Dark Wave vs Chikuwabu!
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
Chikuwabu!
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A retro omnidirectional scrolling 2D action game. Use items to solve the mystery of the map and find the exit. Let's collect "Chikuwabu" placed in various places. (Some items are difficult to pick up and some are hidden.) There are some stages that you can't play unless you collect a certain number of "Chikuwabu". There is no score, we measure the time to the exit. Operation is easy: Touch = beam firing Right and left lever drag = Rotation/movement of own machine Release all fingers = Restore the shield For easy operation, You can change the orientation of your smartphone while playing. Enemy planes have a front/back side, It cannot be destroyed when its backside is shown. For maps that scroll in all directions, There are "Chikuwabu", items, and tricks, Please attack well. (All 90 stages, 20 stages are free)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Chikuwabu! at Free against Dark Wave's $1.99. Dark Wave's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 41 months). On ads 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
Chikuwabu! is free to download; Dark Wave costs $1.99 up front. Chikuwabu! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dark Wave asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dark Wave ships an update every 3 months, Chikuwabu! every 41 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dark Wave | Chikuwabu! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.6 (16 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 41 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 32 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Semidome Inc. | Hiroyuki Sasayama |
In-app purchases
Dark Wave
No in-app purchases
Chikuwabu!
- All Stages$2.99
Questions
Is Dark Wave free?
Is Chikuwabu! free?
Do Dark Wave or Chikuwabu! have ads?
Which is updated more often, Dark Wave or Chikuwabu!?
Other comparisons
