Mars Quest vs CastleRise
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mars Quest
Embark on a challenging retro adventure guiding an astronaut through alien-infested Martian levels. Experience nostalgic 8-bit graphics and music while avoiding obstacles and increasing speed. Compete with friends via Game Center.
- 8-bit retro music
- Guide astronaut through levels
- Avoid aliens and obstacles
- Smart level progression
- Increasing speed challenges
- Game Center scores and achievements
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A must-have if you grew up in the eighties or if you are a C64, Atari, arcade or 8-bit lover. Nostalgic feelings guaranteed! *** REVIEWS *** - SlideToPlay.com: "Mars Quest is a good choice if you need to get your nostalgia on" - AppsOnTapp.com: "a fun and addicting retro game" - AppFavour.com: "Today's Best Apps August 18th 2012" *** WHAT PLAYERS SAY *** - "Super fun game that can be played over and over again. I'm ultra picky about games I let take up valuable space on my iPhone, but this one is a must!" - "A great little arcade game that I enjoy playing" - "Fun game, addictive" - "Once you start, you dont want to stop playing :)" *** FEATURES *** - Game Center scores and achievements - 8-bit retro music - Guide the astronaut safely through all levels - Avoid all aliens and obstacles on Mars - Think smart to advance to the next level - Be careful when the speed level increases!
CastleRise
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■ Stack Your Units, Defend Your Castle! "Castle Rise" is a fresh take on tower defense — stack units to build your tower and protect your castle from relentless waves of enemies. ■ Your Stack Strategy Decides Victory Warrior, Archer, Wizard, Cleric — The key is knowing how to stack your unique units. ■ Turn the Tide with Powerful Skills Boost attack, heal all allies, freeze or stun enemies — unleash powerful battle skills to overcome any crisis. Mix and match skills to forge your own winning tactics. ■ Collect Cards, Build Your Force Earn cards through battle rewards. Build your deck and assemble the ultimate team. ■ Push Your Limits in Endless Mode Clear all 10 waves and dive into Endless Mode, where the difficulty never stops climbing. How long can you hold the castle? Aim for the highest score!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CastleRise at none against Mars Quest's 5. CastleRise also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). Mars Quest's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Mars Quest sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. CastleRise asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mars Quest ships an update fortnightly, CastleRise every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mars Quest | CastleRise |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (91 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 91 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 355 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | First Class Media B.V. | COMETALK |
In-app purchases
Mars Quest
- Remove advertising$0.99
- 1 extra life$0.99
- 5 extra lives$1.99
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- 10 extra lives$2.99
- 25 extra lives$4.99
CastleRise
No in-app purchases









