Comparison

Side Scroller Game vs Lantern

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

Head to head
About

Side Scroller Game

Embark on a retro adventure in this pixel art platformer. Run, jump, and shoot through desert levels filled with monsters and traps. Upgrade weapons and abilities to conquer challenges and find buried treasure.

Highlights
  • Retro pixel art graphics
  • Ten desert levels
  • Five upgradable weapons
  • Character upgrades
  • Explorable world map
  • Touch controls for landscape play
Features
Read full description

Barney is a retro side scroller in the spirit of the 16-bit era: run, jump and shoot your way through ten hand-built desert levels full of traps, monsters and buried treasure. Five weapons, each with its own feel: * Slime Gun * Rail Gun * Rocket Gun * Auto Rocket Gun * Grenade Gun Collect coins and XP, then spend them in Barney's shop to upgrade your jump, your attack and your defence, or to unlock faster reloads and extra bombs. FEATURES * Ten levels laid out on an explorable world map * Five upgradable weapons * Hand-drawn pixel art, animated frame by frame * Coins, XP points and a full upgrade shop * Checkpoints, so one mistake never costs you the level * Touch controls designed for landscape play * Universal: iPhone, iPad and Mac No timers, no waiting, no interruptions. Just a platformer that plays like the ones you grew up with.

About

Lantern

Navigate treacherous platforms, collect flames, and keep your lantern burning in this action platformer. Unlock new character skins and lantern colors as you progress through challenging levels and dynamic environments. Discover a secret bonus stage upon completing all levels.

Highlights
  • Skillful platforming gameplay
  • Collect flames to progress
  • Unlock character skins and lantern colors
  • Navigate treacherous traps and obstacles
  • Explore dynamic environments
  • Access secret bonus stage
Features
Read full description

Step into the thrilling world of Lantern, the ultimate action platformer that blends skillful gameplay with stunning visuals. Your mission: complete all the levels by collecting flames as you navigate treacherous platforms filled with traps and obstacles. Core Features Gameplay: Run, jump, and dodge traps while keeping your lantern burning. Collect and Customize: Unlock exciting character skins and lanterns in various colors with collected flames. Secret Level Limbo: Finish all levels to access this mysterious bonus stage. Challenging Obstacles: Master timing and precision as you face moving platforms, spikes. Dynamic Environments: Explore a variety of beautifully designed worlds, each with its own atmosphere and challenges

Screenshots

Side Scroller Game4 screens
Lantern4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Lantern at 100% against Side Scroller Game's 50%. Lantern also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15). Side Scroller Game's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Lantern sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Side Scroller Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 4 level
Side Scroller Game versus Lantern: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSide Scroller GameLantern
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews โ€” better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported โ€” betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac โ€” betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1512.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size37 MB200 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperJulien meyeriqbal kpekpassi fofana

Customer experience

Side Scroller Game

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Lantern

Written reviews16 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Side Scroller Game

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Lantern

One-time4
  • coin_500$0.99
  • coin_3000$3.99
  • coin_10000$8.99
Show 1 more
  • coin_50000$29.99

Questions

Is Side Scroller Game free?
Side Scroller Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lantern free?
Lantern is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Side Scroller Game or Lantern have ads?
Both Side Scroller Game and Lantern show ads.
Which is updated more often, Side Scroller Game or Lantern?
Side Scroller Game ships an update weekly, and Lantern weekly. Most recently, Side Scroller Game was updated on November 2, 2026 and Lantern on October 30, 2026.

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