Punch Kick Duck vs Populus Run
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Punch Kick Duck
Engage in fluid fighting action with simple controls and challenging gameplay. Master the timing of punches, kicks, and ducks to defeat enemies and climb a tower to confront a cruel baron. This score-chaser game offers multiple difficulty levels and a cast of characters.
- Fluid fighting action
- Simple responsive touch controls
- Three selectable difficulty levels
- Unbox a colorful cast of characters
- Playable in landscape and portrait
- Cloud saves
- Controller support
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Fighting is all about timing. Just ask any duck. The right move + right time = swift victory. All you need to do is PUNCH KICK DUCK! The cruel Baron Tigrisso has imprisoned you in his tower. Fight hordes of the Baron’s hench-critters as you battle up the tower to confront your captor. Simple controls & challenging action mean you'll soon be sending foes flying and chasing high scores. But be warned, your enemies are as determined as they are numerous, so you'll need to think quick and act quicker!! Just remember these three golden rules, passed down by countless generations of ducks: PUNCH beats KICK KICK beats DUCK DUCK beats PUNCH Oh, and don’t forget to RUN. You don’t want to meet The BEAR. Think you can handle it? Sure you can. You’re one tough duck! - Three selectable difficulty levels. - Unbox a colorful cast of characters. - Playable in both landscape and portrait orientation. - Cloud saves. - Simple responsive touch controls. - Controller support. From the creator of Shoot The Moon, Punch Kick Duck is a compact, lovingly made score-chaser game designed to test your skills without emptying your wallet.
Populus Run
Control a crowd of people in this unique running game. Dodge obstacles, battle quirky bosses, and discover hidden characters. Enjoy the full experience with a one-time purchase.
- Control a crowd of people
- Dodge giant fast food
- Slide down pipes
- Battle rapper bosses
- Hardcore mode
- Collect secret characters
- Original soundtrack
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Play the opening levels for free with no ads. Unlock the full game forever with a single in-app purchase. Populus Run is the unconventional running game where you control a crowd of people. • Dodge giant fast food • Slide down pipes like at a waterpark • Battle rapper bosses, including Macaron, Donut, and Burger • Test yourself in Hardcore mode • Collect all the secret characters who are hidden in the levels • Show your respect for the upbeat original soundtrack with its choral singing Populus Run was originally released exclusively on Apple Arcade. Now it's available on the App Store. If you've played the game before, your progress and achievements will be carried over.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Populus Run at none against Punch Kick Duck's shown. Populus Run also leads on device support (5 vs 3). Punch Kick Duck's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Punch Kick Duck sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Populus Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Punch Kick Duck against 4.7 for Populus Run. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Punch Kick Duck's written reviews are positive against 70% of Populus Run's.
Punch Kick Duck ships an update every 3 weeks, Populus Run every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Punch Kick Duck | Populus Run |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (2K ratings) | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better | 69.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2K — better | 1.5K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 523 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Shaun Coleman | FIFTYTWO |
Customer experience
Punch Kick Duck
Populus Run
User reviews
Punch Kick Duck
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Charming graphics
- 🎨 Unique characters
- 🕹️ Satisfying combat mechanics
- 💯 Highly polished and well-made
Room to improve
- 🔍 Buttons/controls can be hard to see
- 🐝 Enemies like bees and foxes are frustrating
- 🕰️ Levels get very difficult quickly
- 🤯 Overwhelming number of enemies at times
- 🤕 High difficulty even on easy mode
Populus Run
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Amazing game
- 👍 Great developers
- 👍 Fantastic music
- 👍 Relaxing and fun
- 👍 Colorful and visually appealing
Room to improve
- 💰 Paywall after first few levels
- 🐛 Occasional performance issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on some devices
Bugs and requests
Punch Kick Duck
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional crashes or freezes
- Inconsistent enemy behavior and hitboxes
Requested features
5 requests- More levels and content
- Endless mode or challenge mode
- Ability to adjust difficulty more granularly
- Controller support
- Improved visibility of buttons/controls
Populus Run
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing on login screen
- Graphical glitches on certain devices
- Saved data not restoring properly
Requested features
4 requests- Make the full game free to play
- Add more levels and worlds
- Improve level selection UI
- Allow customization of controls
In-app purchases
Punch Kick Duck
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Big Bizzo$1.99
- Lil Bargo$1.99
Populus Run
- Full Game$3.99
Questions
Is Punch Kick Duck free?
Is Populus Run free?
Which has better reviews, Punch Kick Duck or Populus Run?
Do Punch Kick Duck or Populus Run have ads?
Which is updated more often, Punch Kick Duck or Populus Run?
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