Retro Parsec vs Zylon Defenders
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retro Parsec
Experience a classic 1980s space shooter re-imagined with retro graphics and sound. Pilot your starship, defend against alien fighters and cruisers, and navigate treacherous asteroid belts and refuelling tunnels. Test your skills and strategy in this thrilling one-player adventure.
- 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
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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.
Zylon Defenders
Experience a modern take on a classic space combat simulator. Engage in thrilling first-person space battles inspired by a legendary 1979 title. Explore the cosmos and defend against alien threats in this immersive simulation.
- First-person space combat
- Real-time simulation
- Modern reinterpretation of classic
- Space exploration
- Alien defense
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A modern reinterpretation of Doug Neubauer's legendary 1979 real-time first person space simulator, Star Raiders.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Zylon Defenders at Free against Retro Parsec's $0.99. Zylon Defenders also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 25 months). Retro Parsec's advantage is ratings volume (50 vs 4) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.6). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Zylon Defenders is free to download; Retro Parsec costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Zylon Defenders holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Parsec has 50 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Retro Parsec's written reviews are positive against 100% of Zylon Defenders's.
Retro Parsec ships an update every 25 months, Zylon Defenders every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.
| Parameter | Retro Parsec | Zylon Defenders |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (50 ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 50 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 25 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 266 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yesung Moore | Jeff Glasse |
Customer experience
Retro Parsec
Zylon Defenders
In-app purchases
Retro Parsec
No in-app purchases
Zylon Defenders
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Retro Parsec free?
Is Zylon Defenders free?
Which has better reviews, Retro Parsec or Zylon Defenders?
Do Retro Parsec or Zylon Defenders have ads?
Which is updated more often, Retro Parsec or Zylon Defenders?
Other comparisons
