What the Shell vs LightsOutHex
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
What the Shell
A fast-paced, strategic board game where players capture turtles and claim neutral eggs. It offers dynamic, original gameplay with simultaneous turns, encouraging aggressive play and quick thinking. Enjoy challenging matches against friends or AI.
- Dynamic and original gameplay
- Simultaneous play
- Capture opponent's turtles
- Claim neutral eggs
- Play against AI
- Play with friends
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You both move at the same time, in secret. Only when the turtles land do you find out whose plan just fell apart. Oh no — this ain't your traditional five-in-a-row. What the Shell is the one you reach for when you and a friend are bored on the couch: "Wanna play What the Shell?" A game between two beginners can be over in three minutes, and somehow you're still at it two hours later, laughing every time your minds collide and another egg turns up on the board. "Simultaneous play boosts the fun of this intuitive, yet surprisingly deep board game." — Matthias Titze, Clarc producer (German Computer Game Award winner) There's no taking turns, and nobody goes first — so nobody gets the first-player edge. You lock in your move, your friend locks in theirs, and the board resolves both at once. Strategy still wins games, but you're up against a mind you can't see, and you never know where she just played. Sandwich two of their turtles and they're gone. Both reach for the same square and your turtles crash into an egg — and an egg is a curious thing: you can capture it, or hatch it. One bold move flips a game you'd already written off. Capture at the right moment and a chain reaction can tear through the position your friend spent the whole game building. It's never won or lost until the last move. Made for two: • Sit down together, each on your own phone or tablet, and battle it out face to face — best enjoyed in the same room • Or play online at your own pace, whether your friend's across town or across the world • No one around? Tap Quick Match for a random opponent, or take on the panda offline, from an easygoing Newcomer to a tough Expert • Got a controller? Connect it to your iPad or iPhone and play however you want Read the board, then read your friend. Capture a couple of turtles, deal with the eggs, line up five in a row — and enjoy the look on his face when it all comes together.
LightsOutHex
A puzzle game where players tap squares to reverse their brightness and that of surrounding squares. The goal is to clear the stage by making all squares dark. Features online rankings for competitive play.
- Brightness reversal mechanic
- Stage clearing puzzles
- Online ranking system
- Simple tap controls
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If you can erase all the shining squares, it is stage clear. The brightness of the tapped square and the surrounding square will be reversed. Online ranking compatible.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: What the Shell at 100% against LightsOutHex's 0%. What the Shell also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). LightsOutHex's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
What the Shell holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: What the Shell has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of What the Shell's written reviews are positive against 0% of LightsOutHex's.
| Parameter | What the Shell | LightsOutHex |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 7.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chuck Smith | YUTA MIYOSHI |
Customer experience
What the Shell
LightsOutHex
In-app purchases
What the Shell
No in-app purchases
LightsOutHex
No in-app purchases









