Platu vs Lancewing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Platu
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Dive into the thrilling world of Platu, where the race to the finish line is anything but ordinary! Compete against your friends or players from around the globe in a fast-paced, obstacle-filled challenge. Leap over hurdles, dodge traps, and use your freezing powers to slow down your rivals, all while racing to be the first to cross the finish line. With nine unique levels to explore, every race is a new adventure. Are you ready to prove you have what it takes to become the ultimate champion? Download now and start racing!
Lancewing
Engage in fast-paced, one-screen aerial combat inspired by classic 8-bit arcade games. Master simple controls to flap, dive, and outmaneuver enemies in a lava-filled sky arena. Compete for high scores and unlock achievements.
- One-screen arcade combat
- Simple touch or stick controls
- Hand-made pixel art and chiptune audio
- Multiple enemy types and wave challenges
- Game Center leaderboards and achievements
- Accessible control options
- Optional ad removal purchase
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Lancewing is a fast, one-screen arcade battle in the sky, drawn and scored like the 8-bit games you remember. You ride a golden eagle over a lake of lava. Bat-riding raiders spawn on the floating ledges, and the rule is simple: when two lances meet, the higher one wins. Flap to climb, glide to dive, and hit them from above. EASY TO PICK UP • Touch the left side of the screen to flap left, the right side to flap right; hold to keep climbing. That's it. • Prefer a stick? Switch to slide-to-steer with a separate flap button, left-handed too. One hand busy? One Thumb mode: hold to climb, slide to steer. • First Flight, a one-minute guided flight, shows each move with arrows and a hand, then your first wave starts gently: one rider waits for you on the low ledge. • Fall toward the lava for the first time and the game throws you back up, slows down and shows you where to hold to climb. • Practice mode with slow, gentle riders (and half speed in its pause menu), and a Relaxed game speed for anyone who wants the action slower • A short How to Play page shows every enemy and trick. HARD TO PUT DOWN • Three kinds of riders, each with its own look: wandering Raiders, horned Marauders and plumed Warlords who always fight for the high ground • Unseated riders drop eggs: grab them for growing bonuses, catch them in midair for more, or watch them hatch into tougher foes • Gauntlet waves, nest waves, and lava geysers that bubble before they erupt • Linger too long and a wyvern comes hunting: only two blows from above will stop it • Extra life every 25,000 points 8-BIT AT HEART • Hand-made, shaded pixel art: wings beat in four frames, your eagle skids as it turns on a ledge and crouches as it lands, unseated knights tumble away and the lava rolls and glows • A chiptune title theme and sound effects made for this game, and an optional TV look with scanlines • Smooth, even motion on every screen, 120 Hz ProMotion included; a wrap-around arena and, on iPhone, a bump on every hit COMPETE • Game Center leaderboard and seven achievements • Your own top-ten Hall of Fame with initials, lifetime stats and every achievement, plus a Share button for your best runs • Your best score on screen as the one to beat, and with iCloud on, your Hall of Fame follows you to a new iPhone or iPad (no iCloud? keep a backup code instead) ACCESSIBLE • Every menu scales with your text size; each lost life is explained in words, not just color • One Thumb controls, a 3-2-1 countdown after pause, game controllers and keyboards FAIR AND PRIVATE No accounts and no tracking. One small banner on the title screen, never during play; the ads aren't personalized, and a one-time Remove ads purchase turns it off for good (Family Sharing included). Scores stay on your device (and in your own iCloud, if it's on); Game Center is Apple's own service and optional. Once a day the game reads a small file on utilava.com to learn whether a new version is out; the request carries nothing about you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Platu at none against Lancewing's 1. Lancewing's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Lancewing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Platu asks for nothing beyond the download.
Platu ships an update every 2 weeks, Lancewing every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Platu | Lancewing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 96 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Carlos Mejia | Meshnet Inc |
In-app purchases
Platu
No in-app purchases
Lancewing
- Remove ads$2.99






