Comparison

Pico Hero vs Puzzling Peaks EXE

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

Head to head
About

Pico Hero

Embark on an action-packed adventure to rescue kidnapped friends in this retro pixel puzzle-shooter. Master over 100 challenging levels, collect weapons, and even create and share your own levels.

Highlights
  • Puzzle-shooter gameplay
  • Over 100 challenging levels
  • Retro pixel graphics
  • Weapon and item collection
  • Level editor
  • Share custom levels
Features
Read full description

The friends of Pico has been kidnapped! Do you have what it takes to rescue them in this action packed Puzzle-Pixel-Shooter? Show your skills in adventure and training mode! Tackle exciting challenges, solve tricky puzzles, plant trees and master the boss battles! More than 100 challenging level cards with nice retro pixel graphics are waiting for you. Collect crucial weapons and items. Create your own level cards with the level editor and share them with your friends. Get more level cards by importing them from your gallery or scanning them with your camera.

About

Puzzling Peaks EXE

Experience a unique blend of pinball, platforming, and golf in this physics-based puzzle adventure. Guide a spherical hero through over 100 handcrafted challenges by manipulating the environment. Enjoy a charming postmodern story with intentional and unintentional comedy.

Highlights
  • Pinball, platforming, and golf hybrid gameplay
  • Physics-based puzzle mechanics
  • Rotate platforms to launch hero
  • Over 100 handcrafted challenges
  • Unique postmodern storytelling
  • Stunning pixel art and music
Features
Read full description

Pinball, platforming, and golf combine in Puzzling Peaks EXE, a hilariously mind-bending physics puzzle game about a spherical hero named Knightly, a highly confident administrator named Jasmin, and a quirky, artificially intelligent guide named A.I.D.E. INNOVATIVE STORYTELLING The unique recipe for storytelling that handed us several industry accolades is refined and expanded upon to craft a memorable tale for Puzzling Peaks EXE. We use a combination of stunning pixel art, music, and unique narrative techniques to paint a charming postmodern story that will keep players intrigued and entertained until the end. 100+ HANDCRAFTED CHALLENGES This game features a distinct gameplay mechanic: our hero cannot move on his own, so you’ll have to rotate platforms and manipulate environments to launch him around a beautiful 16-bit world. You'll need logic, brainpower, quick reflexes, and unconditional trust in A.I.D.E. to pass more than a hundred highly polished levels. You’ll be surprised that it doesn’t get old. INTENTIONAL AND UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY Our testers have been enjoying some of the game’s philosophical jokes, and moments that weren’t meant to be jokes. NO ADS AND NO IN-APP PURCHASES Buy once and play it forever. You can spend the rest of your life just playing this game if you really want to. POSSIBLY SPOOKY This game may contain horror elements and digital beings that could scare you. Given the history of our games, it wouldn’t surprise us anymore.

Screenshots

Pico Hero4 screens
Puzzling Peaks EXE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Puzzling Peaks EXE at none against Pico Hero's 1. Puzzling Peaks EXE also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Pico Hero's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $1.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On rating, review sentiment 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

Pico Hero costs $0.99 and Puzzling Peaks EXE $1.99 up front. Pico Hero sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Puzzling Peaks EXE asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pico Hero against 4.9 for Puzzling Peaks EXE. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 59 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Pico Hero's written reviews are positive against 94% of Puzzling Peaks EXE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pico Hero ships an update weekly, Puzzling Peaks EXE every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pico Hero versus Puzzling Peaks EXE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPico HeroPuzzling Peaks EXE
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating4.9 (16 ratings) — better4.9 (59 ratings)
Positive reviews89.3% of reviews94.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1659 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB57 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperJan JaschkeDarius Immanuel Guerrero

Customer experience

Pico Hero

All ratings16 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews56 reviews
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%

Puzzling Peaks EXE

All ratings59 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Pico Hero

One-time1
  • Unlimited lives$0.99
None

Puzzling Peaks EXE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pico Hero free?
Pico Hero costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Puzzling Peaks EXE free?
Puzzling Peaks EXE costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pico Hero or Puzzling Peaks EXE?
Pico Hero is rated higher. Pico Hero averages 4.9 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Puzzling Peaks EXE averages 4.9 from 59 ratings.
Do Pico Hero or Puzzling Peaks EXE have ads?
Pico Hero shows ads; Puzzling Peaks EXE does not.
Which is updated more often, Pico Hero or Puzzling Peaks EXE?
Pico Hero ships an update weekly, and Puzzling Peaks EXE every 2 days. Most recently, Pico Hero was updated on October 24, 2026 and Puzzling Peaks EXE on October 29, 2026.

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