Comparison

Blackbox vs The Controls Game

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

Head to head
About

Blackbox

This puzzle game challenges you to solve intricate problems without touching the screen. It utilizes minimalistic visual cues, sonic interfaces, and haptic feedback to guide you through unique challenges that require thinking outside the box. Discover a new way to interact with your device and prove your cleverness.

Highlights
  • Touchless gameplay
  • Minimalistic visual clues
  • Sonic interfaces
  • Haptic feedback
  • External puzzle solving
  • Easter eggs
Features
Read full description

So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box. Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again. Think you’re clever? Prove it. (Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.) ■

About

The Controls Game

Engage in a unique puzzle experience using familiar device controls like switches and sliders. Each level presents a challenge where logic is secondary to finding the correct solution to progress.

Highlights
  • Device control puzzles
  • Switch mechanics
  • Slider mechanics
  • Unique puzzle solving
  • Level progression
Features
Read full description

Didn't understand anything from the screenshots? The game is created from standard elements: • switches (those which enable / disable Wi-Fi) • sliders (those which adjust the brightness of the screen) • etc. This is a small set of puzzles ... Not so ... This is a smallest set of puzzles, where is no logic! You need to find a solution to open the next level.

Screenshots

Blackbox4 screens
The Controls Game3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blackbox at 4.8 against The Controls Game's 3.6. Blackbox also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 62%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 44 months). The Controls Game's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Blackbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Controls Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blackbox holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blackbox has 109K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Blackbox's written reviews are positive against 62% of The Controls Game's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blackbox ships an update every 9 days, The Controls Game every 44 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Blackbox versus The Controls Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlackboxThe Controls Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (109K ratings) — better3.6 (39 ratings)
Positive reviews92.6% of reviews — better61.5% of reviews
Number of ratings109K — better39
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 44 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#34 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size209 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShapes and Stories LLCGregory Strigunov

Customer experience

Blackbox

All ratings108,586 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews4,711 reviews
Positive92.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.8%

The Controls Game

All ratings39 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral12.8%
Negative25.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral11.5%
Negative26.9%

Bugs and requests

Blackbox

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Hints not working as expected
  • Progress reset after app update

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to earn hint credits through watching ads
  • Include more free puzzles
  • Improve accessibility for users with limited mobility
  • Provide better guidance and instructions for puzzles

The Controls Game

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Blackbox

One-time10
  • Tiny Hint Pack$1.19
  • Small Hint Pack$2.39
  • Erudite Pack$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Push Pack$2.99
  • Coffee for Ryan$4.49
  • Basic Pack$4.99
  • Medium Hint Pack$5.00
  • All Knowing Pack$7.99
  • Large Hint Pack$10.00
  • Extra Large Hint Pack$20.00
None

The Controls Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blackbox free?
Blackbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Controls Game free?
The Controls Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Blackbox or The Controls Game?
Blackbox is rated higher. Blackbox averages 4.8 out of 5 from 109K ratings, while The Controls Game averages 3.6 from 39 ratings.
Do Blackbox or The Controls Game have ads?
Neither Blackbox nor The Controls Game shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blackbox or The Controls Game?
Blackbox ships an update every 9 days, and The Controls Game every 44 months. Most recently, Blackbox was updated on October 17, 2026 and The Controls Game on October 12, 2026.

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