Comparison

Mars Quest vs Impossible Commute

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 8-bit retro music
  • Guide astronaut through levels
  • Avoid aliens and obstacles
  • Smart level progression
  • Increasing speed challenges
  • Game Center scores and achievements
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Impossible Commute

Features
Read full description

You just have to get to the office. That's it. That's the whole game. Impossible Commute is a one-hit-death pixel platformer about a guy who is already late. A bicycle clips you, you're done. A pigeon takes off in your face, you're done. There are no checkpoints, and the street does not care. The good news: dying is the funny part. WHAT YOU DO - Hold the left side of the screen to walk left, the right side to walk right - Tap JUMP to jump - Touch anything and you're done You cannot steer in mid-air. Pick your landing before you leave the ground, or don't leave it at all. WHAT'S BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR DESK Speeding bicycles. A taxi that ignores the light. People walking into you while staring at their phones. Pigeons. Falling bird droppings. A dog that slips its leash. A convenience store door that opens at the worst possible moment. Preschoolers pouring out of a bus. A wall of schoolkids on their way to class. Loiterers flicking lit cigarettes at your ankles. Ticket gates that close on you. A light bulb that drops from the station ceiling. And a boss who is very, very angry. All of it, for the crime of going to work. THE DEATHS ARE THE POINT Every time you die, he says something. "The pavement is kinder than my boss." "I should have taken the day off." You also see exactly how far you got before the street won. Turn any death — or any finish — into an image and send it to whoever needs to see it. THREE RUNS A DAY You get three runs per day, refilled at 5 AM. Retries inside a run are unlimited: die as many times as you like and restart on the spot. A run only ends when you quit to the title screen or actually make it. This game is not built to eat your evening. It's built for the few minutes before you have to leave. NO CATCHES - Free. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription - No internet needed. It works in a tunnel - Asks for zero permissions: no camera, no photos, no location - Your deaths and best time stay on your device - English and Japanese, following your device language Go on. Try to get to work.

Screenshots

Mars Quest4 screens
Impossible Commute4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Impossible Commute at none against Mars Quest's 5. Impossible Commute also leads on ads (none vs shown). Mars Quest's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price 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

Both are free to download. Mars Quest sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Impossible Commute asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars Quest ships an update fortnightly, Impossible Commute every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mars Quest versus Impossible Commute: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMars QuestImpossible Commute
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (91 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings91 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB2 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFirst Class Media B.V.YUYA SATO

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Mars Quest

One-time5
  • Remove advertising$0.99
  • 1 extra life$0.99
  • 5 extra lives$1.99
Show 2 more
  • 10 extra lives$2.99
  • 25 extra lives$4.99
None

Impossible Commute

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mars Quest free?
Mars Quest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Impossible Commute free?
Impossible Commute is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mars Quest or Impossible Commute have ads?
Mars Quest shows ads; Impossible Commute does not.
Which is updated more often, Mars Quest or Impossible Commute?
Mars Quest ships an update fortnightly, and Impossible Commute every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mars Quest was updated on October 5, 2026 and Impossible Commute on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons