Comparison

Max vs Vertex Core

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

Head to head
About

Max

A 2D pixel-art top-down shooter where you play as a retired agent fighting a ruthless regime. Experience intense action, strategic combat, and a gripping narrative with an instant-death system that requires precision and speed.

Highlights
  • 2D pixel-art graphics
  • Top-down shooter gameplay
  • Strategic combat
  • Gripping narrative
  • Instant-death system
  • Challenging levels
Features
Read full description

Max: Countercoup is a 2D pixel-art top-down shooter that delivers intense action, strategic combat, and a gripping narrative. Step into the shoes of a retired special operations agent, pulled back into the shadows by a thirst for justice as he faces a ruthless regime. Set against the backdrop of a brutal late 20th-century conflict, you’ll go up against a militarized dictatorship that seized power through a coup d'état, aiming to crush freedom and impose total control. Unravel their true motives and lead the fight to take back the nation in a high-stakes counter-coup! The gameplay is designed to test reflexes and strategic thinking, featuring a brutal instant-death system that demands precision and speed. Players must navigate challenging levels filled with ruthless enemies, adapting their tactics to engage in intense, full-scale firefights!

About

Vertex Core

Features
Read full description

SWIPE. FIRE. SURVIVE THE TUBE. Vertex Core is a neon vector tube shooter built for one-thumb-fire, one-thumb-swipe mobile play. Spin around a glowing wireframe web, blast down everything crawling toward your rim, and chain kills into screen-clearing power. • PURE VECTOR STYLE - every line on screen is drawn in real time. No sprites, no textures. Just glowing neon against black. • SEVEN ENEMY TYPES - cartwheeling Tumblers, splitting Splitters, wall-climbing Impalers, lane-electrifying Conductors, swarming packs, and Hunters that shoot back. Learn them, or lose to them. • THREE POWER-UPS - a tube-clearing Plasma Bomb, piercing Laser Storm, and a time-bending Chrono Field. Bank them. Unleash them when it counts. • BOSS BATTLES EVERY 6 LEVELS - a colossal, ever-morphing Core Guardian descends from the sky. Armored. Evasive. Only vulnerable in the instant its core cracks open. Beat it and earn a wingman. • ENDLESS VARIETY - 10 tube shapes and 8 color schemes cycle independently, so the run never looks the same way twice. • CHASE THE LEADERBOARD - a local top-8 table, three-letter arcade name and all. No ads mid-run, no pay-to-win. Free through the first boss fight. Unlock the full run whenever you're ready to go further. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Max4 screens
Vertex Core3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Max at none against Vertex Core's 1. Max also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Vertex Core's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 months). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Vertex Core sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Max asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Max ships an update every 4 months, Vertex Core daily. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Max versus Vertex Core: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaxVertex Core
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size140 MB132 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperVladyslav OmelechkoSPRUCE PROJECT, Y.K.

In-app purchases

None

Max

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Vertex Core

One-time1
  • Vertex Core Full Version$2.99

Questions

Is Max free?
Max is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vertex Core free?
Vertex Core is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Max or Vertex Core have ads?
Neither Max nor Vertex Core shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Max or Vertex Core?
Max ships an update every 4 months, and Vertex Core daily. Most recently, Max was updated on September 30, 2026 and Vertex Core on September 29, 2026.

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