Retro Boxes vs Super Emu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retro Boxes
This game combines elements of Tetris and Sokoban with unique physics and a strategic puzzle-solving approach. It features a retro pixel art style, achievements, and collectible characters from classic computer games. Designed for short, engaging play sessions, it's suitable for all ages.
- Combines Tetris and Sokoban mechanics
- Unique physics and strategic gameplay
- Retro pixel art style
- Collectible characters and achievements
- Short, engaging game sessions
- Develops logic and strategic thinking
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Who is this game for? * The simplest answer: for everyone. This is indicated by usage statistics. The game is popular in some European countries, although it was originally released for the Russian market. * For children. The game is ideal for developing the mind and logical thinking. * For adults who are not used to spending time playing mobile games for hours. Game sessions take about 5 to 30 minutes, this is enough to enjoy going through a couple of levels or, for example, one, any difficult level. Especially suitable for fans of casual games such as "match 3." * For all lovers of retro games and retro computers. The game has a special charm that you will definitely appreciate. Features: * This game combines two legendary logic games: Tetris and Sokoban, but at the same time is not similar to any of them. In fact, it is an adapted version of the magnificent Japanese game Puzznic adapted for a modern player. The game develops not only logic, but also strategic thinking, while not rushing anywhere, it gives you the opportunity to think and choose the right strategy. The game has its own unique physics, close to real, there is also no element of chance in it, it all depends on your strategy. The difficulty is moderate: the game relaxes more than it makes you rack your brains hard, which is why it is wonderful. * The game is made in Pixel Art style and immerses the player in a magical toy world, and for some in the nostalgic world of childhood. But to a greater extent this is a tribute to the legendary games of past years, as well as the first home computers, for example, fans of the ZX Spectrum PC can easily recognize the music for the AY-3-8910 and some graphic effects. * During the game you will receive achievements. You need to collect a collection of game characters of computer games of the past. For the possession of some of them really have to strain is not "childish." During these tests, you will learn how different ways you can go through some levels of the game, and, after successfully completing the task and receiving the treasured hero, you will get such a charge of positive emotions that is comparable to the emotions from passing the whole game! How to play: The game uses four types of dice: red, green, blue and yellow. They can be moved right or left, the force of gravity also acts on them. Cubes of the same type placed side by side are destroyed. Task: destroy all the cubes on the playing field. This is not always easy to do, but you will succeed. Advice: * At the beginning of each level, study the number of cubes of different colors. Pay attention to the types of cubes with an odd amount. Immediately evaluate and plan how you will combine them. * All levels are passable, while you don’t need to use special techniques and calculate the timings. Just look at the playing field “differently” and the level will be passed. Keep this information in mind when the moment of despair comes. * Do not rush to destroy the cubes immediately, very often they are needed to build the so-called "bridges". With their help, you can move the necessary cubes to hard-to-reach places, often it is necessary to complete the level. * Elevators can be blocked by substituting a game cube in the path of its movement. Sometimes this feature is necessary for the successful passage of the level. * Special techniques. The game has a feature: If at least one of the game blocks is in a state of free fall or movement (not counting the movement on the elevators), then other game blocks will not be destroyed. Using this property, you can go through the level more masterly, score many times more points and get a reward.
Super Emu
This application allows you to play classic handheld and console games on your iPhone and iPad. It supports multiple systems, offers customizable controls, and includes features like save states and rewind.
- Supports Game Boy Advance, Color, NES, and SNES games
- Customizable multitouch controls with haptic feedback
- Full controller and keyboard support
- Rewind, save states, and fast-forward options
- iCloud syncing for saves and progress
- Online multiplayer via Room Link
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SuperEmu is a fast, beautiful emulator for the handhelds and consoles you grew up with, built natively for iPhone and iPad with the new Liquid Glass design. ONE LIBRARY FOR YOUR CLASSICS • Plays Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Game Boy, Super Nintendo (SNES) and NES games. • Add games from the Files app, “Open in…”, or by copying them into the SuperEmu folder. • Artwork is captured automatically from your last session. Filter by system or search by title. CONTROLS MADE FOR EVERY CONSOLE • Multitouch buttons laid out for each system, with an 8-way D-pad, sliding between buttons and haptic feedback. • Full support for MFi, Xbox and PlayStation controllers and hardware keyboards. • Touch controls step aside automatically when you pick up a controller. REWIND, SAVE, SPEED UP • Rewind: hold L2 + R2 and jump back up to 20 seconds, then pick the exact moment to play from. • Save states: 4 slots per game with thumbnails and timestamps. • Fast-forward at 2×, 3× or 4×. SYNCED WITH iCLOUD • In-game saves, save states and thumbnails sync between your iPhone and iPad through your own iCloud Drive. • Games are matched by their file’s fingerprint, so progress follows you across devices. ROOM LINK — PLAY TOGETHER ONLINE • Create a room, share the 5-letter code, and play with a friend over the internet through Game Center. • Handheld games connect like a link cable: trade, battle and play versus modes. • Console games play like two controllers plugged into the same machine. LOOKS THE WAY YOU REMEMBER • Pixel-perfect scaling plus Metal filters: Sharp, Smooth, LCD Grid, Scanline, CRT, color correction, Retro Green and Scale2x. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Your games and saves stay on your devices and in your own iCloud. IMPORTANT SuperEmu does not include any games. Play only games you own or that are legally free to use, such as homebrew. SuperEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nintendo. All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Open-source emulation cores: mGBA (MPL 2.0), Snes9x (Snes9x license, non-commercial) and FCEUmm (GPL 2.0).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Super Emu at 5.0 against Retro Boxes's 4.0. Super Emu also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2). Retro Boxes's advantage is ratings volume (12 vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 18.0). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Retro Boxes sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Super Emu asks for nothing beyond the download.
Super Emu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retro Boxes has 12 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | Retro Boxes | Super Emu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (12 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pavel Vorontsov | Kiet Nguyen Tuan |
In-app purchases
Retro Boxes
- No Ads$0.99
- Full version$1.99
Super Emu
No in-app purchases









