# Wavecade — Time bending arcade #shmup > Retro arcade shooter with time manipulation, powerups, and multiplayer. (iPhone/iPad app by Andrew Spalato.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavecade/id1661057707 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Andrew Spalato](https://appshunter.io/developer/1582912136) - Category: Games, Action, Casual - Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $2.99) - Rating: 3.69/5 from 70 App Store ratings · 54 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 312 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2023-01-04 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavecade/id1661057707/reviews.md ## What is Wavecade? Inspired by classic arcade shooters such as 'Space Invaders' and 'Galaga', Wavecade brings back the original nostalgia feeling to players from arcades, using sleek retro 80's and sci-fi aesthetic. TIME MANIPULATION: Bend time at your will by moving up and down the screen. After each wave, the game speeds up a small amount. making the game more challenging on each new wave. POWERUPS: You can accumulate multiple powerups at the same time. Collecting the same powerup upgrades it and increases your time with them active. ABILITIES: Activate your ability when you are facing near certain destruction to turn the tables of the game. It might be the one thing that saves you from a GAME OVER. BLOCKS: Blocks spawn at the top of the playfield and move down the screen. Line up your shots and shoot them for points. They can come in a variety of types: Blocks can spawn randomly, in rows, in a single stream, or in a pattern spanning the playfield HAZARDS: Hazards can appear at any time and can lose you a life if you happen to hit any of them. They can help destroy blocks if you're agile enough, could be a blessing in disguise. BOSSES: Get far enough in Wavecade and you will find yourself in epic encounters with bosses. They will have an arsenal of abilities to GAME OVER you. Learn their patterns and overcome them. MULTIPLAYER: Invite or join a friend on Steam and destroy waves of blocks. Your scores are saved to the leader boards with your names. How long can you stay #1? VARIETY OF GAME MODES: Competitive Relaxed One-hit KO No blocks shall pass Chaos Quick Game CUSTOMIZATION: Personalize your player choose from a selection of ships, colors, skins and your propulsion effect. ## Key features - Time manipulation mechanics - Upgradeable powerups - Player abilities for survival - Block shooting and destruction - Hazard avoidance and strategic use - Epic boss battles - Local and online multiplayer - Multiple game modes - Ship and visual customization ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Wavecade - Ships Pack | $1.49 | one-time | | Wavecade - Propulsions Pack | $2.99 | one-time | | 100K XP | $0.79 | one-time | | Wavecade - 500K XP | $1.49 | one-time | | Wavecade - 5 Million XP Pack | $4.99 | one-time | | Double XP | $0.99 | one-time | | Wavecade - Designs Pack | $5.99 | one-time | | Wavecade - Ultimate Pack | $9.99 | one-time | | Small Brilliants Pack | $2.99 | one-time | | Large Brilliants Pack | $19.99 | one-time | | Medium Brilliants Pack | $5.99 | one-time | | Mega Brilliants Pack | $59.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 54) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wavecade/id1661057707/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Very unique! *2025-07-02, version 1.9* Very unique. Unlike any shmup I’ve played. Congrats!! I don’t like the Ads but I understand the strategy for mobile. I see the game is on Steam with a demo and full version to purchase at a reasonable price. I suppose I’ll purchase on Steam instead if I like it enough. I am just one person but I’d prefer not to have ads 80-dollar “jewel” packs or whatever. Amazing work on the game design!! Cheers! ### 1/5 — ‘Press Space to continue’ *2025-04-20, version 1.8.51* Errm, ok?! ### 4/5 — Such promise *2025-03-06, version 1.8.51* Very unique. Unlike any shmup I’ve played. Congrats!! Bug: when I got to the Zomero boss by skip disappeared! He just fires at nothing and I can’t lose a ship or progress! Quirk: Zomero’s dialog doesn’t progress after he speaks the next line, near the end of the “conversation” and I keep having to press “skip” I don’t like the Ads. Keep fixing the bugs!! Cheers! ### 4/5 — Needs work *2025-01-14, version 1.8.51* Very confused with boss, game doesn’t tell you how to kill it, couldn’t find a single use for the blue coins, and the add spam after every game is pretty bad. Would be better if ur game didn’t have to be smooshed at the top of screen, u don’t get enough time to react (yes it goes faster) but it’s very unbalanced. Oh and one other thing on hit game mode is completely impossible. ### 5/5 — Nice game *2024-08-27* I downloaded the game. its a very good game ### 2/5 — Buggy *2024-06-03, version 1.8.51* Keeps telling me to press SPACE to continue, but I’m on iPhone.. any chance we can fix this? Literally can’t play it. ### 1/5 — Unable to play the game *2024-05-17, version 1.8.50* On my device iPhone 15 pro max, when starting the game it just says press space to enter. I can’t enter becuase I don’t have a keyboard ### 5/5 — Stunning *2024-04-11, version 1.8.45* Thanks for fixing gamepad issue ❤️ ### 5/5 — This game should be rated higher *2024-03-24, version 1.8.33* Every review you look at is from over a year ago, where the game was $2 and in a very underdeveloped state. Here is my take on the most recent version of the game as of writing this review, which is almost an entirely different game than what it used to be. If you