Lode Runner Classic vs Super Runner Classic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lode Runner Classic
Navigate maze-like levels, collecting gold while dodging enemies. Blast blocks to create paths or trap pursuers. Enjoy 150 classic levels with modern enhancements like zoom and adjustable speed.
- 150 classic levels
- Two game modes
- Screen magnification
- Adjustable play speed
- Customizable color palettes
- Worldwide leaderboards
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DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON FOOL’S GOLD Play the authentic Lode Runner… this is the real deal! AWARD WINNING GAMEPLAY Lode Runner Classic combines the game play and all 150 levels of the award-winning Apple II original Lode Runner with graphics and features engineered for today's advanced smartphones. The game's frantic action takes place in maze-like, static levels, where a single player dodges enemies while running and climbing to reach and claim stacks of gold. No jumping is allowed. And shooting enemies is forbidden, but you can blast blocks to access lower platforms or trap pursuing enemies. Winding your way through ever-increasing levels of complexity makes for a superior challenge, but now you can choose to play any one of the 150 levels at any time. EXCITING NEW FEATURES Although the gameplay remains true to the original Apple II version, there are plenty of new features to enhance the experience. You can magnify the screen around the Runner, set the play speed, adjust the coloring of the art and compete for top spot on the worldwide leaderboards. •150 puzzling levels – all unlocked and accessible •Two game modes – Expedition and Time Attack •New magnification effect – zoom the action around the Runner •Multiple play speeds – super slow to superfast action •Fully adjustable color palettes •Worldwide leaderboards •Multiple control schemes •Illustrated How to Play section "When the first Lode Runner came out on the Apple II, the last thing I expected was that the game would be alive and kicking on a platform as advanced as today’s smartphones more than 25 years later. It's really gratifying to me that so many people are still interested in the game." Douglas E. Smith, Original Creator “In the early days, there was Lode Runner. I consider it a real puzzle game. That was my favorite for many, many years. It’s such a good combination of dynamic stuff, the finger-work, and real planning and puzzle-solving. Every level was a real puzzle with its own mechanics, its own dynamics, its own kind of solution. At the same time, it was an arcade game to play. This combination was done absolutely right. I can’t imagine any other game with such inventive and unusual design.” Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris Creator Interview with Edge Magazine Tozai Games and Lode Runner are trademarks of Tozai, Inc. registered or protected in the US and other countries. Lode Runner is protected under US and international copyright laws ©1983-2017 Tozai, Inc. All rights reserved.
Super Runner Classic
Navigate challenging levels, collecting gold while outsmarting pursuing guards. Utilize digging mechanics to trap enemies and strategize your path through intricate brick platforms. Enjoy retro graphics and sound for an authentic classic gaming experience.
- 201 free and unlockable levels
- Customizable joystick or D-Pad controls
- Retro graphics and sound effects
- Digging mechanics to trap guards
- Platform traversal with ladders and bars
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Classic lode runner game. Collect all the gold while avoiding guards that try to catch you. Enjoy 201 classic levels—free and fully unlocked. [Feature] - 201 free and unlock levels - Choose the joystick or D-Pad, and you can also resize it to give you the best control experience - Retro game graphics and sound effects, let you relive the past experience [Control] - Joystick/D-Pad: move the player - A button: Dig a hole at the right side - B button: Dig a hole at the left side [Introduction] The player must collect all the gold in a level while avoiding guards who try to catch the player. After collecting all the gold, the player must touch the top of the screen to reach the next level. Levels feature a multi-story, brick platform motif, with ladders and suspended hand-to-hand bars that offer multiple ways to travel throughout. The player can dig holes into floors to temporarily trap guards and may safely walk atop trapped guards. Should a guard be carrying a bar of gold when he falls into a hole it will be left behind, and can be retrieved by the player. Over time, floors dug into will regenerate, filling in these holes. A trapped guard who cannot escape a hole before it fills is consumed, immediately respawning in a random location at the top of the level. Unlike guards, the player's character may not climb up out of a hole, and will be killed if it fills before he can escape by other means. Floors may also contain trapdoors, through which the player and guards will fall, and bedrock, through which the player cannot dig. The player can only dig a hole to the sides, and not directly underneath himself. This introduces an important strategy for when digging a hole x blocks deep, the player must first dig a gap at least x wide to be able to dig through it, as the number of spaces will shrink with each layer, and the player needs at least one free adjacent space to be able to dig. However, exceptions to this rule arise when the player digs from the position of standing on a ladder, or hanging from a hand-to-hand bar, which allows the player to repeatedly dig and descend one row. This kind of digging is involved in solving many of the levels. The player starts with five lives; each level completion awards an extra life. Should a guard catch the player, one life is subtracted, and the current level restarts. The player's character can fall from arbitrary heights without any injury but cannot jump, and players can trap themselves in pits from which the only escape is to abort the level, costing a life, and begin again. The player may come into contact with a guard directly from above, with the stick figure's feet touching the guard's head. This is what enables the player to walk over guards who are temporarily stuck in a hole that has been dug. It is also possible to make this contact while both the guard and the player are in free fall, since the player not only runs faster than the guards, but also falls faster; moreover, it is possible to survive the feet-to-head contact while a guard is standing on a platform and begins to move. Both forms of contact are necessary to solve some levels. Sometimes it is necessary to liberate a trapped guard by digging while standing on his head, but then moving rapidly in the opposite direction when the guard begins marching to freedom. In a few levels, it is necessary to use a falling guard as a bridge to reach an otherwise unreachable area. One subtlety is that if a down movement is initiated while standing on a guard's head, or briefly touching the guard's head during free fall, the consequences are fatal. In some levels, guards can be deliberately trapped in various ways. They can be lured into entering a part of the level from which there is no escape. In some situations, the player can liberate trapped guards by digging them out. In some levels, to collect some gold pieces, the player must exploit the guards into collecting gold pieces. Try to clear all the levels!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Super Runner Classic at Free against Lode Runner Classic's $2.99. Lode Runner Classic's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.3) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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
Super Runner Classic is free to download; Lode Runner Classic costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lode Runner Classic holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Lode Runner Classic's written reviews are positive against 49% of Super Runner Classic's.
Lode Runner Classic ships an update every 5 weeks, Super Runner Classic every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and July 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lode Runner Classic | Super Runner Classic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.9 (34 ratings) — better | 3.3 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.3% of reviews — better | 48.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 14 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 125 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tozai, Inc. | ZIROTEK Corp. |
Customer experience
Lode Runner Classic
Super Runner Classic
In-app purchases
Lode Runner Classic
No in-app purchases
Super Runner Classic
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Lode Runner Classic free?
Is Super Runner Classic free?
Which has better reviews, Lode Runner Classic or Super Runner Classic?
Do Lode Runner Classic or Super Runner Classic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lode Runner Classic or Super Runner Classic?
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