# Hectic Space — user reviews > 97 indexed App Store user reviews of Hectic Space by James Swiney, rated 4.90/5 from 18 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hectic-space/id841199768/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hectic-space/id841199768.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 16 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 0 ## What do users think of Hectic Space? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🎮 Addictive, fast-paced arcade gameplay - 🎨 Charming retro 80s aesthetic and graphics - ⚡ Simple, intuitive controls - 🎵 Great soundtrack and sound effects - 💥 Engaging power-up system - 🏆 High replay value and challenging difficulty - ⏱️ Quick sessions, perfect time-waster - 🎯 Well-balanced game mechanics **Cons** - 📺 Intrusive ads that pop up during gameplay - 🐛 Shield/invincibility system unreliable - ⬆️ Limited ship mobility (up/down only) - 🎮 Steep difficulty curve, punishing gameplay - ⏸️ No pause button functionality - 🔄 Repetitive gameplay after extended play - 📱 Performance lag with many enemies on screen - 🎯 Collision detection occasionally inaccurate - 💔 Respawn time too short, loses lives quickly **Commonly reported bugs** - Shield doesn't work when moving quickly - Invincibility frames missing or unreliable - Game pauses/stutters during heavy enemy spawns - Ads interrupt gameplay and continue in background - Cluster bomb inconsistent damage - Vertical shot weapon too weak - Game becomes unresponsive at higher scores - Collision detection slightly off **Most requested features** - Pause button with game slowdown - Left/right ship movement controls - Portrait orientation mode option - Reversed/customizable control options - Boss battles or level system - Multiple game modes or difficulty settings - Leaderboard and multiplayer functionality - Ship customization or upgrades - Toggle sound/music options - Invincibility frames after being hit - Longer power-up duration - Better visibility for enemy bullets - Local high score tracking - Bluetooth or GameCenter multiplayer - More enemy variety and types - Stronger vertical/spinner weapons ## Newest reviews (14 of 97) ### 4/5 — Any chance of reversed controls? *2019-02-04, version 1.7* I like this game, but have a hand injury on my left hand. The only way I can play now is to turn on the rotation lock, and then flip the phone, and control with my hand on the right. It is playable, but it would be nice if there were a menu option to reverse the orientation, so scores and whatnot were not upside-down. Any chance of that? Thanks ### 4/5 — Good improvements *2015-01-09, version 1.4* Not sure where my original review went but I'm glad that a couple of my suggestions were implemented (piercing on vertical/spinner shot). Now it seems that cluster bomb is the most underwhelming powerup. It's the powerup on which I most frequently lose my combo. A slight tweak to make the first bomb shot guarantee a one shot kill on the lowest invaders would vastly improve it's reliability. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I have witnessed a cluster bomb in slow motion colliding with a heart shaped invader only to see the invader survive and my cluster bomb disappear. There are still times where the invulnerability fails. I'm not sure what the problem with that is. And let's be real here, nobody actually plays this game sideways. There needs to be an option to allow portrait orientation. A notification on landscape blocks half the screen whereas if portrait orientation was being used, a notification wouldn't block anything. ### 4/5 — Jheeeeeeeze *2014-07-10, version 1.2* I love it, skill required but great ### 5/5 — Hammahz the game *2014-06-11, version 1.2* Awesome ### 5/5 — Love this game! *2014-05-27, version 1.2* Oh my goodness am I addicted to this game. Best way to describe it is a horizontal Space Invaders (with lots more ammo). This satisfies the casual retro gamer in me better than anything else on my iPad right now. Awesome job! ### 5/5 — THIS IS FUN!😀😀😀😀😀 *2014-05-22, version 1.2* Great game ### 4/5 — Love this game *2014-05-17, version 1.2* Super addicting, lots of fun. Great style and love the music. For the most part, loved the last upgrade. Except the vertical shot — it's a combo-killing disappointment, especially when you get it several times in a row. Consider making it stronger, right now it is too weak. ### 4/5 — Great little game! *2014-05-10, version 1.2* Quite addicted to this at the moment! Always trying to beat my score. However I do have some suggestions for improvements. The vertical and spinner weapons are practically useless when you get a couple of minutes in when there's loads of enemies. They both need to be upgraded, maybe so they don't dissolve when they hit an enemy? Also maybe a few different game modes could be added? Good game though all in all, keep up the good work! ### 5/5 — Great game *2014-05-10, version 1.2* Very fun, fast, and addicting. If I could suggest something it would be maybe more customization or upgrades, but other than that this game is awesome ### 3/5 — Good idea but a bit buggy *2014-05-07, version 1.2* Great little action arcade when it works, with many onscreen baddies and reasons to dodge, but my main complaints are that occasionally the game pauses for half a second (GC?) ruining the gameplay a bit as you usually die when unpaused and when it happens it usually repeats several times. the collision detection seems slightly off (just enough to notice). If these bugs could be ironed out it would be better but even then I consistently seem