Magic River vs Mars
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic River
Navigate a boat down a river, avoiding obstacles and exploring various locations. Collect gems to unlock new characters and boats. Simple tap controls change the boat's direction.
- River navigation
- Obstacle avoidance
- Location exploration
- Gem collection
- Character unlocks
- Boat customization
Read full descriptionHide full description
Move through the river without hitting any obstacles! Explore different locations while drifting down the river! Collect gems to unlock awesome new characters and boats! Tap anywhere on the screen to change the direction of the boat.
Mars
Embark on a thrilling space adventure as a volunteer on a mission to Mars. Pilot a jetpack to explore the Martian surface, capture unique selfies, and navigate the challenges of interplanetary travel. Prove the doubters wrong and make history on this groundbreaking expedition.
- Explore Mars on a jetpack
- Take selfies on Mars
- Avoid Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies
- Discover Martian sights
- Volunteer for a space mission
Read full descriptionHide full description
MarsCorp is ready to take the first group of volunteers on an exciting mission to Mars! Fly around Mars in one of our brand new jetpacks and discover what’s out there. As part of the “Put A Human On Mars No Matter What” program, we are proud to announce that MarsCorp is the first company cutting enough corners to make human flights to Mars finally viable. So-called “professional” astronauts will tell you things like “No sane person would travel across space on that thing” or “The fuel on that jetpack lasts about 30 seconds”, but you can prove them wrong! Here’s your chance to make history! - Explore Mars on a jetpack. - Take selfies on Mars's greatest sightings. - Avoid Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies. - Have fun!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mars at 91% against Magic River's 33%. Mars also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.2) and ratings volume (22K vs 196). Magic River's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 12.0). On price, update cadence, 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. Magic River sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Mars sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Mars holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mars has 22K ratings behind it against 196, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Magic River's written reviews are positive against 91% of Mars's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic River | Mars |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (196 ratings) | 4.8 (22K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.9% of reviews | 90.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 196 | 22K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 182 MB | 256 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Ketchapp | Pomelo Games |
Customer experience
Magic River
Mars
User reviews
Magic River
From 196 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🕹️ Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Fun and challenging
Room to improve
- 🌀 Ads disrupt gameplay
- 🐛 Glitchy controls
- 🕰️ Repetitive scenery
Mars
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Relaxing and calming experience
- 👍 Variety of unique characters with different themes
- 👍 Optional ads that provide rewards
- 👍 Offline playability
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔁 Repetitive and can get boring over time
- 🔁 Lack of difficulty progression
- 🔁 Duplicate character unlocks can be frustrating
Bugs and requests
Magic River
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game crashes frequently
- Boat movement not responsive
- Leaderboard not updating properly
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to skip difficult missions
- More varied environments and obstacles
- Option to disable ads for a fee
Mars
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when taking selfies
- Streak resets when returning to a previous level
- Inconsistent controls and fuel usage
Requested features
4 requests- Add new planets and environments to explore
- Introduce different gameplay modes (e.g., time trials, challenges)
- Allow players to customize platforms and backgrounds
- Implement a way to revisit previous levels
In-app purchases
Magic River
- Remove Ads$1.99
Mars
- Arnold$0.99
- Little Martha$0.99
- Marselot$0.99
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Nigiri$0.99
- Ufo$0.99
- Discman$0.99
- Kestrel 5$0.99
- Eagle$0.99
- Stephen$3.99
- El Dorado$3.99
