Dark Wave vs NATIE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
NATIE
Experience a retro-style electronic game with unique characters and gameplay variations. Control two characters simultaneously in a challenging mode or enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere with deteriorating reflectors and polarizers.
- Difficult Mode B with dual character control
- Unlockable characters with unique rules
- Nostalgic atmosphere recreation
- Deteriorating reflectors and polarizers
- Retro electronic game gameplay
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- Difficult Mode B There is also a game B, a mode to control two Naties at the same time. - elements of gameplay As you play through the game, you will unlock new characters that you can use. The rules are a little different for each character. - Recreating a nostalgic atmosphere The instructions that come with the electronic game reproduce the atmosphere of the time. In addition, you can play with deteriorating reflectors and polarizers. I hope you enjoy the nostalgic sense of play!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NATIE at 5.0 against Dark Wave's 4.6. NATIE also leads on price ($0.99 vs $1.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). Dark Wave's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (16 vs 1). On 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
Dark Wave costs $1.99 and NATIE $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NATIE 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.
Dark Wave ships an update every 3 months, NATIE every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dark Wave | NATIE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $0.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (16 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 12 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Semidome Inc. | Hideki Kubo |
Customer experience
Dark Wave
NATIE
In-app purchases
Dark Wave
No in-app purchases
NATIE
No in-app purchases
