The Guides vs Escavé
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Hundreds of challenging codes and puzzles
- Interactive ciphers
- Fragmented story to unravel
- Integrated decoding tools (Morse, binary)
- Screenshot saving for clues
- Distress support system
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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
Escavé
Explore the real world with augmented reality to solve riddles and find hidden objects. Scan your discoveries to collect them in a unique 3D inventory. Engage in daily challenges and build your collection.
- Augmented reality scavenger hunts
- Solve daily riddles
- Scan real-world objects
- 3D inventory collection
- Object detection gameplay
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Escavé turns the real world into a puzzle. Solve daily riddles, explore your surroundings, and use your camera to discover and capture real-world objects in 3D. Each day presents a new “What am I?” challenge. Find the answer in the real world with excavate mode, verify it using your camera, and bring it to life with 3D scanning to build your personal collection. FEATURES • Daily Riddles New “What am I?” challenges every day • Real-World Detection Find and verify answers using your camera • 3D Scanning & Collection Capture objects and build your personal inventory • Progression & Rewards Earn XP, build streaks, unlock achievements, and climb the leaderboard New updates are added regularly - keep exploring. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Escavé at Free against The Guides's $2.99. Escavé also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). The Guides's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ratings volume (731 vs 5). On 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
Escavé is free to download; The Guides costs $2.99 up front. Escavé sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. The Guides asks for nothing beyond the download.
Escavé holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Guides has 731 ratings behind it against 5, 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 100% of Escavé's.
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, Escavé every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.
| Parameter | The Guides | Escavé |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (731 ratings) | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 731 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 190 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 2 Fountains LLC | Archaic Inc. |
Customer experience
The Guides
Escavé
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
Escavé
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Guides
No in-app purchases
Escavé
- Escave+$4.991 Month
- Streak Freeze$0.99
- Escave Token$0.99
- Streak Rewind$0.99
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- Double XP$0.99
- Escave Token x6$4.99
- Escave Token x10$8.99









