Comparison

Space Out vs Dark Wave

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

Head to head
About

Space Out

Experience a retro arcade game that combines classic space shooter and brick-breaking mechanics. Enjoy authentic 8-bit sound effects and speech synthesis for an immersive blast from the past.

Highlights
  • Space shooter gameplay
  • Brick breaking mechanics
  • Retro arcade feel
  • 8-bit sound effects
  • Speech synthesis
  • Digital Crown control
Features
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"Very cool 8^) - Fun old style arcade for us old arcade fans!" - Drewx67 "Great game - Awesome." - Goodluck74 "Nice retro watch game - Still loving this app. Fun to play on the watch while waiting in line or out and about. Quick hit gaming with fun retro feel. They keep on updating app too to make sure it works on OS updates. Thanks! Great retro game for the watch. It's like space invaders & block out combined! Works really well on the Apple watch. Uses new API's from watchOS 3. Nice scrolling with the crown and even uses the watch speaker for the great retro sounds. Love it! Next gen of watch games is here!" - peteostro "Excellent-- an iOS Classic! - I bought this game when the first version came out on iOS 2. It's been nearly 10 years and I still play it! I am so glad the developer keeps it updated. My favorite thing about it is the Commodore 64 SID sound effects and the speech synthesis-- this game would not look out of place in an early 80s arcade. The watchOS version plays very well on top of that! The Digital Crown makes moving the paddle a dream. Would definitely recommend this app to any retro game fan." - cyelvington "Gamers ... will likely find Space Invaders to be overly simplistic and outdone by most of its clones in the App Store such as Space Out." - http://toucharcade.com "I took a look at about 40 [games], I decided which ones lived up to the hype and which ones didn’t. One of my favorites was the game called Space Out." - Jamin Brophy-Warren, Wall Street Journal Online "Arkanoid + Space Invaders with the gorf voice thrown in for good measure! Sold." - GreatLakesDrifta Space Out is the original mashup, a tribute to old school arcade games; it truly delivers that early arcade feel. It combines 2 classic game concepts, shooting invaders and brick breaking, into a unique and exciting retro experience. It's a blast back to the late '70s. Complete with all new 8-bit sound effects created with a MOS 6581 SID chip from the Commodore 64 and speech generated with 8kHz 8-bit allophones. (Any control issues were fixed years ago.)

About

Dark Wave

Navigate a winding road filled with dangers, conquering challenges across 5 chapters and 50 levels. Compete globally in endless mode or enjoy a minimalist, ad-free experience. Play across Apple devices and sync progress with iCloud.

Highlights
  • 5 Chapters, 50 Levels
  • Endless mode with global leaderboard
  • Minimalist design
  • No ads or in-app purchases
  • Play on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
  • iCloud progress sync
  • Multi-language support
Features
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Hello Light Surfer... Can you conquer the Dark Wave? Power your way through an ever-changing winding road and its dangers FEATURES • 5 Chapters, 50 Levels: Each chapter introduces a range of new enemies • Endless mode: Compete with others in a global leaderboard • Minimalist design • No ads, No in-app purchases • Play on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV • Sync your progress using iCloud • Fully localized for English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Italian, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese and Russian

Screenshots

Space Out4 screens
Dark Wave4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Space Out at 77% against Dark Wave's 52%. Space Out also leads on price ($0.99 vs $1.99). Dark Wave's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3). 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

Space Out costs $0.99 and Dark Wave $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dark Wave holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 16 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Space Out's written reviews are positive against 52% of Dark Wave's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Out ships an update every 2 months, Dark Wave every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Space Out versus Dark Wave: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace OutDark Wave
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating4.3 (16 ratings)4.6 (16 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews — better52.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1616
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanny BlissSemidome Inc.

Customer experience

Space Out

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral18.8%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral10.7%
Negative11.9%

Dark Wave

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive52.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative38.1%

Bugs and requests

Space Out

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Crashes on Apple Watch Series 4
  • Game plays 2x faster after pausing on iPhone X
  • Unplayable on iPhone X
  • App freezes on iPad after update
  • Stopped opening day after purchase
Show 5 more
  • Freezing paddle issue
  • Screen gets sticky, missed moves
  • Paddle gets stuck, doesn't move
  • Crash problem, also affecting email
  • Paddle sometimes freezes for seconds

Requested features

8 requests
  • High score list (not just highest)
  • Online daily/weekly/all-time high score lists
  • Separate iPhone and Watch lists
  • Settings for shooting on/off
  • Volume control
Show 3 more
  • Tilt control option
  • Pause game when not touching screen
  • Describe power-ups in-game

Dark Wave

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Space Out

No in-app purchases

None

Dark Wave

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space Out free?
Space Out costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dark Wave free?
Dark Wave costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Space Out or Dark Wave?
Dark Wave is rated higher. Space Out averages 4.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Dark Wave averages 4.6 from 16 ratings.
Do Space Out or Dark Wave have ads?
Neither Space Out nor Dark Wave shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Out or Dark Wave?
Space Out ships an update every 2 months, and Dark Wave every 3 months. Most recently, Space Out was updated on October 6, 2026 and Dark Wave on September 29, 2026.

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