Comparison

Space Ace vs ScummVM

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

Head to head
About

Space Ace

Embark on an interstellar adventure as the heroic Ace to thwart Commander Borf's plan to turn humanity into infants. Armed with a laser gun, you must rescue Kimberly, destroy the Infanto Ray, and save Earth from alien domination. Experience a legendary animated arcade game with stunning high-definition visuals.

Highlights
  • Pilot the heroic Ace
  • Battle Commander Borf
  • Rescue Kimberly
  • Destroy the Infanto Ray
  • High-definition visuals
  • Intuitive controls
Features
Read full description

In Space Ace you play the heroic Ace who must stop the evil Commander Borf from taking over the Earth! Borf plans to reduce all of humankind to infants and take over the planet. Only two people have the courage and strength to stop Borf and save Earth: the beautiful Kimberly and the heroic Ace. But as they approach Borf’s stronghold, Ace is hit by the Infanto Ray, changing him into a child, and Kimberly is kidnapped by the evil madman. Armed with only a laser gun, Ace must find and destroy the Infanto Ray, rescue Kimberly and save the Earth. The fate of Earth is in your hands! This release of Don Bluth’s legendary animated arcade game features video transferred directly from the stunning high definition master, delivering the sharpest images and most vibrant colors ever – far better than the original laserdisc release. Simply press on the direction pad to guide Ace in the right direction or fire your laser gun and blast those aliens away. Don Bluth and his production teams are the creative genius behind such beloved classics as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and Anastasia to name but a few. We hope you enjoy Space Ace!

About

ScummVM

Play classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs on your device. This application includes two playable demos and offers access to many more titles through its website. Enjoy a vast library of beloved retro games.

Highlights
  • Play classic adventure games
  • Play classic RPGs
  • Includes playable demos
  • Access to more games online
  • Open source software
Features
Read full description

ScummVM provides a way to play many classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs. The application is bundled with two playable demos, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (DOS Demo) and The Secret of Monkey Island (DOS EGA Demo), both titles copyright of Lucasfilm Ltd. You can find more information, demos, and some free-to-download adventure games on our website. See also an up-to-date list here: https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Where_to_get_the_games Full documentation of ScummVM can be found at https://docs.scummvm.org/ Please visit our web forum where you can discuss the iOS version. https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=15 ScummVM is open source software available under the term of the GPL v3.0 license. The source code is available from https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm.

Screenshots

Space Ace4 screens
ScummVM2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScummVM at Free against Space Ace's $4.99. ScummVM also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (88% vs 76%). 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

ScummVM is free to download; Space Ace costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ScummVM holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 39 and 102 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Space Ace's written reviews are positive against 88% of ScummVM's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Ace ships an update every 6 months, ScummVM every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Space Ace versus ScummVM: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace AceScummVM
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (39 ratings)4.8 (102 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.8% of reviews87.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings39102 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better9.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.1 GB268 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperDragon's Lair LLCEugene Sandulenko

Customer experience

Space Ace

All ratings39 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral2.6%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews318 reviews
Positive75.8%
Neutral8.5%
Negative15.7%

ScummVM

All ratings93 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative3.0%

User reviews

Space Ace

From 39 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Arcade-perfect port
  • 👍 Faithful to the original
  • 🎨 Stunning animation and visuals
  • 💾 Full game on mobile
  • 🕹️ Responsive controls

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Short gameplay duration
  • 🤔 Challenging for new players
  • 🔇 Sound issues/missing audio
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Difficulty settings not saved

ScummVM

From 102 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Reliving classic games
  • 👍 Great for mobile browsers
  • 👍 Amazing experience with specific games
  • 👍 Glad it's available
  • 👍 Supports classic point-and-click and RPGs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashing mid-game
  • 🐛 Save feature not working correctly
  • 🐛 Touchscreen tap issues
  • 🐛 Clunky game adding process
  • 🐛 UI needs improvement

Bugs and requests

Space Ace

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Scenes not loading correctly
  • Controls not registering inputs
  • Game state not persisting after suspension

Requested features

4 requests
  • Watch full movie mode
  • Adjustable sound/volume settings
  • Improved difficulty scaling
  • Compatibility updates for newer devices

ScummVM

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes mid-game
  • Save feature does not save
  • Single-tap not registering as left click
  • Two-finger tap not registering as right click
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad not working
Show 5 more
  • Trackpad from new iPads not working
  • Cannot link OneDrive due to JSON response issue
  • Recently added games graying out
  • App crashes on second boot
  • External keyboard not working

Requested features

12 requests
  • Easier game search
  • Apple TV support
  • Gamepad key mapping support
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad support
Show 7 more
  • Trackpad support
  • Change icon color
  • Support for Discworld Noir
  • DOSBox and FUSE support
  • NES interpreter support
  • Better iOS support for Grim Fandango & Escape From Monkey Island
  • More significant way to add games

In-app purchases

None

Space Ace

No in-app purchases

None

ScummVM

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space Ace free?
Space Ace costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScummVM free?
ScummVM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Space Ace or ScummVM?
ScummVM is rated higher. Space Ace averages 4.1 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while ScummVM averages 4.8 from 102 ratings.
Do Space Ace or ScummVM have ads?
Neither Space Ace nor ScummVM shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Ace or ScummVM?
Space Ace ships an update every 6 months, and ScummVM every 4 months. Most recently, Space Ace was updated on September 24, 2026 and ScummVM on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons