Comparison

Into the Dead vs The Executive

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

Head to head
About

Into the Dead

Survive a relentless zombie apocalypse by running as fast as possible. Arm yourself with powerful weapons and loyal companions to fend off the undead horde. Compete with friends and players worldwide for the highest scores in this intense survival experience.

Highlights
  • Intense zombie survival gameplay
  • Unlock weapons and perks
  • Collect canine companions
  • Mission sets for challenges
  • Global leaderboards and friend challenges
  • Multiple control schemes
Features
Read full description

Into the Dead throws you into the gruesome world of the zombie apocalypse where there are no second chances. Do what you have to in order to stay alive, keep moving as fast as you can, and protect yourself by any means necessary. When the Dead are rising, run! FEATURES: • Intense gameplay with stunning visuals, featuring Metal support, and high-quality sound design depicting a grim zombie apocalypse • Unlock an arsenal of powerful weapons and perks to help you stay alive • Collect loyal canine companions to help keep the horde off your back • Mission Sets provide constant challenges to overcome • Challenge your friends to beat your high scores and compete on global leaderboards with Facebook and GameCenter support • Multiple control schemes with 3D touch support (requires compatible device) • Share your runs with friends using ReplayKit (requires iOS 9) • Share progress between devices using iCloud • Ongoing updates to deliver new modes, features, and content We love to hear from our players! On Twitter? Drop us a line @pikpokgames and join the conversation with #IntoTheDead Into the Dead is free to play but offers some game items for purchase with real money.

About

The Executive

Engage in fast-paced martial arts combat and thrilling acrobatic stunts as a CEO fighting werewolves. Run a mining company to earn money and upgrade your abilities across 120 hand-crafted levels. Experience a cinematic action game with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Martial arts combat system
  • Acrobatic stunt segments
  • Mining company simulation
  • 120 hand-crafted levels
  • Dozens of abilities and skills
  • Over 50 unique enemies
  • 12 challenging bosses
Features
Read full description

Flame kick werewolves, perform thrilling acrobatic stunts, and run a trillion dollar mining company in Riverman Media’s combat-action masterpiece! The Executive is a fast-paced, cinematic martial-arts action game designed from the ground up for iPhone and iPad. You are the CEO of a company that has been infiltrated by werewolves, and it’s your job to save your employees, and eventually the entire city, from their dastardly schemes. OUR PROMISE TO YOU: No ads. No getting suckered into buying more stuff later. The whole game, for one price, for all updates, forever. The Executive combines a high-speed combat system, timing-based running and platforming, 120 hand-crafted levels, a full inventory of moves and upgrades, and a simple mining company simulation for earning money, all into one cohesive experience. The fighting engine evokes a cross between Street Fighter II and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, with controls designed from scratch to be ideal for touch screens. The platforming (or “stunt”) segments require precise timing, similar to Elite Beat Agents but with an emphasis on visual timing instead of musical rhythm. Both of these mechanics are brought together by the SP bar, which allows you to execute gesture-based special moves like flame kicks, health restoration, and even morphing your character’s arm into a silver spike to impale foes. The Executive uses Riverman Media’s proprietary animation system to bring to life its large, hand-drawn 2D sprites with an unprecedented amount of smoothness and detail. The Executive represents the pinnacle of Riverman Media’s research and development into new 2D graphics technology. FEATURES + 120 levels, hand-crafted one pixel at a time. No randomly generated endless filler. + Dozens of abilities and skills to learn + Battle enemies and execute stunts in every level + Over 50 unique enemies, each with their own intelligence, strengths, and weaknesses + Invest in your mining company and earn money continuously + 12 Menacing bosses that will require your strategy and skill to defeat + Universal App: purchase it once, play forever on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch + 12 Challenging achievements + High-definition “Retina” graphics for all supported devices, Retina HD graphics on iPhone 6+ + iCloud support: touch the Book icon from the main menu to transfer progress between devices! ―――――――――― Riverman Media is two brothers who have dedicated their lives to the art of 2D game making ―――――――――― * Street Fighter 2, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Elite Beat Agents are not affiliated with Riverman Media or The Executive.

Screenshots

Into the Dead4 screens
The Executive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Into the Dead at Free against The Executive's $2.99. Into the Dead also leads on ratings volume (11K vs 87) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). The Executive's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Into the Dead is free to download; The Executive costs $2.99 up front. Into the Dead sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Executive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Into the Dead holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Into the Dead has 11K ratings behind it against 87, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Into the Dead's written reviews are positive against 82% of The Executive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Into the Dead ships an update every 3 months, The Executive every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Into the Dead versus The Executive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInto the DeadThe Executive
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.7 (11K ratings) — better4.4 (87 ratings)
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews — better81.6% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better87
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size314 MB1.1 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperPikPokRiverman Media LLC

Customer experience

Into the Dead

All ratings10,519 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews676 reviews
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.6%
Negative5.8%

The Executive

All ratings86 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral4.7%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative14.1%

User reviews

Into the Dead

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 🎨 Great graphics
  • 💯 Classic zombie game
  • 🐕 Enjoyable dog companion

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Limited weapon variety without paying
  • 📺 Too many ads
  • 🔁 Repetitive environments

The Executive

From 87 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun game with cool art
  • 👍 Smooth and intuitive controls
  • 💰 Engaging economy/mining system
  • 🕹️ Challenging but rewarding gameplay
  • 🎨 Unique and stylish visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or compatibility issues
  • 🕹️ Difficulty spikes in later levels
  • 💰 Upgrades become too expensive late game
  • 🕹️ Repetitive gameplay after a while

Bugs and requests

Into the Dead

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes during gameplay
  • Issues with ad integration disrupting gameplay

Requested features

4 requests
  • More game modes and environments
  • Ability to purchase weapons with in-game currency
  • Improved story or narrative elements
  • Multiplayer or co-op functionality

The Executive

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes when revisiting early levels
  • Unresponsive controls in certain situations

Requested features

4 requests
  • More enemy variety
  • Additional levels or content updates
  • Ability to reset progress or start over
  • Cloud save/sync support

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Into the Dead

One-time10
  • Small Coin Pack$0.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$2.99
  • Coin Doubler$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Premium Weapon - Crossbow$2.99
  • Wolf "Ghost"$3.99
  • Large Coin Pack$4.99
  • Companion: Sabre$4.99
  • Unlock all dogs (Blitz, Cairo, Titan, Ghost)$5.99
  • Huge Coin Pack$9.99
  • Super Coin Pack$19.99
None

The Executive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Into the Dead free?
Into the Dead is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Executive free?
The Executive costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Into the Dead or The Executive?
Into the Dead is rated higher. Into the Dead averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while The Executive averages 4.4 from 87 ratings.
Do Into the Dead or The Executive have ads?
Into the Dead shows ads; The Executive does not.
Which is updated more often, Into the Dead or The Executive?
Into the Dead ships an update every 3 months, and The Executive every 5 months. Most recently, Into the Dead was updated on October 28, 2026 and The Executive on October 23, 2026.

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