Billy Frontier vs PapiRiver
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Billy Frontier
Embark on a galactic adventure as a space cowboy eliminating alien outlaws. This 3D game blends arcade action with adventure, featuring intense duels, thrilling chases, and target practice. Experience a unique spaghetti western-inspired universe.
- Galactic outlaw hunting
- 3D space cowboy adventure
- Arcade-style duels
- Stampede evasion
- Shooting gallery challenges
Read full descriptionHide full description
• WINNER of the Pocket Gamer Silver Award! Billy Frontier is a space cowboy who's mission is to rid the galaxy of alien outlaws. This is the most diverse 3D game you'll find for iOS - it is a combination of adventure game and arcade game with a whole lot of blood spewing action in-between! You'll test your reflexes in Duels, see if you can outrun a stampeding herd of Kanga-Cows (half kangaroo, half cow), hunt down alien bandits in gun battles, and blast catapulted critters out of the sky in the Shooting Gallery! This is a great game that pays homage to the spaghetti western genre!
PapiRiver
Navigate Mr. Papi down a winding river by tilting your device. Avoid hitting the riverbanks to prevent being pushed back. The closer you get to the bottom edge, the higher your score.
- Tilt controls
- River navigation
- Score multiplier
- Avoid obstacles
- Endless runner style
Read full descriptionHide full description
PapiRiver is a scroll action game. Mr.Papi (red ball guy) is going down a river. Tilt your iPhone to left and right to lead him along the river! If he hits the bank of the river, he is pushed back. The game ends if he goes out of the upper edge of the screen. Note that you can get more score when he gets closer to the bottom edge of the screen.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: PapiRiver at Free against Billy Frontier's $0.99. PapiRiver also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7). Billy Frontier's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (65% vs 56%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases 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
PapiRiver is free to download; Billy Frontier costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PapiRiver holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 15 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Billy Frontier's written reviews are positive against 56% of PapiRiver's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Billy Frontier ships an update every 2 months, PapiRiver every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Billy Frontier | PapiRiver |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (14 ratings) | 4.8 (15 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews — better | 55.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 15 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 71 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pangea Software, Inc. | Yohei Iwasaki |
Customer experience
Billy Frontier
PapiRiver
User reviews
Billy Frontier
From 14 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great graphics and sound
- 👍 Diverse gameplay modes
- 💡 Unique western-alien theme
- 🤑 Excellent value for money
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🎯 Inaccurate shooting controls
- 🕰️ Short gameplay with limited content
- 🤔 Unintuitive control settings
PapiRiver
From 15 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🚀 Simple and easy to pick up
- 💡 Unique river-based mechanics
- 😊 Nostalgic and charming character
Room to improve
- 🐛 Sensitive controls and poor handling
- 🔨 Repetitive and lacking in depth
- 🎨 Outdated and unappealing graphics
- 🔋 Can cause eye strain after prolonged play
Bugs and requests
Billy Frontier
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game crashes on launch or during play
- Shooting controls not responsive or accurate
- Saved progress lost after crashes
- Control settings reset on each launch
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and gameplay modes
- Difficulty settings and progression
- Ability to save progress and high scores
- Customization options (e.g. disable blood)
PapiRiver
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
- Inconsistent performance and responsiveness
Requested features
4 requests- More game modes and levels
- Ability to save and track high scores
- Customization options for the character and environment
- Integration with social features and leaderboards
In-app purchases
Billy Frontier
No in-app purchases
PapiRiver
No in-app purchases
