# Defender 1

> Classic arcade space shooter defending astronauts from aliens. (iPhone/iPad app by APD Consulting, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/defender-1/id1038282445 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [APD Consulting, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/506064473)
- Category: Games, Casual
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 2.50/5 from 54 App Store ratings · 68 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-09-19
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/defender-1/id1038282445/reviews.md

## What is Defender 1?

DEFENDER 1 is a remake of a classic arcade game from the 80's for mobile devices.
Your mission is to defend the astronauts from being abducted by the aliens and obliterate the enemy spaceships, but careful not to kill the astronauts, failing to save them will make the planet explode and the aliens will turn into mutants!

## Key features

- Defend astronauts from aliens
- Obliterate enemy spaceships
- Avoid friendly fire
- Prevent planetary explosion
- Mutant alien transformations

## Chart rankings

- #191 in Top Paid · Casual (US App Store)

## What do users think of Defender 1?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Faithful recreation of original game
- 🤩 Nostalgic experience
- 💰 Good value for price
- ✨ Good graphics
- 🕹️ Joystick option available

**Cons**

- 👎 Awful, unresponsive controls
- 🐌 Very slow gameplay
- 💥 Frequent crashes
- 🔇 No sound or intermittent sound
- 🕹️ Poorly spaced controls
- 📱 Unplayable on small screens
- ❓ Controls not intuitive
- 📉 Controls ruin experience
- 🤔 Game broken/enemies don't move
- ⏳ Ship doesn't continue moving
- 🚫 Missing features (hyperspace, reverse button)
- ✋ Controls too sensitive
- 🎛️ Joystick needs improvement

**Commonly reported bugs**

- No sound on iPad
- No sound on iPhone
- Intermittent sound
- App crashes often
- Enemies don't move
- Ship doesn't continue moving after thrusters stop
- Lasers don't react properly when changing direction

**Most requested features**

- Update to fix sound issues
- Update to fix crashing
- Enable game controller support
- Improve control responsiveness
- Adjust control spacing
- Add vertical-only joystick option
- Add tilt control for travel motion
- Add separate button for direction change
- Add more stages
- Improve graphics (less pixelated)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 68)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/defender-1/id1038282445/reviews.md

### 5/5 — No Sound 💥

*2026-01-15, version 5.1*

Really bloody good considering the constraints of making this work on an iPad!   It soon all came back to me!

Only thing is, I don’t have any sound - I’m using an iPad Pro M4 - which is a shame as the Defender noises were all part of the fun…

Good effort, and well worth a couple quid!

### 1/5 — No sound

*2026-01-02, version 5.1*

Visuals are ok but there’s no sounds .

### 2/5 — Nostalgia only

*2025-12-19, version 5.1*

Bringing back the old school classic was a great idea but a failure in execution.  I like the joystick option for right or left hand play but it’s just not responsive at all.  Needs another update to fix it and app shows last update a year ago….

### 2/5 — Crashes to often

*2025-06-20, version 5.1*

Love this game, thanks for putting it together. Unfortunately it crashes often. Have to unload and reload to get rid of cache. Also little known hack of saving 3 or more astronauts then warping to a star gate isn’t included.

### 1/5 — Don’t Waste Your Money

*2025-03-09, version 5.1*

The controls are awful in my opinion. They needlessly made the entire joystick one small area of the screen and same with fire button. Your finger will stray away from the tiny joy stick and fire button every time. I played twice and deleted it. Sorry to be harsh but want to save people money.

### 5/5 — Great game

*2024-10-25, version 5.1*

Like other Defender fans I have always loved this game.

I would like to give the developer a Big Thank, for recreating this game. 
It’s as good as the original, So well done, great piece of work.
A Loyal Defender Fan😎

### 1/5 — ALL IT DOES IS CRASH!!! 🤬🤬🤬

*2024-08-15*

Too many great scores and games ruined, due to the app’s instability….its fun, but only when it works (I would’ve given Zero stars, except for that fact…it does work SOMEtimes…)

### 4/5 — Great game but no audio.

*2024-01-08, version 5.1*

Please update this game, it’s super fun but the sound works intermittently on all my devices. The app is due for an update!

### 4/5 — Great game!

*2023-12-19*

Please update this game, it’s super fun but the sound works intermittently. The app is due for an update!

### 4/5 — Excellent!

*2023-11-27, version 5.1*

nt but no sound on my iphone 13. Is there a fix?

## Frequently asked questions about Defender 1

### What is Defender 1?

Defender 1 is a mobile remake of a classic 1980s arcade game. It challenges players to defend astronauts from alien abduction and destroy enemy spaceships.

### What are the main objectives in Defender 1?

The primary objectives are to protect the astronauts from being captured by aliens and to obliterate all enemy spaceships. Failing to save the astronauts will result in the planet exploding.

### What happens if I accidentally shoot an astronaut?

If you fail to save the astronauts, the planet will explode, and the remaining aliens will transform into dangerous mutants. This significantly increases the difficulty of the game.

### Is Defender 1 free to play?

Based on the provided information, the application is a paid game and does not contain in-app purchases or advertisements.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 5.1 — 2020-11-08

Updated for iOS12
- New Virtual Joystick
- Destroying enemies bullets scores points.
- New Info panel with social media, mail and website
- New Settings panel

### 3.7 — 2017-10-07

Bug fixes that caused the application to close after level 5. Updated for iOS 11 iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

### 3.3 — 2015-09-19

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Defender 1

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Original Classic Snake](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/original-classic-snake/id1049055100) | 2.8 (5) | Free | Games |
| [Ninja Shuriken Blocker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ninja-shuriken-blocker/id1009271340) | 2.3 (3) | Free | Games |
| [CatsRun for ZOM](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catsrun-for-zom/id1015872240) | — | Free | Games |
| [Griddie Islands](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/griddie-islands/id1436856200) | 4.7 (1,101) | Free | Games |
| [Rainbow Meteor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rainbow-meteor/id1438348480) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Games |
| [UFO vs Animals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ufo-vs-animals/id1448235680) | — | Free | Games |

## Related topics

[defender arcade game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/defender-arcade-game) · [defender arcade](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/defender-arcade) · [defender 24-7](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/defender-24-7)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*