Comparison

Kepler Attack vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Kepler Attack

Engage in a retro arcade space shooter experience on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Destroy waves of alien invaders with power-ups and intuitive controls. Enjoy fast-paced gameplay perfect for short bursts of fun.

Highlights
  • Space shooter gameplay
  • Alien invasion waves
  • Power-ups (Shield, Triple Shot, etc.)
  • Apple Watch Crown controls
  • iPhone swipe controls
  • Retro arcade graphics
  • Short burst gameplay
Features
Read full description

Featured in Apple's "Great on watchOS 6" and "Our Favourite Apple Watch Apps" collections! #2 Casual Game in the US! Kepler Attack is an arcade game for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Fly through space and destroy waves of alien space invaders from Kepler-452b. “I’m just amazed that this is on my Watch.” - Tom, host of The Apple WatchCast Podcast - http://www.applewatchcast.com “I think this is actually my personal favorite new game now on the Apple Watch because of its really fast pacing which is perfect for these types of games.” - HotshotTek, 10 Awesome Apple Watch Games Apps of 2019 • Inspired by Gyruss, Galaga, Galaxian and Space Invaders! • Beautiful retro arcade graphics! • Fast paced alien attack waves with a variety of enemy space invaders! • Power-ups include Shield, Triple Shot, Rapid Fire and Smart Bomb! • Intuitive and simple controls using the Crown on the Watch! • Swipe to move on the iPhone! • Short burst gameplay is perfect for the Watch and iPhone! • Retro sound effects on the iPhone! • Play anywhere, anytime! • Includes Valentine's Day and Santa Christmas Holiday theme! • Runs at 60fps on the Watch! Relive the glory days of the arcade on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Thanks for playing Johnno & Pete

About

ArcEmu

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search Apple Watch Compatibility - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Screenshots

Kepler Attack4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: ArcEmu at free against Kepler Attack's paid. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). Kepler Attack's advantage is chart position (#40 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.5). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Kepler Attack costs $1.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 942 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Kepler Attack's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kepler Attack ships an update every 6 weeks, ArcEmu fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Kepler Attack versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKepler AttackArcEmu
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.5 (942 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9421.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#40 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRed Sprite StudiosRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Kepler Attack

All ratings942 ratings
Positive87.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.6%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,295 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews521 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

Kepler Attack

From 942 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😁 Great for apple watches
  • 🎮 An actual video game
  • 🎶 What's the music called?
  • 📱 I love the fact that you can play this game on an Apple Watch
  • ⏱️ Old School Arcade Immediacy and Brevity

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Not worth paying for
  • 💰 Ain't worth the money really
  • 🙄 Fun but basic
  • 😒 Stupid forced reviews
  • 🐛 Won't install

ArcEmu

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fully functional
  • 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
  • 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
  • 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
  • 👍 Customizable controls and layout

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
  • 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
  • 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
  • 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch

Bugs and requests

Kepler Attack

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game doesn't play complete rip off
  • Just says on the watch version that it has to be installed on my iPhone for it to work. It's installed on my iPhone. Doesn't work.
  • This seems like a good game but I don't see it on my watch.
  • I have the first version watch Apple one, and it does not work on the watch,And has offered me a refund, I appreciate it.
  • It won't download on my watch

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add a golden starship IF
  • Please add upgrades so we can have bettr ships

ArcEmu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
  • Save data not transferring properly between devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cheat/GameShark support
  • Improve volume controls
  • Implement fast forward/slow motion options
  • Allow multiple save slots per game
  • Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

None

Kepler Attack

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Kepler Attack free?
Kepler Attack costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Kepler Attack or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Kepler Attack averages 4.5 out of 5 from 942 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Kepler Attack or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Kepler Attack nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kepler Attack or ArcEmu?
Kepler Attack ships an update every 6 weeks, and ArcEmu fortnightly. Most recently, Kepler Attack was updated on September 20, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 24, 2026.

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