Comparison

Blast Waves vs Dungeons of Aether

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Dungeons of Aether

Embark on a challenging turn-based dungeon crawler where strategic dice drafting determines your fate. Explore diverse biomes, uncover journal entries, and master unique hero skills in a quest for treasure or an early demise.

Highlights
  • Turn-based dice drafting combat
  • Four unique heroes with special skills
  • Story mode with steampunk town exploration
  • Multiple dungeon biomes
  • Challenge dungeons for roguelike difficulty
  • Collectible journal entries
Features
Read full description

Dungeons of Aether is a turn-based dungeon crawler designed by Nikita ‘ampersandbear’ Belorusov from the Aether Studios team. Rivals of Aether is known for its intense competition and twitch skills, while Dungeons of Aether allows you to take things at your own pace - but it’s still just as challenging! Every choice you make can lead you deeper into the dungeons or to an early demise. Will you carry out a treasure chest, or be carried out in a pine box? The combat in Dungeons of Aether uses a dice draft system that ensures each battle is unique while challenging the player to adapt the pool of dice each turn. Use fortune to your favor to defeat your foes, collect treasures and shift the odds in your favor... Game Features: - Meet four NEW HEROES from the world of Aether, each with their own unique skills and memorable personalities. - Play STORY MODE and travel to the steampunk town of Julesvale and brave the sprawling caverns underneath it. - Explore each DUNGEON BIOME as you dive into Julesvale Mines, the Lava Caves, the Underground Oasis and the Mineral Deposits, collecting revealing Journal Entries along the way. - Brave the CHALLENGE DUNGEONS if you are looking for true roguelike difficulty to test your skills in the randomly generated dungeons.

Screenshots

Blast Waves4 screens
Dungeons of Aether4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dungeons of Aether at 4.8 against Blast Waves's 4.2. Dungeons of Aether also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 67%) and chart position (#121 vs unranked). Blast Waves's advantage is price ($3.99 vs $4.99). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Blast Waves costs $3.99 and Dungeons of Aether $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dungeons of Aether holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 42 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Blast Waves's written reviews are positive against 93% of Dungeons of Aether's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blast Waves ships an update every 11 days, Dungeons of Aether every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Blast Waves versus Dungeons of Aether: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlast WavesDungeons of Aether
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.2 (42 ratings)4.8 (28 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews93.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings42 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#121 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better10.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB189 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperKyle BarrettDan Fornace

Customer experience

Blast Waves

All ratings42 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral9.5%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%

Dungeons of Aether

All ratings28 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive93.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Blast Waves

No in-app purchases

None

Dungeons of Aether

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blast Waves free?
Blast Waves costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dungeons of Aether free?
Dungeons of Aether costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Blast Waves or Dungeons of Aether?
Dungeons of Aether is rated higher. Blast Waves averages 4.2 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Dungeons of Aether averages 4.8 from 28 ratings.
Do Blast Waves or Dungeons of Aether have ads?
Neither Blast Waves nor Dungeons of Aether shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blast Waves or Dungeons of Aether?
Blast Waves ships an update every 11 days, and Dungeons of Aether every 8 days. Most recently, Blast Waves was updated on October 21, 2026 and Dungeons of Aether on October 30, 2026.

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