by black and white, two elements are seeking a path to reunite and restore the harmony. Guide the light elements to destination and meet halfway using the help of the other objects strategically placed across the level and prove incredible puzzle solving skills by succeeding in mind bending situations. Halfway features: · Challenging hand crafted levels grouped into 4 chapters. · Play Offline, no internet connection required to play. · Beautiful, minimalist artwork & animations. · True black and white graphics. · No violence, stress free; play at your own pace. · No ads, no in-app purchases. Buy it once, own it forever. · Simple controls, Swipe to move · Easy to learn; no instructions needed! · Optimized for all iOS devices.

Screenshots

The Guides4 screens
½ Halfway4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Guides at 88% against ½ Halfway's 56%. The Guides also leads on update cadence (every 4 months vs every 56 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). ½ Halfway's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $2.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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 ½ Halfway $1.99 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 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Guides has 731 ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of The Guides's written reviews are positive against 56% of ½ Halfway's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Guides ships an update every 4 months, ½ Halfway every 56 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
The Guides versus ½ Halfway: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Guides½ Halfway
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.8 (731 ratings) — better4.4 (98 ratings)
Positive reviews87.7% of reviews — better55.6% of reviews
Number of ratings731 — better98
Update frequencyEvery 4 months — betterEvery 56 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#166 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer2 Fountains LLCTepes Ovidiu

Customer experience

The Guides

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

½ Halfway

All ratings98 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.1%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

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

½ Halfway

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

The Guides

No in-app purchases

None

½ Halfway

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Guides free?
The Guides costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ½ Halfway free?
½ Halfway costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Guides or ½ Halfway?
The Guides is rated higher. The Guides averages 4.8 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while ½ Halfway averages 4.4 from 98 ratings.
Do The Guides or ½ Halfway have ads?
Neither The Guides nor ½ Halfway shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Guides or ½ Halfway?
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, and ½ Halfway every 56 months. Most recently, The Guides was updated on October 20, 2026 and ½ Halfway on October 19, 2026.

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