Comparison

Space Out vs Blue Defense!

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
Read 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.)

About

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.

Highlights
  • Classic mode gameplay
  • Quick Start difficulty selection
  • Level Select for practice and medals
  • Global High Scores list
  • Save state functionality
  • Tilt controls for aiming
Features
Read 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

Space Out4 screens
Blue Defense!4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Space Out versus Blue Defense!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace OutBlue Defense!
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating4.3 (16 ratings) — better4.1 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB9 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDanny BlissCat in a Box Software

Customer experience

Space Out

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

Blue Defense!

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews156 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative8.3%

User reviews

Space Out

From 16 App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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 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

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

None

Space Out

No in-app purchases

None

Blue Defense!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space Out free?
Space Out costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blue Defense! free?
Blue Defense! costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Space Out or Blue Defense!?
Space Out is rated higher. Space Out averages 4.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Blue Defense! averages 4.1 from 9 ratings.
Do Space Out or Blue Defense! have ads?
Neither Space Out nor Blue Defense! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Out or Blue Defense!?
Space Out ships an update every 2 months, and Blue Defense! every 4 months. Most recently, Space Out was updated on October 22, 2026 and Blue Defense! on October 24, 2026.

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