Comparison

rRootage Online HD vs Wavecade

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

Head to head
About

rRootage Online HD

Experience a legendary shooter ported and optimized for mobile devices. Engage in 160 stages across four distinct modes, featuring online leaderboards and achievements. Master unique gameplay mechanics in this classic arcade-style experience.

Highlights
  • Four distinct game modes
  • 160 challenging stages
  • Online hi-scores and achievements
  • Game Center integration
  • Intuitive touch controls
  • Multiple gameplay mechanics (Normal, PSY, IKA, GW)
Features
Read full description

Kenta Cho's legendary shooter rRootage ported and optimized for iOS! 4 different modes, 160 stages total. Including music, SFX, online hi-scores and achievements. rRootage Online is Game Center enabled. ◆ Reviews for rRootage Online ◆ EUROGAMER (Rating 9/10): "rRootage Online is why Kenta Cho releases his games in the way he does; it's now got a chance to hit a new audience, and be enjoyed by many more people, in what feels like the definitive version." APP SPY (Rating 4/5): "...for those who consider themselves fans of the shmup genre, this is without a doubt a must buy." TOUCHARCADE: "Anyone who enjoys a nice 2D shooter should grab this one instantly." WHATSONIPHONE (Rating 4.5/5): "rRootage is a classic game faithfully rendered on the iphone" FINGERGAMING: "rRootage offers much more variety than the typical App Store shoot-’em-up [...]. Shooter fans should definitely check this one out." POCKETGAMER: "The fact that this gem is available on the App Store is great news." THEPORTABLEGAMER: "If R-Type was too simple for you, or DoDonPachi Resurrection was something you completed with one eye closed while doing one handed pushups, then this is worthy of your time and money." Controls: * Touch and hold to move ship * Second touch to trigger special * Double tap to pause game Menu: * Touch the squares to select mode/stage Game: Control your ship and avoid the barrage. Use the laser to destroy the battleship of the enemy. You can cause more damage if you fire the laser close to the enemy. When all ships are destroyed, the game is over. The ship extends at 200,000 and every 500,000 points. . Normal Mode This is the standard game mode. - Special -> Bomb The bomb wipes enemies bullets. The number of bombs are displayed at the left-down corner. . PSY Mode As your ship grazes a bullet, the graze meter (displayed at the right-down corner) increases. When the graze meter becomes full, the ship becomes invincible for a while. - Special -> Rolling This movement widens the range the ship can graze. . IKA Mode Your ship has two attributes, white and black. All bullets also have these attributes, and your ship can absorb bullets that have the same attribute. Absorbed bullets are changed into lasers automatically. - Special -> Attribution change Change your ship’s attribute. . GW Mode Your ship can use the reflector. The reflector reflects bullets around your ship. - Special -> Reflector To use the reflector, you have to activate special until the reflector meter (displayed at the left-down corner) becomes empty. You can use the reflector only if the reflector meter displays 'OK'.

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

rRootage Online HD4 screens
Wavecade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: rRootage Online HD at 78% against Wavecade's 30%. rRootage Online HD also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 12). Wavecade's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Both are free to download. Wavecade sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. rRootage Online HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

rRootage Online HD holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of rRootage Online HD's written reviews are positive against 30% of Wavecade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

rRootage Online HD ships an update every 4 months, Wavecade fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
rRootage Online HD versus Wavecade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterrRootage Online HDWavecade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (36 ratings) — better3.7 (70 ratings)
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better29.6% of reviews
Number of ratings3670 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB312 MB
Age rating4+9+
Developerfraglab.atAndrew Spalato

Customer experience

rRootage Online HD

All ratings33 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral13.0%
Negative8.7%

Wavecade

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

In-app purchases

None

rRootage Online HD

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 rRootage Online HD free?
rRootage Online HD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wavecade free?
Wavecade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, rRootage Online HD or Wavecade?
rRootage Online HD is rated higher. rRootage Online HD averages 4.8 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Wavecade averages 3.7 from 70 ratings.
Do rRootage Online HD or Wavecade have ads?
Neither rRootage Online HD nor Wavecade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, rRootage Online HD or Wavecade?
rRootage Online HD ships an update every 4 months, and Wavecade fortnightly. Most recently, rRootage Online HD was updated on October 21, 2026 and Wavecade on October 24, 2026.

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