Comparison

"HOOK" vs kubic

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

"HOOK"

A tranquil puzzle game where you strategically remove hooks from a board. Enjoy a stress-free experience with no ads, time limits, or scores. Discover new mechanics across numerous levels with a calming soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Relaxing gameplay
  • No ads or time restrictions
  • 60+ levels
  • Calming soundtrack
  • Dark Mode
  • Cloud Saves
Features
Read full description

"Hook" is a minimal, relaxing puzzle game. Your goal is to remove all the hooks from the board by using various game mechanics that you'll discover along the way. My game is designed to be played without any pressure or stress. There is no ads, no time restrictions or scores. So just chill and enjoy 60 ( and more coming ) levels while listening to a calming soundtrack made by Wojciech Wasiak. - Minimalistic - Relaxing - Simple - Zen - No ads - Dark Mode - Cloud Saves - Made by a solo developer - Can be played offline - Great meditative, ambient soundtrack - 2 milion downloads worldwide Feel free to check out my other games at https://www.rainbowtrain.eu/

About

kubic

This optical illusion puzzle game challenges players to construct impossible structures inspired by M.C. Escher's art. With a clean design and minimalistic graphics, it offers over 60 mind-bending puzzles across various geometric and spatial themes. Features include layer locking, zoom, and an in-game hint system to aid progression.

Highlights
  • Optical illusion puzzles
  • M.C. Escher inspired designs
  • Geometric and impossible objects
  • Layer locking and manipulation
  • Zoom and view controls
  • In-game hint system
  • Progress syncing via iCloud
Features
Read full description

***** #1 Puzzle Game in over 20 Countries! ***** ***** "This quirky puzzle game bends the limits of space and reality to make you create structures that, in theory, should be impossible to replicate." - Pocket Gamer 8/10 ***** ***** "As soothing as it is challenging, this grown-up puzzler opened our minds. Time flew by as we recreated sculpture after sculpture in increasingly difficult configurations. The game’s 3D graphics invite focus and sharpen problem-solving skills, making it an entertaining brain-builder. M.C. Escher would be impressed by the twisty, physics-defying structures." - App Store Notes ***** kubic is a unique optical illusion puzzle game based on M.C. Escher's art, impossible objects and other geometric designs. The object is to construct the goal configuration from a number of pieces. Presented in a simple, clean design and minimalistic art, kubic is a premium game with over 60 escher-esque puzzles. When you click on a piece, it pops to the front-most layer, and may overlap other pieces. When you combine the pieces, they do not merge. If there are extra pieces, you may hide them behind the others. You can also lock layers and drag pieces without changing their layer order. You can also use two finger pinch to zoom in and out and drag the view for a better control. If you are stuck on a puzzle you can simply skip it and re-visit at a later time. Rest assured, all puzzles can be solved but beware, some puzzles are hard! Just take your time...Tip: It helps to plan ahead and build figures from back to front. If you truly get stuck, there is a in-game hint system. You can use it to get started or even get the whole puzzle solved. Levels divided in 6 groups: • Ocean - "2D" Shapes are basically two-dimensional arrangements. • Desert - "3D" Shapes appear to be three-dimensional, but remember to think in two dimensions. • Mountain - "Convex/Concave" These optical illusions are inspired by Escher's famous "Convex and Concave" lithograph. • Sky - "Up/Down" These optical illusions are inspired by the Penrose Triangle featured in Escher's lithograph "Waterfall”. • Escher - Based on letter designs that spell out MC ESCHER. • Print - Based on the printable magazine version of Convex-Concave puzzles. Kubic is localized and supports 12 languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish Game supports iCloud for progress syncing between devices. Convex Concave puzzles from the Heaven and Earth game are included with permission. The puzzles were designed by Scott Kim, Puzzlemaster (scottkim.com), and the Heaven & Earth team. Enjoy!

Screenshots

"HOOK"4 screens
kubic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: "HOOK" at 95% against kubic's 36%. "HOOK" also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). kubic's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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

kubic is free to download; "HOOK" costs $2.99 up front. kubic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. "HOOK" asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

"HOOK" holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 509 and 245 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of "HOOK"'s written reviews are positive against 36% of kubic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

"HOOK" ships an update every 5 months, kubic every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
"HOOK" versus kubic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter"HOOK"kubic
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (509 ratings) — better4.4 (245 ratings)
Positive reviews94.8% of reviews — better36.4% of reviews
Number of ratings509 — better245
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size216 MB383 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaciej TargoniPixel Envision Ltd.

Customer experience

"HOOK"

All ratings509 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews382 reviews
Positive94.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.4%

kubic

All ratings245 ratings
Positive82.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral15.2%
Negative48.5%

User reviews

"HOOK"

From 509 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Relaxing and challenging
  • 🎨 Elegant and minimalistic design
  • 🎶 Calming background music
  • 💡 Unique puzzle mechanics
  • 🧠 Mentally stimulating

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to see overlapping elements
  • 🔚 Not enough levels

kubic

From 245 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Original and clever puzzles
  • 🧠 Mind-bending challenges
  • 👍 Fun and engaging gameplay
  • ✨ Well-realized game concept
  • 🤔 Puzzles make you think

Room to improve

  • 😠 Frustrating tile placement
  • 📉 Steep difficulty curve
  • 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 😩 Stressful user experience
  • ⚠️ Ads interrupt gameplay

Bugs and requests

"HOOK"

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game gets stuck on startup screen
  • No ability to save progress

Requested features

5 requests
  • More levels
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to disable audio
  • Level editor
  • Additional puzzle mechanics

kubic

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Tiles not sticking correctly
  • App won't launch offline
  • App won't load/crashes on launch
  • In-app purchase attempts forced
  • Bug with in-app purchase activation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Fix tile placement issues
  • Improve difficulty curve
  • Option to rotate puzzles
  • Option to lock in pieces
  • Dark mode for night play

In-app purchases

None

"HOOK"

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

kubic

One-time5
  • 10 Hints$0.99
  • No Ads$1.99
  • 25 Hints$1.99
Show 2 more
  • 50 Hints$2.99
  • 100 Hints$3.99

Questions

Is "HOOK" free?
"HOOK" costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is kubic free?
kubic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, "HOOK" or kubic?
"HOOK" is rated higher. "HOOK" averages 4.8 out of 5 from 509 ratings, while kubic averages 4.4 from 245 ratings.
Do "HOOK" or kubic have ads?
kubic shows ads; "HOOK" does not.
Which is updated more often, "HOOK" or kubic?
"HOOK" ships an update every 5 months, and kubic every 2 months. Most recently, "HOOK" was updated on September 22, 2026 and kubic on September 9, 2026.

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