to last up to 1 min before dying, so it's a game designed for very quick deaths, which is a shame as I'd like to play for longer and see some more varied boss style enemies instead of just cramming more and more baddies on the screen as time goes on (iPhone 5s, iOS7.0.4) ### 4/5 — Respawn time *2014-05-05, version 1.2* So I was playing and has four lives. I died and lost instantly With one enemy attack. I really consider the respawn time should be just a little bit longer, (.8 seconds), so that even four lives won't be drained down to game over. Thank you for reading! :) -Jordan. ### 5/5 — Super fun app *2014-05-05, version 1.2* Really love this app really should be more popular out their on the app store ### 5/5 — Difficult To Stop Playing *2014-05-04, version 1.2* It's wonderful, I rarely review apps but this one is just really great. A great way to burn time. Edit: Love the new features and my score is over 600,000 Woo! ### 5/5 — Worth a review! *2014-05-04, version 1.2* I don't see how this doesn't have more reviews. Awesome game! I play it often enough so that I don't have to be bothered for a review. I came her on my own. Worth the download and review. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — The ads show up in game play *2015-07-12, version 1.4* I'm starting the game and I playing and focusing but all of a sudden my screen goes black for like 5 seconds and then they have an ad pop up in the middle of the gameplay ### 1/5 — Has pop up ads!! *2014-08-05, version 1.2* Charge 99 cents, get rid of ads, and then you'll get five stars. Because game itself is awesome. I'm deleting it now though thanks to pop ups. ### 1/5 — Zzz *2014-05-10, version 1.2* Zzzzz ### 1/5 — Ruined a great game with the update *2014-05-08, version 1.2* WTH?! Best ever game I played daily and you 1. Hot rid of shields, 2. Screwed up the music with some boring loop and other weird changes that do NOT sound as sick as the original, 3. NO AUTO ROTATIONAL ANYMORE?!! ### 1/5 — Glitch *2014-05-04, version 1.2* I still died moving fast when I had the green shield on. ### 1/5 — Annoying Adverts *2014-04-30, version 1.1* Reasonable enough game but ruined by adverts which can pop up (full screen) during game play! Often taken to the App Store even when you click the X to close the annoying adverts. Unfortunately, the game isn't worth the 69p to remove them. ### 1/5 — THIS GAME IS TOTALLY SH**! *2014-04-14, version 1.1* It suffers, unsurprisingly, with the same problems that all touch screen controlled games do, your vision and your peripheral are blocked by the finger(thumb) you use to control the space ship! ### 1/5 — Mediocre *2014-04-11, version 1.1* Shield doesn't work properly when moving too quickly (you can "teleport" into enemies/bullets). No invulnerability frames after getting hit, so a cluster of shots can kill you instantly. Extremely luck based for pickups/etc. Just overall mediocre design and programming. ### 2/5 — Used to be good *2015-11-25, version 1.4* So simplistic yet action-packed and well balanced. Each game is fast and furious and impossible to not hit 'replay' and keep going. Update!! The game starts becoming unresponsive, the shield sometimes doesn't work, and some of the weapons start acting up, especially on higher scores ### 2/5 — Great game but... *2014-05-12, version 1.2* The game is great, it's tough but addictive... My only gripe is how adverts pop up as your playing, that spoils your game as it continues in the background...... ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — SQUARE UP *2020-06-04, version 1.7* Next to Galaga.... THIS IS THE SECOND BEST GAME IN ALL OF EXISTENCE. FIGHT ME IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE BECAUSE YOU’RE WRONG. ### 5/5 — I love it. *2018-09-03, version 1.6* Such a fun, addictive game. ### 5/5 — 1980's Flasback Perfection *2017-01-22, version 1.4* This is the perfect 1980s retro arcade bowling alley skating rink arcade space shooter this is great this is this is perfect I don't know what else to say install it! ### 5/5 — best app ever *2015-10-28, version 1.4* this app is easily my favorite game. it's simple, easy, fun, and timeless... it's not addicting and won't eat all your time but never gets old ... I got it about a year ago and still enjoy it as much as when I first got it ### 5/5 — Brilliant quick-fix *2014-11-12, version 1.4* I love coming back to this game once in a while. Every time I do, I play it over and over again because it's simplistic, fun, fast-paced and utterly challenging. ### 5/5 — Wonderful retro 80's style game *2014-11-09, version 1.4* Such a great game. If you liked Space Invaders : This is the more charm filled version. A must for any fan of 80's type games ### 5/5 — Fun times *2014-10-29, version 1.3* Works great and so much fun. I sprang for the 99¢ to get rid of the misshapen ads and no 'x' visible. ### 5/5 — Sky forcei *2014-10-10, version 1.2* I would like to play this type of action and gove me lots of din ### 5/5 — Great Game with Plenty of Nostalgia! *2014-10-08, version 1.2* This game heavily reminded me of Galaga (which is good) but with a more retro twist with the different power stars and difficulty. Really a well laid out format and awesome music! My only complaint is that the advertisement pops up at inconvenient times (sometimes when you just started the game), but it's nothing too major. Overall it's an excellent game and I'd totally recommend playing it! ### 5/5 — Great game *2014-08-18, version 1.2* All I want is a pause button. PLEASE --- *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 2026-08-15.*