The Guides vs CULLPRIT
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
CULLPRIT
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A murder, a grid, and one person who cannot be telling the truth. Cullprit is three deduction games in one, each with a fresh case every day. You do not read clues and tick boxes — you solve a puzzle to earn the evidence, then work out who did it. The deduction is yours. The app never crosses anyone off for you. THREE GAMES, THREE WAYS TO CATCH SOMEONE BONEYARD — Northmere House Lay dominoes across the rooms so every room's rule holds. Five accounts of the evening, and only one that cannot be true: the person whose bone never left a single room. SCENES — The Grand Hotel Place everyone on the floor plan from the clues, one to a row and one to a column, then work out who was carrying what. Whoever holds the murder weapon did it. TRACKS — Follow the line Draw a single railway line that matches every row and column count. The line passes over letters, the letters spell a word, and the word clears suspects until one is left standing. THREE DAILY CASES, ALWAYS FREE One from each game, the same for everybody, with its own streak. Share how you did without giving the answer away. A HUNDRED CASES TO WORK THROUGH Forty Boneyard cases, forty Scenes and twenty Tracks — the casebooks, with a message hidden across each season and a final culprit waiting at the end of the line. PLAYS ANYWHERE Every puzzle is inside the app, so it all works with no connection at all. No adverts. No account. Nothing to sign up to. BUILT FROM THE BOOKS Cullprit began in print, and every case here was checked by the same solver the game uses. Each has exactly one answer, and there is always enough to find it — no guessing, and never two suspects who both fit. Solve the puzzle. Name the culprit.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: CULLPRIT at Free against The Guides's $2.99. CULLPRIT also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). The Guides's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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
CULLPRIT is free to download; The Guides costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
The Guides ships an update every 4 months, CULLPRIT fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Guides | CULLPRIT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (732 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 732 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 2 Fountains LLC | Denella Ltd |
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
CULLPRIT
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The Guides
No in-app purchases
CULLPRIT
No in-app purchases









