Comparison

Bleak Sword vs Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

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

Head to head
About

Bleak Sword

Embark on a dark fantasy adventure across cursed diorama battlefields. Battle creatures through nine chapters, lifting a legendary curse by upgrading your hero with magic and items. Challenge yourself further in Arena Mode with unlockable achievements.

Highlights
  • Diorama battlefields
  • Nine tense chapters
  • Powerful magic invocation
  • Item discovery
  • Character leveling and stat upgrades
  • Arena Mode
  • Unlockable achievements
Features
Read full description

Developed by more8bit Bleak Sword is a dark fantasy action game tasking players to struggle across compact, cursed diorama battlefields. Through nine tense chapters, heroes must lift the curse of the legendary Bleak Sword by striking down all manner of creatures in every forest, swamp, castle, and dungeon on their journey. Invoke powerful magic, uncover helpful items, and level up your character to upgrade your stats before facing down menacing guardians. Once the curse has been lifted the challenging Arena Mode and thirty unlockable achievements await even the most accomplished warrior. Bleak Sword is designed to be able to play it easily with elegant controls allowing heroes to roll, parry, attack and counter-attack using basic movements on gamepads and touch controls. Scored by award-winning composer Jim Guthrie with sound by famed designer Joonas Turner.

About

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

Experience a unique blend of classic arcade gameplay, merging the strategies of Space Invaders with the block-breaking action of Arkanoid. Reflect enemy attacks, unleash powerful counter-bullets, and master over 20 skills across 150 challenging stages. Defeat evolving bosses and compete for high scores.

Highlights
  • Fusion of Arkanoid and Space Invaders gameplay
  • Reflect enemy attacks to destroy enemies and blocks
  • Attack Mode with accumulated power
  • 150 stages with evolving challenges
  • Over 20 unlockable skills and power-ups
  • Giant boss battles
  • Ranking Modes for high score competition
Features
Read full description

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ ■■■Game Details■■■ ◆ Arkanoid Meets Space Invaders! · A fusion of Space Invaders and Arkanoid (Block Breaker)! · Reflect the Invaders' attacks and use the bullets you reflect back to destroy enemies and blocks! · Accumulate power and enter Attack Mode to obliterate your enemies! ◆ Fight Off the Invaders in 150 Stages and Two Modes! · The Invaders have formed groups and devised various ways to assault you in each stage! Break through those pesky blocks and overcome all sorts of mechanics to clear the stages! · Master over 20 skills, including power-ups and Covering Fire, to complete the stages! · Use Support items such as a 2x Attack Boost in Attack Mode and time extensions to help you clear stages! · Defeat giant bosses that evolve as you battle them and save the galaxy from the Invaders! · Once you have cleared the stages, you can try them again on Hard to challenge yourself! ◆ Push Your Limits with Ranking Mode and Other Features! · Compete with the galaxy's toughest and strongest for high scores in two Ranking Modes. · Earn achievements to gain in-game rewards!

Screenshots

Bleak Sword4 screens
Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bleak Sword at 80% against Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+'s 19%. Bleak Sword also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (899 vs 31). Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+'s advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 8 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bleak Sword holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bleak Sword has 899 ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Bleak Sword's written reviews are positive against 19% of Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bleak Sword ships an update every 8 months, Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Bleak Sword versus Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBleak SwordArkanoid vs Space Invaders+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (899 ratings) — better3.3 (31 ratings)
Positive reviews79.9% of reviews — better18.8% of reviews
Number of ratings899 — better31
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size467 MB199 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperDevolverTAITO Corporation

Customer experience

Bleak Sword

All ratings899 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative8.6%
Written reviews553 reviews
Positive79.9%
Neutral7.4%
Negative12.7%

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

All ratings31 ratings
Positive61.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.7%
Written reviews400 reviews
Positive18.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative77.8%

User reviews

Bleak Sword

From 899 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive controls
  • 👍 Satisfying combat mechanics
  • 🎨 Unique and atmospheric pixel art style
  • 🕹️ Challenging but fair gameplay
  • 🕰️ Suitable for short play sessions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional save data loss issues
  • 🔍 Difficulty in tracking character on screen
  • 🤕 Overly punishing difficulty curve
  • 🧠 Lack of progression and upgrade systems
  • 🔍 Blurry visuals on some devices

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

From 31 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun game
  • 🚀 Great for nostalgic arcade fans
  • 💡 Unique combination of Arkanoid and Space Invaders
  • 🎨 Memorable character designs and locations

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes on startup for some users
  • ⏱️ Time limits too strict, removing casual gameplay
  • 🤔 Difficulty spikes randomly, not always skill-based
  • 🔇 Non-English voice acting without option to change

Bugs and requests

Bleak Sword

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Controls becoming unresponsive after app switch
  • Inconsistent blocking mechanics

Requested features

5 requests
  • Landscape mode support for tablets
  • Ability to skip credits after first completion
  • More enemy and boss variety
  • Customizable controls
  • Expanded story and lore

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • App switch issues causing gameplay disruption
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add classic Space Invaders mode
  • Improve difficulty curve and time limits
  • Provide English voice acting option
  • Add controller support

In-app purchases

None

Bleak Sword

No in-app purchases

None

Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Bleak Sword free?
Bleak Sword is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ free?
Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Bleak Sword or Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+?
Bleak Sword is rated higher. Bleak Sword averages 4.5 out of 5 from 899 ratings, while Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ averages 3.3 from 31 ratings.
Do Bleak Sword or Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ have ads?
Neither Bleak Sword nor Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bleak Sword or Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+?
Bleak Sword ships an update every 8 months, and Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ fortnightly. Most recently, Bleak Sword was updated on October 13, 2026 and Arkanoid vs Space Invaders+ on September 27, 2026.

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