John Mad Run vs Platform Panic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
John Mad Run
Embark on a relentless fight for survival as John, a target with deadly skills. Wield powerful weapons like a laser and sword to decimate hordes of enemies, master your reflexes to dodge traps, and leave a trail of bloody destruction.
- Intense run'n'gun gameplay
- Unlockable laser weapon
- Melee combat with a sword
- Dodge deadly traps
- High-octane enemy elimination
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John knows far too much to be left alive. So they are coming for him. But what they don't know is that he's not easy meat. Join John in his fight to the death. Unlock the insanely powerful laser to eliminate dozens of enemies at a time. Feel the absolute might of a sword - the weapon that never jams, never has to be reloaded and is always ready. Train your dexterity, avoid deadly traps and rend your enemies into bloody pieces. ○○○ More from Happymagenta: · Spyglass - outdoor GPS with augmented reality · Scany - WiFi scanner and network utility
Platform Panic
Pit iconic platform game heroes against each other in a procedurally generated retro challenge. Master simple controls to climb the leaderboards and unlock all characters in this addictive pixel-art adventure.
- Hero battles
- Leaderboard challenges
- Procedurally generated levels
- Simple swipe controls
- Retro pixel graphics
- Chiptune soundtrack
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Platform game heroes through the ages have been abducted! Pit them against each other in order to settle, once and for all, which one is the best! • Can you unlock them all and become king of the leaderboard? • Endlessly addictive, procedurally generated retro platformer! • Super simple controls. Swipe left, right & up is all you need to move around. • Pumping chiptune music by Eirik Suhrke, composer of Ridiculous Fishing and Super Crate Box. • Cutting edge retro pixel graphics! Important Message for Parents This game may include: - Direct links to social networking websites that are intended for an audience over the age of 13. - Direct links to the internet that can take players away from the game with the potential to browse any web page. - In-app purchases. - Advertising of Nitrome products.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: John Mad Run at none against Platform Panic's 4. John Mad Run also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). Platform Panic's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (124 vs 12). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Platform Panic sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. John Mad Run asks for nothing beyond the download.
Platform Panic holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Platform Panic has 124 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of John Mad Run's written reviews are positive against 69% of Platform Panic's.
John Mad Run ships an update every 3 months, Platform Panic every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 10, 2026.
| Parameter | John Mad Run | Platform Panic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (12 ratings) | 4.5 (124 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.2% of reviews | 69.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 124 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Happymagenta UAB | Nitrome |
Customer experience
John Mad Run
Platform Panic
User reviews
John Mad Run
From 12 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎮 Addictive and fun gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Retro pixel art style with good graphics
- 🎵 Great soundtrack and audio design
- 💰 Minimal in-app purchases and ads
- ⚡ Simple and easy to pick up controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Screen display issues (half screen visibility)
- 🐛 Unresponsive and buggy controls
- 🐛 Weapon firing lag and unresponsiveness
- 🐛 Secondary weapon (knife/sword) stops working mid-run
Platform Panic
From 124 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Retro-style graphics
- 🎶 Great music
- 💎 Addictive and challenging
Room to improve
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 💰 Expensive upgrades
- 📺 Excessive ads
- 🎮 Unresponsive controls
Bugs and requests
John Mad Run
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes on launch (iOS 17)
- Screen only displays half the game interface
- Controls unresponsive to swipe inputs
- Firing mechanism requires rapid tapping to work
- Knife/sword stops functioning after 2-3 runs
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- Sound cuts out intermittently
- Jump and movement inputs not registering
- Progress and high scores not saving
- Weapons not unlocking after Facebook likes
- Game glitches when clicking ads
- Save data deleted after updates
- Secondary weapon control loss on restart
- Enemies shooting before appearing on screen
Requested features
11 requests- More weapons and gun variety
- Character customization and outfit options
- Power-ups and special abilities
- Boss encounters and story mode
- Multiple level maps and scenery changes
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- Armor and health upgrades
- Skill tree system
- Different difficulty levels
- Invincibility frames after getting hit
- Button controls as alternative to swipe gestures
- Weapon selection library system
Platform Panic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Coins lost after using extra life
- Laser beams not functioning properly
- Falling through the floor and getting stuck
- Ads not removing after purchase
Requested features
4 requests- More characters and abilities
- Level editor and sharing
- Difficulty settings
- Cloud save support
In-app purchases
John Mad Run
No in-app purchases
Platform Panic
- 250 coins$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
- 1000 coins$1.99
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- 5000 coins$3.99
Questions
Is John Mad Run free?
Is Platform Panic free?
Which has better reviews, John Mad Run or Platform Panic?
Do John Mad Run or Platform Panic have ads?
Which is updated more often, John Mad Run or Platform Panic?
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