What the Shell vs Cinquillo
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.
Cinquillo
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Cinquillo is a simple card game where you have to be the first to play all your cards, the first card to be played is the golden 5 and you can play any other 5 or a card adjacent to one already on the table. Play with your friends through Bluetooth and enjoy some quick games.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Cinquillo at every 2 days against What the Shell's every 8 days. Cinquillo also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
What the Shell ships an update every 8 days, Cinquillo every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | What the Shell | Cinquillo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 137 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chuck Smith | Guillermo Cique |
In-app purchases
What the Shell
No in-app purchases
Cinquillo
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is What the Shell free?
Is Cinquillo free?
Do What the Shell or Cinquillo have ads?
Which is updated more often, What the Shell or Cinquillo?
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