Comparison

Heck Deck vs Wavecade

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

Head to head
About

Heck Deck

Experience a unique blend of bullet hell action and strategic card gameplay. Navigate through five distinct stages, each with its own challenges, enemies, and bosses. Collect and strategically use dozens of cards, managing your health as you progress through this hand-drawn world.

Highlights
  • Bullet hell card gameplay
  • 5 unique stages with distinct music and enemies
  • Dozens of attack and spell cards
  • Card purchase system
  • Hand-drawn art style
  • Over 30 enemies and bosses
Features
Read full description

Heck Deck is a bullet hell card game where all the bullets are cards and time only progresses as you move. Explore 5 stages full of unique enemies and bosses, discover dozens of cards, and visit shops to buy and sell cards for health! Throughout 5 different stages, Heck Deck will challenge your precision and dexterity during the bullet hell phases and your strategy when using your cards. Each card you pick up will cost you at least one life point, so you will have to be careful about which ones you pick on your way. The abstract and minimalist world of Heck Deck is created with a cute hand-drawn art style. Each level of the game has its own universe, its own music, its own set of enemies, and of course, its own boss. Heck Deck main features: • 5 different levels with their own music • A cute hand-drawn art style • One unique setting for each level • Dozens of attacks and spells for the player • Over 30 enemies and bosses • A card purchase system via the shop The strategy created by the use of cards mixed with the dexterity required during the bullet hell phases makes Heck Deck truly unique!

About

Wavecade

Experience classic arcade shooter nostalgia with a modern twist. Manipulate time, collect powerups, and utilize unique abilities to overcome challenging waves, hazards, and epic bosses. Customize your ship and compete with friends in various game modes.

Highlights
  • Time manipulation mechanics
  • Upgradeable powerups
  • Player abilities for survival
  • Block shooting and destruction
  • Hazard avoidance and strategic use
  • Epic boss battles
  • Local and online multiplayer
  • Multiple game modes
  • Ship and visual customization
Features
Read full description

Inspired by classic arcade shooters such as 'Space Invaders' and 'Galaga', Wavecade brings back the original nostalgia feeling to players from arcades, using sleek retro 80's and sci-fi aesthetic. TIME MANIPULATION: Bend time at your will by moving up and down the screen. After each wave, the game speeds up a small amount. making the game more challenging on each new wave. POWERUPS: You can accumulate multiple powerups at the same time. Collecting the same powerup upgrades it and increases your time with them active. ABILITIES: Activate your ability when you are facing near certain destruction to turn the tables of the game. It might be the one thing that saves you from a GAME OVER. BLOCKS: Blocks spawn at the top of the playfield and move down the screen. Line up your shots and shoot them for points. They can come in a variety of types: Blocks can spawn randomly, in rows, in a single stream, or in a pattern spanning the playfield HAZARDS: Hazards can appear at any time and can lose you a life if you happen to hit any of them. They can help destroy blocks if you're agile enough, could be a blessing in disguise. BOSSES: Get far enough in Wavecade and you will find yourself in epic encounters with bosses. They will have an arsenal of abilities to GAME OVER you. Learn their patterns and overcome them. MULTIPLAYER: Invite or join a friend on Steam and destroy waves of blocks. Your scores are saved to the leader boards with your names. How long can you stay #1? VARIETY OF GAME MODES: Competitive Relaxed One-hit KO No blocks shall pass Chaos Quick Game CUSTOMIZATION: Personalize your player choose from a selection of ships, colors, skins and your propulsion effect.

Screenshots

Heck Deck4 screens
Wavecade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Wavecade at Free against Heck Deck's $2.99. Wavecade also leads on ads (none vs shown). Heck Deck's advantage is review sentiment (74% vs 30%) and rating (4.7 vs 3.7). On ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Wavecade is free to download; Heck Deck costs $2.99 up front. Wavecade sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Heck Deck asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Heck Deck holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 129 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Heck Deck's written reviews are positive against 30% of Wavecade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heck Deck ships an update weekly, Wavecade fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Heck Deck versus Wavecade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeck DeckWavecade
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (129 ratings) — better3.7 (70 ratings)
Positive reviews73.7% of reviews — better29.6% of reviews
Number of ratings129 — better70
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB312 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperPlug In DigitalAndrew Spalato

Customer experience

Heck Deck

All ratings129 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative26.3%

Wavecade

All ratings69 ratings
Positive60.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive29.6%
Neutral20.4%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Heck Deck

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Wavecade

One-time12
  • 100K XP$0.79
  • Double XP$0.99
  • Wavecade - Ships Pack$1.49
Show 9 more
  • Wavecade - 500K XP$1.49
  • Wavecade - Propulsions Pack$2.99
  • Small Brilliants Pack$2.99
  • Wavecade - 5 Million XP Pack$4.99
  • Wavecade - Designs Pack$5.99
  • Medium Brilliants Pack$5.99
  • Wavecade - Ultimate Pack$9.99
  • Large Brilliants Pack$19.99
  • Mega Brilliants Pack$59.99

Questions

Is Heck Deck free?
Heck Deck costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wavecade free?
Wavecade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Heck Deck or Wavecade?
Heck Deck is rated higher. Heck Deck averages 4.7 out of 5 from 129 ratings, while Wavecade averages 3.7 from 70 ratings.
Do Heck Deck or Wavecade have ads?
Heck Deck shows ads; Wavecade does not.
Which is updated more often, Heck Deck or Wavecade?
Heck Deck ships an update weekly, and Wavecade fortnightly. Most recently, Heck Deck was updated on October 24, 2026 and Wavecade on October 17, 2026.

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