Comparison

Highwind vs Surge Blast

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

Head to head
About

Highwind

Control a paper plane with two buttons to shoot enemies and defend yourself. Upgrade your plane's capabilities and unlock new aircraft as you progress through randomly generated waves and different dimensions.

Highlights
  • Simple two-button controls
  • Unlockable planes with different stats
  • Upgradeable health, shield, and ammo
  • Randomly selected enemy waves
  • Multiple game styles including infinite mode
  • Minigames with unique mechanics
Features
Read full description

In Highwind you control a paper plane using only two buttons. You will destroy enemy planes and protect your own. Tapping the right side of the screen will shoot bullets and holding the left side will activate the shield. The shield blocks and reflects bullets back to your enemies. Fight different enemy planes and obstacles, each with different behavior. Travel to different dimensions and avoid obstacles on the way. As you progress through the game you will be able to purchase upgrades to your health, shield and ammo. Also, each time you beat a level you will get a power up that will help you defeat your enemies. Each time you play you will accumulate points that will unlock new planes and new game styles. Try to beat the game in each one of the different styles! Features -Simple controls: Play with only two buttons -Different game styles: Five variations of the game including an infinite mode -Minigames: Three additional sections with different mechanics -A different experience each play: Enemy waves are randomly selected from a predefined set -Upgrades and power ups: Purchase upgrades to your shield, ammo and health. Get a power up every level -Different airplanes: Unlock new airplanes with different stats

About

Surge Blast

A hyper-casual game where players match colored bubbles to score points. Survive increasingly difficult blasts and aim for the high score. Playable offline, perfect for on-the-go fun.

Highlights
  • Match five bubbles of the same color
  • Score points and survive
  • Face increasingly difficult blasts
  • Compete for high scores
  • Playable offline
Features
Read full description

Launch. Match five. Survive the surge. Surge Blast is a quick-paced bubble matching game. Release bubbles onto the board and line up five of the same color to pop them for points. Every eight bubbles a surge hits: a blast of mixed colors that scrambles your plans and gets harder every time. Keep the board under control for as long as you can and beat your high score. Easy to learn in one round, quick to restart, playable anywhere without a connection. FEATURES • Simple one-touch launching built for phones and tablets • Match five bubbles of a color to pop them • Surges every eight bubbles keep the pressure climbing • Chain pops for bigger scores • Endless play with a saved high score • Game Center leaderboard: see where you rank • Clean, colorful retro arcade look • Offline single player, no account needed REMOVE ADS Free to play with a small banner ad. An optional one-time Remove Ads purchase turns off all ads forever. Restore Purchases is built in. Made by a one-person studio. Questions or ideas: mitchell525.github.io/surgeblast/

Screenshots

Highwind4 screens
Surge Blast4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Surge Blast at Free against Highwind's $0.99. Highwind's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, device support and iOS requirement 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

Surge Blast is free to download; Highwind costs $0.99 up front. Surge Blast sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Highwind asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Surge Blast holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Highwind has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Highwind ships an update every 21 months, Surge Blast every 69 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Highwind versus Surge Blast: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHighwindSurge Blast
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (11 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 21 months — betterEvery 69 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size169 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSelva InteractiveMitchell Smith

Customer experience

Highwind

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

Surge Blast

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Highwind

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Surge Blast

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Highwind free?
Highwind costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Surge Blast free?
Surge Blast is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Highwind or Surge Blast?
Surge Blast is rated higher. Highwind averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Surge Blast averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Highwind or Surge Blast have ads?
Surge Blast shows ads; Highwind does not.
Which is updated more often, Highwind or Surge Blast?
Highwind ships an update every 21 months, and Surge Blast every 69 months. Most recently, Highwind was updated on October 24, 2026 and Surge Blast on October 11, 2026.

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