are confused as to what the game is, read this review, but if you are just quickly looking for my opinion, yes, I HIGHLY recommend this. GAMEPLAY First of all, this game is an arcade shooter, but with a more modern twist. The goal of the game is to destroy blocks, enemies, and bosses in waves and increase your score. There are plenty of game modes to try, each with different challenges or changes. The interesting twists to the gameplay is that as you move up and down, the speed of the game slows down or speeds up, like the game superhot. The second biggest aspect is the powerups, which are extremely powerful modifiers to your ship (also could be a crab) that are designed to release dopamine inside your brain. You can stack powerups, and they are all useful. And to wrap up this gameplay summary, the soundtrack is phenomenal, you must play this game with sound. MULTIPLAYER This game has multiplayer, and it is cross platform, too. You can either play on a local network, or create an online lobby to play with others (but as of writing this review, the player base is extremely small). I have played with my friends on an online network, because we couldn’t figure out how to use the local one, and it worked very well and it was a blast. This game is both designed for solo and co-op, something other games do a hard job of. PROBLEMS The game is free now, so there are ads and micro transactions. When you lose all your lives (in certain game modes), the game offers you an extra life for an ad, which is a very scummy thing to do, but I don’t blame the devs, after you play a game, you are forced to watch a short ad. Overall, the ads aren’t spammy and ti keep it free, it is the best solution. To remove ads, you have to make any purchase. As of writing this review, you can only buy the purple gem things. They are used to purchase skins and textures to customize your ship, but you can gain these gems just by playing normally, so you aren’t locked by a paywall. I don’t know what the blue coin things are. PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU ARE EVEN CONSIDERING IT ### 5/5 — Must Play — @HE3AKOHHO *2024-03-19* Awesome game! The soundtrack, visuals, achievements and game modes are very cool. But I played on iPhone 11 Pro and the game didn't seem optimized for my phone because the game crashes after 5-10 minutes. I hope this will be fixed in the future. Thanks! Really enjoying the game. PSN/XBOX @HE3AKOHHO Twitter/X @HE3AKOHHO_ Telegram @HE3AKOHHO ## Frequently asked questions about Wavecade ### What kind of game is Wavecade? Wavecade is a modern take on classic arcade shooters, inspired by games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Galaga'. It features retro 80's and sci-fi aesthetics, with a core gameplay loop of shooting blocks and enemies while navigating hazards. ### What are the key gameplay mechanics in Wavecade? Key mechanics include time manipulation, where you can bend time by moving up and down the screen to manage increasing game speed. You can also collect and upgrade powerups, activate special abilities for survival, and strategically deal with blocks and hazards. ### Does Wavecade have multiplayer or competitive features? Yes, Wavecade offers multiplayer functionality, allowing you to invite or join friends on Steam for cooperative play. Your scores are saved to leaderboards, enabling you to compete for the top spot. ### What customization options are available in Wavecade? Players can personalize their experience by choosing from a selection of ships, colors, skins, and propulsion effects. This allows for a unique visual style for your in-game avatar. ### What are the different game modes in Wavecade? Wavecade provides a variety of game modes to suit different playstyles, including Competitive, Relaxed, One-hit KO, No blocks shall pass, Chaos, and Quick Game. This ensures replayability and diverse challenges. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.9.4 — 2026-05-02 Upgraded to fix compatibility issues. Game content loads locally. ### 1.9 — 2025-06-16 Cloud save improvement Bug fixes Balances ### 1.8.51 — 2024-05-23 Bug fixes relating to UI and customization. ### 1.8.50 — 2024-04-25 Gameplay balances Screen-shake intensity tweaks Small bug fixes ### 1.8.45 — 2024-04-11 Fixed issue with game controller sensitivity. (Make sure you set your input type to "GAMEPAD" from the pause menu). ## Apps similar to Wavecade | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Bibots](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bibots/id6446277114) | 4.3 (28) | $5.99 | Games | | [Immortal Rogue](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/immortal-rogue/id1448086604) | 4.2 (190) | $4.99 | Games | | [Galaxy Swirl: Action Runner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/galaxy-swirl-action-runner/id6471663974) | 4.6 (56) | Free | Games | | [Wind Wings (Premium)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wind-wings-premium/id1547214584) | 4.3 (37) | Free | Games | | [Tallowmere 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tallowmere-2/id1271214084) | 4.7 (119) | Free | Games | | [Streets of Rage 4](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/streets-of-rage-4/id1601446687) | 4.8 (210) | $7.99 | Games | ## More apps by Andrew Spalato - [Bot Brawlers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bot-brawlers/id1582912134) - [Smash Evolve](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smash-evolve/id6502991600) All apps by Andrew Spalato: https://appshunter.io/developer/1582912136 --- *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 2026-06-10.*