Blast Waves vs Blacken Slash
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blast Waves
Engage in a tactical arcade shooter where time advances with your actions. Survive an intergalactic conflict by rapidly acquiring new weapons and abilities, then lead your surviving commanders in strategic squad battles.
- Roguelike Survival Mode
- Squad Auto-Battler Command Mode
- Hundreds of unlockable weapons, armor, and gadgets
- 6 unique biomes with destructible terrain
- Dozens of allied and enemy troop types
- Skill-based joystick and tap-to-target controls
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Blast Waves is a tactical arcade shooter where time only moves as you move, and every shot counts. Play through the rogue-like Survival Mode as a fresh recruit. Rapidly gain new weapons and abilities while trying to make it through an intergalactic conflict. Most troopers won't make it. The few that do survive become permanently playable as clone squad commanders. In the auto battler-like Command Mode, players build and organize squads while fighting to last as long as possible against overwhelming odds. Key Features: -Survival Mode: Build a character from the ground up across multiple battles. -Command Mode: Characters that make it through Survival Mode can be selected to lead squads against increasingly overwhelming odds. -100s of weapons, armor types, and gadgets to unlock. -6 unique biomes with destructible terrain and distinct environmental challenges. -Dozens of allied and enemy troop types to learn and master. -Skill-based joystick shooting and tap-to-target control schemes. -Holotags record the unique exploits of every character.
Blacken Slash
Engage in turn-based tactical combat with roguelike elements. Craft unique character builds with a vast array of items and skills. Enjoy a story-driven experience with a retro soundtrack and compete on an online ladder.
- Turn-based tactical combat
- Roguelike elements
- Item-based build crafting
- Carry favorite items between runs
- Online ladder competition
- Challenging achievements
- Story-driven experience
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A tactical RPG fusing the best of roguelikes, turn-based tactics and hack and slash games – made by a solo developer with a penchant for minimalist designs. - Fight through bite-sized tactical puzzles - Create powerful builds from a plethora of items which grant you skills and can change gameplay mechanics - Carry on your favorite items between runs in normal mode - Start from scratch each week and compete with other players in the online ladder mode - Try various playstyles and hunt for challenging achievements - Enjoy a lovingly crafted story of ridiculous computer nostalgia and a blast of a retro soundtrack
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Blacken Slash at 4.8 against Blast Waves's 4.2. Blacken Slash also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 67%). Blast Waves's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, 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
Blast Waves costs $3.99 and Blacken Slash $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Blacken Slash holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 60 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Blast Waves's written reviews are positive against 96% of Blacken Slash's.
Blast Waves ships an update every 11 days, Blacken Slash fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blast Waves | Blacken Slash |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.2 (42 ratings) | 4.8 (60 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 95.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 42 | 60 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 161 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kyle Barrett | Sonderland Games UG haftungsbeschrankt |
Customer experience
Blast Waves
Blacken Slash
In-app purchases
Blast Waves
No in-app purchases
Blacken Slash
No in-app purchases
