Space Out vs Blue Defense!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Space shooter gameplay
- Brick breaking mechanics
- Retro arcade feel
- 8-bit sound effects
- Speech synthesis
- Digital Crown control
Read full descriptionHide full description
"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.)
Blue Defense!
Defend your planet from an relentless invasion force. This action-packed game challenges your reflexes and strategic thinking as you manage increasing pressure from attackers. Experience classic gameplay with modern features like level selection and global leaderboards.
- Classic mode gameplay
- Quick Start difficulty selection
- Level Select for practice and medals
- Global High Scores list
- Save state functionality
- Tilt controls for aiming
Read full descriptionHide full description
Defend your planet! Blue Defense puts you in charge of protecting your world from an invasion force that wants nothing more than your utter destruction. 6.7 billion lives hang in the balance... are your hands steady enough to handle the ever-increasing pressure of the attackers? Features: - Classic mode: play the game as it was in the original game - Quick Start mode: choose a starting difficulty! - Level Select mode: practice individual levels, start the game on your favourite level, or try to earn medals! - Clean, oldschool graphical style - Global High scores list - Save state ensures that you can leave and come back to your game at any time Controls: - Hold the device upright - Tilt left and right to control the stream of bullets - Double-tap the screen to pause Reviews: "If you like shooters, you should just get this game ... it’s all about the gameplay." -Touch Arcade "Fantastic, simple, fun, wonderful game. Very unexpected but very much appreciated." -148Apps "the way it effortlessly shifts from style to style and handles motion controls make[s it] fresh in a decades-old genre. It's a bullseye for any shooter fan." -Maclife "Blue Defense! is tastefully designed and brimming with twists, turns and tongue biting. Its polished graphics, smooth animation and habit-forming gameplay are praiseworthy." -TouchMyApps "A great space shooter that utilizes the iPhones controls to the max." -Everyday Gamers "Apple has finally released the [2.0] update and it does NOT disappoint." -The APPera "'Tilt to aim. Bullets shoot straight up.' I said, 'that’s it?' The answer was a wall of red death streaming down towards my planet." -appleiphoneapps.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Space Out at 4.3 against Blue Defense!'s 4.1. Space Out also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.6 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Space Out costs $0.99 and Blue Defense! $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Space Out holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 9 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Space Out's written reviews are positive against 84% of Blue Defense!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Space Out ships an update every 2 months, Blue Defense! every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space Out | Blue Defense! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (16 ratings) — better | 4.1 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | 84.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Danny Bliss | Cat in a Box Software |
Customer experience
Space Out
Blue Defense!
User reviews
Space Out
From 16 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great retro feel
- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Fun mashup of classics
- 👍 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Good for passing time
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unplayable on iPhone X
- 🐛 Game plays too fast on iPhone X
- 🐛 Too easy on iPhone, long duration
- 🐛 Controls can be tricky
- 🐛 Paddle sometimes freezes
Blue Defense!
From 9 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth and fast gameplay
- 👍 Unique and intuitive controls
- 💎 Retro-style graphics
- 🕹️ Addictive and challenging
- 💰 Great value for money
Room to improve
- 🔇 Lack of sound effects and music
- 🔄 Inverted controls can be confusing
- 🧠 Difficulty ramps up too quickly
- 🔋 Can be physically tiring to play
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Tilt control option
- Pause game when not touching screen
- Describe power-ups in-game
Blue Defense!
Reported bugs
2 issues- Crashes on newer iOS versions
- Medals not saving properly
Requested features
5 requests- Add sound effects and background music
- Option to invert or adjust controls
- Gradual difficulty increase
- Power-ups and weapon upgrades
- Global high score leaderboards
In-app purchases
Space Out
No in-app purchases
Blue Defense!
No in-app purchases









