Comparison

Retro Parsec vs Saboteur SiO

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Saboteur SiO

Embark on a new ninja mission in this retro-inspired action-adventure game. Featuring new levels, enemies, and a story by the original author, it offers classic graphics and an original soundtrack.

Highlights
  • New levels, enemies, and story
  • Original soundtrack
  • Retro graphics and screen modes
  • 19 special story achievements
  • Multiple language support
  • Retro display options
Features
Read full description

Saboteur SiO is the official sequel to the classic retro games Saboteur! and Saboteur II: Avenging Angel. Travel the world in this original ninja mission, created and developed by the original author, Clive Townsend. In 1985 Saboteur! received the prestigious award "The Crash Smash" from Crash magazine and was high-rated with a 93% score. In 1987 Clive made the sequel Saboteur II: Avenging Angel - the first video game to feature a female protagonist - Nina - sister of the ninja from the first game. Now, after over three decades, MobileFabric in collaboration with Clive Townsend have prepared the next installment in the Saboteur saga. - 19 Special story-related achievements. - All new levels, enemies, and story by Clive Townsend. - Original Soundtrack by: Sean Fountain, Geovarius, Zoltar Dreamusic, and Jeroen Tel. - Original Retro graphics and extra screen modes for ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and Game Boy. - 9 Language versions - English, Polish, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Czech. Retro options: - Scanlines. - CRT Moire. - Retro, Modern, and 'Original' title and menu. - Retro and Modern in-game panel.

Screenshots

Retro Parsec1 screens
Saboteur SiO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Retro Parsec at 73% against Saboteur SiO's 0%. Retro Parsec also leads on price ($0.99 vs $6.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Retro Parsec costs $0.99 and Saboteur SiO $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Parsec ships an update every 25 months, Saboteur SiO every 41 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retro Parsec versus Saboteur SiO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro ParsecSaboteur SiO
Price$0.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.0 (50 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings50 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 25 months — betterEvery 41 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB369 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperYesung MooreMobileFabric S.A.

Customer experience

Retro Parsec

All ratings50 ratings
Positive76.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews60 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.0%

Saboteur SiO

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Retro Parsec

No in-app purchases

None

Saboteur SiO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro Parsec free?
Retro Parsec costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Saboteur SiO free?
Saboteur SiO costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retro Parsec or Saboteur SiO have ads?
Neither Retro Parsec nor Saboteur SiO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Parsec or Saboteur SiO?
Retro Parsec ships an update every 25 months, and Saboteur SiO every 41 months. Most recently, Retro Parsec was updated on November 2, 2026 and Saboteur SiO on November 3, 2026.

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