# Retro Parsec — Remake of the TI-99/4a classic > Retro space shooter remake with classic 80s graphics and gameplay. (iPhone/iPad app by Yesung Moore.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-parsec/id1059891563 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Yesung Moore](https://appshunter.io/developer/998388794) - Category: Games, Entertainment, Action - Price: $0.99 - Rating: 4.00/5 from 50 App Store ratings · 60 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 15 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2016-04-11 - Data updated: 2026-09-05 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-parsec/id1059891563/reviews.md ## What is Retro Parsec? Enjoy the nostalgia of this classic game re-created in the original style of the TI-99/4a computer game from the 1980's! Re-live the era with blocky but colourful graphics and simple but captivating sound effects. You are the commander of the starship Parsec patrolling an alien planet. Suddenly, the on-board computer announces that you are about to come under attack by small alien fighters and large, heavily armed, hostile alien cruisers! The fighters are highly mobile, and unless they are eliminated by your laser, they fill the screen, restrict manoeuvering of your craft, and may cause a deadly collision. The cruisers are highly aggressive and their armament devastating. Armed with photon missiles, they track your ship and fire on it. You must out-manoeuver and destroy them with accurate fire from your ship's laser. If you survive the waves of alien craft, do not let down your guard, for you also have to blast through an asteroid belt or refuel your ship, demanding the utmost in skilful flying. Parsec is a challenging, exciting game packed with thrills. Danger and excitement are brought on with each new attack. Some of Parsec's features include: - Waves of attack from seven different alien craft. - Challenging flights through refuelling tunnels. - Asteroid belts through which you must blast a path for your starship. - Synthesised speech to warn of approaching alien craft or when it's time to refuel. - Three different lifts to vary the speed at which the ship moves vertically. - Increased difficulty levels to challenge you. Parsec is a one-player game which tests your skills and strategy. Movement of the ship on screen may be controlled by on-screen controls or an MFI certified Bluetooth controller. When the Bluetooth controller is used, the A button is for firing the laser and the B button alters the lift speed. Scoring of points for destroying alien craft increases with waves and levels. Bonus points are awarded for successfully navigating an asteroid belt and refuelling. Asteroid belts increase in speed and duration as levels increase. Extra ships are awarded at certain score levels throughout the game. ## Key features - Retro 80s graphics and sound - Defend against alien fighters and cruisers - Navigate asteroid belts and refuelling tunnels - Synthesised speech warnings - Multiple speed control options - Increasing difficulty levels ## Recent user reviews (10 of 60) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-parsec/id1059891563/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Faithful Recreation, Frustrating Controls *2026-07-31, version 2.3* I grew up with the TI-99/4A home computer, and Parsec was my favorite game. This iPhone version faithfully recreates the original, complete with the directional pad, three-level lift button, and fire button. From a nostalgia standpoint, it’s outstanding. Unfortunately, the touch controls let it down. The directional controls aren’t very responsive, and my ship will sometimes suddenly thrust forward when I don’t want it to. The fire button is also partially off-screen, making it difficult to press consistently. More importantly, all of the on-screen controls need to be repositioned. Placing them at the very edge of the display doesn’t work well across different iPhone models. Instead of focusing on the game, you’re fighting the controls, and that takes away from what made the original Parsec so enjoyable. I was genuinely excited to see one of my favorite childhood games on the App Store, but until the controls are redesigned and made more responsive, it simply doesn’t play like the original. The control issues were frustrating enough that I requested a refund. Nostalgia: ★★★★★ Gameplay: ★☆☆☆☆ Overall: ★☆☆☆☆ ### 1/5 — 😡 *2026-02-25* The game doesn t work 😡 ### 5/5 — Childhood memories *2025-08-01, version 2.3* Great Ti game, the best in my opinion ! Play insane amount of hours in my teens, plays and sounds great! Love it, thank you for porting it! ### 5/5 — Only reason to own an iPhone *2025-06-08, version 2.3* Seriously the best game ever made. Miss my ti99/4a ### 5/5 — I had a TI99/4A back in the good old days. *2024-09-06, version 2.3* This was the first cartridge game I got for it, and this version is spot on. Perfect. Couldn’t do TI Invaders next could you? ### 1/5 — Crashes on my phone as soon as I open it *2024-08-29, version 2.3* Too bad ### 4/5 — Parsec! *2024-02-09, version 2.3* Great game visually, but there doesn’t seem to be any audio. The game description says there are sound effects but I can’t hear any. ### 1/5 — Terrible controls for an awesome game *2023-10-20, version 2.3* I loved Parsec on the TI-99/4a. This is a faithful reproduction, except for one thing. The controls are terrible! They only work intermittently, and the fixed location and small trigger areas only serves to highlight the shortcoming of touch-screen controls - you have to look at the controls, to use them. The control area is too small, which means you frequently miss them. Because they are fixed, you constantly have to look down to reorient your fingers. They also seem far more sensitive than the controls on the original. The game and ship speed at level 1 feels like level 3, on the original; it’s too easy to fly into the ground or an enemy ship. I want to love this game again, but it’s pretty much unplayable past level 1. ### 5/5 — Fantastico *2023-06-18, version 2.3* Ritorno al passato. Il mio primo gioco SSS per TI-99/4a ### 5/5 — Fun, great execution although the controls are small. *2023-03-30, version 2.3* I look forward to pulling it out in random situations and imagining real arcades with these type of games back in the 70’s and up. ## Frequently asked questions about Retro Parsec ### What is Retro Parsec? Retro Parsec is a remake of a classic 1980s space shooter game originally for the TI-99/4a computer. It features blocky, colourful graphics and captivating sound effects, immersing players in a nostalgic arcade experience. ### What are the main gameplay elements? Players command a starship to defend against waves of alien fighters and cruisers. The game also includes challenging flights through refuelling tunnels and asteroid belts that must be blasted through. Players must outmaneuver and destroy enemies using their ship's laser. ### How is the game controlled? Movement of the starship can be controlled using on-screen touch controls. For a more precise experience, the game also supports MFI certified Bluetooth controllers, where the A button fires the laser and the B button alters the lift speed. ### What makes this game challenging? The game features seven different types of alien craft, challenging refuelling tunnels, and increasingly difficult asteroid belts. Synthesised speech provides warnings for approaching enemies or when refuelling is needed, adding to the thrill. Difficulty levels can be increased to further test player skills. ### Is this game free to play? Based on the provided information, this application is a paid game. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or advertisements, suggesting a one-time purchase model for the full experience. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 2.3 — 2020-05-22 Fixed a bug which caused screen scaling issues with iPhone X and newer when the app was launched while holding the phone in portrait position. ### 2.2 — 2019-07-17 Fixed a bug which made the asteroid belts far too short in duration. Added persistent high-score. When you exit the app and re-load it, the high-score won't be lost anymore! ### 2.1 — 2016-04-11 This update is signed with Apple’s latest signing certificate. No new features are included. ## More apps by Yesung Moore - [3D Monster Maze](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3d-monster-maze/id998388795) - [Munch Man](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/munch-man/id1321288894) All apps by Yesung Moore: https://appshunter.io/developer/998388794 ## Related topics [retro parsec](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/retro-parsec) · [60 parsecs](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/60-parsecs) --- *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 2026-09-05.*