Jump Kid Retro vs Dark Wave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Jump Kid Retro
Embark on a retro platforming adventure to rescue a child and win a heart. Jump on enemies, defeat bosses, and master challenging star collection mechanics. Experience classic 8-bit graphics and chiptune music.
- Retro pixel art graphics
- Chiptune music soundtrack
- Jump on enemies to defeat them
- Boss battles at the end of each world
- 3-star rating system per level
- All worlds unlocked
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This is the full version of the classic Jump Kid game, all worlds are unlocked and no ads!! Help the girl get her kid back, maybe you can win her heart? Jump on enemies to kill them. Beat the boss at the end of each world. On every level you start with 2 stars. Loose a life, and you are down to 1 star. Collect the star that appears in the end of each level. Try to get and keep all 3 stars, it's friggin hard!! Jump Kid is a retro platformer inspired by old school platform games. 8-bit retro graphics and fantastic chiptune music.
Dark Wave
Navigate a winding road filled with dangers, conquering challenges across 5 chapters and 50 levels. Compete globally in endless mode or enjoy a minimalist, ad-free experience. Play across Apple devices and sync progress with iCloud.
- 5 Chapters, 50 Levels
- Endless mode with global leaderboard
- Minimalist design
- No ads or in-app purchases
- Play on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
- iCloud progress sync
- Multi-language support
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Hello Light Surfer... Can you conquer the Dark Wave? Power your way through an ever-changing winding road and its dangers FEATURES • 5 Chapters, 50 Levels: Each chapter introduces a range of new enemies • Endless mode: Compete with others in a global leaderboard • Minimalist design • No ads, No in-app purchases • Play on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV • Sync your progress using iCloud • Fully localized for English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Italian, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese and Russian
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Dark Wave at every 3 months against Jump Kid Retro's every 24 months. Dark Wave also leads on ratings volume (16 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Jump Kid Retro's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Jump Kid Retro costs $0.99 and Dark Wave $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Jump Kid Retro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dark Wave has 16 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Jump Kid Retro ships an update every 24 months, Dark Wave every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jump Kid Retro | Dark Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.6 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 52.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tommy Hass | Semidome Inc. |
Customer experience
Jump Kid Retro
Dark Wave
In-app purchases
Jump Kid Retro
No in-app purchases
Dark Wave
No in-app purchases
