Comparison

RayForce vs PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO

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

Head to head
About

RayForce

Experience a classic 2D arcade shooter on your mobile device. Choose between faithful arcade recreation or optimized touch controls, with multiple shooting methods and display options. Compete globally for high scores and achievements.

Highlights
  • Remix Mode with flick controls
  • Arcade Mode faithful recreation
  • Auto and Manual shooting methods
  • MFi Bluetooth controller support
  • Game Center rankings and achievements
  • Zoom and Original display types
  • 8 difficulty modes
Read full description

TAITO is famous for arcade shooting games, and the RAY trilogy is one of the most beloved series! Ever since the 1993 release of the trilogy's first installment, RAYFORCE, fans have been thrilled by the game's cinematic visuals and gorgeous layered raster scrolling graphics. RAYFORCE became a 2D shooting instant classic, and now it's available for iPhone and iPad! *Two Game Modes: Remix Mode and Arcade Mode! The Remix Mode provides a new, iPhone-optimized experience with simple flick-style controls. For the hardcore, Arcade Mode is a faithful touchscreen recreation of the original arcade game. *Two Shooting Methods: Auto and Manual! Auto Mode provides automatic, button-free firing for both the standard weapon and lock on laser, allowing players to take on this challenging game with a single finger. Manual Mode adds weapon controls (a toggle for the standard shot and a fire button for the lock on laser), providing a more arcade-like play experience. *Support MFi Bluetooth controllers!! Key configuration is also possible! *Game Center Compatibility! Individual rankings have been prepared for each ships and for each game mode. Let's compete with high-score players from all over the world! Get Achievement fulfilling various conditions in game! Aim for Achievement Complete!! *Two Display Types: Zoom and Original! The Zoom display enlarges the play area, filling the entire iPhone screen with dynamic visuals. For the purist, the Original display mode delivers a pixel-perfect rendition of the arcade game's screen. *Difficulty Modes Added! A total of 8 difficulty modes are now available, ranging from Very Easy to Very Hard. *RAYFORCE's gorgeous graphics and striking raster scrolling, perfectly recreated! RAYFORCE owes much of its unique look to the arcade technology of the time, and no expense has been spared replicating those visuals for the iPhone edition of the game. *RAYFORCE's enchanting soundtrack is back! One of the highlights of the original RAYFORCE experience was its sound design, perfectly replicated here under the supervision of TAITO's ZUNTATA sound team. *Added a arranged BGM by SHOHEI TSUCHIYA(ZUNTATA) on Area1! Using Option setting,you can choose Original BGM or Arranged BGM!! **Nortification** This app is intended for the iPhone 4 or newer, running iOS version 4.2 or newer. **A Request from TAITO** If you have any question, please contact our customer support address: appsupport@taito.co.jp

About

PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO

Experience a classic side-scrolling shooter from the NEOGEO era. Control a powerful ship to defend the solar system from alien invaders, utilizing a variety of offensive and defensive items. Enjoy authentic arcade gameplay with modern conveniences like quick saves and online rankings.

Highlights
  • Classic side-scrolling shooter gameplay
  • Authentic NEOGEO experience
  • Variety of offensive and defensive items
  • Online ranking modes
  • Quick save/load functionality
  • Virtual pad customization
Read full description

NEOGEO's masterpiece games are now available in the app !! And in recent years, SNK has partnered with Hamster Corporation to bring many of the classic games on the NEOGEO onto modern gaming environments through the ACA NEOGEO series. Now on smartphone, the difficulty and look NEOGEO games had back then can be reproduced through screen settings and options. Also, players can benefit from online features such as online ranking modes. More, it features quick save/load and virtual pad customization functions to support comfortable play within the app. Please take this opportunity to enjoy the masterpieces that are still supported to this day. [Game introduction] PULSTAR is a side-scrolling shooting game released by SNK in 1995. Control the “Dino246”, and take down the aliens who are attacking the solar system. The game features a verity of offensive and defensive options, including 5 unique Voyager items and special IO items. Use everything at your disposal to protect your ship and defeat the alien threat! [Recommendation OS] iOS 13 and above © SNK CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Arcade Archives Series Produced by HAMSTER Co.

Screenshots

RayForce4 screens
PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RayForce at every 3 months against PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO's every 47 months. RayForce also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 57%) and price ($3.99 vs $6.99). On rating, ratings volume, 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

RayForce costs $6.99 and PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for RayForce against 4.2 for PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 5 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of RayForce's written reviews are positive against 75% of PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RayForce ships an update every 3 months, PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO every 47 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
RayForce versus PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRayForcePULSTAR ACA NEOGEO
Price$6.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.1 (10 ratings)4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.3% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 47 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB148 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTAITO CorporationSNK CORPORATION

Customer experience

RayForce

All ratings10 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive57.3%
Neutral18.7%
Negative24.0%

PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

None

RayForce

No in-app purchases

None

PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RayForce free?
RayForce costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO free?
PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RayForce or PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO?
PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO is rated higher. RayForce averages 4.1 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.
Do RayForce or PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO have ads?
Neither RayForce nor PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RayForce or PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO?
RayForce ships an update every 3 months, and PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO every 47 months. Most recently, RayForce was updated on November 6, 2026 and PULSTAR ACA NEOGEO on November 7, 2026.

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