Jupiter Attack vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Jupiter Attack
Engage in intense arcade-style space combat against relentless alien invaders. Navigate your ship using intuitive controls on Apple Watch and iPhone, collect power-ups, and aim for the highest score on the global leaderboard. Relive classic arcade action with retro visuals and sound.
- Bullet hell arcade action
- Apple Watch and iOS compatibility
- Power-up collection (multi-shot, shield, rapid fire)
- High-score leaderboard
- Intuitive Digital Crown controls on Apple Watch
- Swipe controls on iPhone
- Retro sound effects
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Prepare to enter bullet hell... The 2nd in the Space Watch Trilogy, Jupiter Attack pits you against an onslaught of merciless space invaders, intent on destroying Earth! Use the Digital Crown on Watch and touch screen on iPhone to move your ship and destroy the oncoming alien menace. Collect power-ups as you compete to earn the highest score in this retro inspired arcade classic. • Playable on Apple Watch and iOS devices! • Power-ups include multi-shot, shield and rapid fire! • High-score leaderboard on Apple Watch and iPhone! • Intuitive and simple controls using the Digital Crown on Apple Watch! • Swipe to move on iPhone! • Retro sound effects on the iPhone! • Runs at 60fps on the Apple Watch! • Play anywhere, anytime! Relive the glory days of the arcade on your Apple Watch and iPhone. For the first in the Space Watch Trilogy download Kepler Attack! Thanks for playing - Johnno
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.
- Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
- Multiplayer support
- Cheat codes
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Save State sharing
- iCloud support
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArcEmu at 95% against Jupiter Attack's 40%. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Jupiter Attack's advantage is chart position (#13 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Jupiter Attack costs $1.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 383 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Jupiter Attack's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.
Jupiter Attack ships an update every 2 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jupiter Attack | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.5 (383 ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 94.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 383 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #13 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Red Sprite Studios | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
Jupiter Attack
ArcEmu
Bugs and requests
Jupiter Attack
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
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- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
In-app purchases
Jupiter Attack
No in-app purchases
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases
