Magic Touch vs Pen Run
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Magic Touch
Defend your castle by drawing magical spells with your finger to pop incoming balloons. Master intuitive gesture recognition to defeat aggressive hordes and protect the kingdom. Unlock new spells and power-ups to become the ultimate wizard.
- Intuitive gesture recognition drawing
- Simple drawing concept
- Game Center support
- Unlock new spells
- Slow down time
- Turn enemies into frogs
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Wanted, Wizard required for defence duties. Must be proficient in spell casting to pop varying balloon types that may be utilised by intruders. Must be confident working alone and comfortable facing aggressive hordes. Advanced magic techniques desirable but can be learnt on the job. Applicant expected to provide their own spell book and potion bottles. They also may be required to make tea and answer phone calls. Applicants should send CVs and potions portfolio to enquiries-castleundersiege@nitrome.com Use you finger to draw shapes. Match the shapes on balloons to pop them sending the invaders smashing to the ground. Keep the Enemy from reaching the castle for as long as possible! Features: - Intuitive gesture recognition drawing gameplay. - A simple drawing concept that anyone can grasp! - Full game centre support to compete with friends and foes. - Collect coins to unlock new awesome spells. Slow Down time! Turn enemies into frogs! Summon a mighty Dragon! Cover the floor on Fire! Make the Castle Turrets grow Gun Turrets! Important information This game contains third party advertising which can be removed via a one time IAP. This game contains coins which can be collected within the game for free, bought with real money or via earned via promotions. This game contains cross promotion for other Nitrome games and this is not removed with the IAP for removal of ads.
Pen Run
Race your pen through challenging levels, avoiding obstacles and outmaneuvering opponents. Aim to reach as many levels as possible in this fast-paced competition.
- Race your pen
- Avoid obstacles
- Hit other players
- Progress through levels
- Competitive gameplay
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Drive your pen to win the race! Avoid obstacles, hit other players and reach as more levels as you can!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pen Run at none against Magic Touch's shown. Pen Run also leads on ratings volume (4.6K vs 1.2K) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Magic Touch's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (62% vs 35%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Magic Touch sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Pen Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Magic Touch holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 4.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Magic Touch's written reviews are positive against 35% of Pen Run's.
Magic Touch ships an update every 2 months, Pen Run monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Magic Touch | Pen Run |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.2K ratings) — better | 4.0 (4.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.2% of reviews — better | 35.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | 4.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 374 MB | 128 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Nitrome | Ketchapp |
Customer experience
Magic Touch
Pen Run
User reviews
Magic Touch
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
- 👍 Fun and addictive
- 💎 Great graphics and art style
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🔍 Inconsistent shape recognition
- 📢 Too many ads
Pen Run
From 4.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 💡 Unique concept and creative design
- 👍 Customizable pens and themes
Room to improve
- 🔥 Excessive number of ads
- 🐛 Glitches and loading issues
- 🔍 Lack of multiplayer or online features
Bugs and requests
Magic Touch
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game freezes after losing
- Spells not working as intended
- Inconsistent scoring and coin rewards
Requested features
3 requests- Additional game modes and difficulty levels
- Ability to disable certain spells
- Save progress and high scores
Pen Run
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game crashes during races
- Unresponsive controls
- Freezing on loading screens
Requested features
3 requests- Add multiplayer mode
- Reduce ad frequency
- Improve overall performance and stability
In-app purchases
Magic Touch
- Coins Pack 1$0.99
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Coins Pack 2$2.99
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- Coins Pack 3$6.99
Pen Run
- Remove Ads$2.99
