Comparison

Mars Quest vs Beach Defender

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

Beach Defender

Experience a retro 8-bit arcade shooter inspired by classic fantasy games. Defend the beach in an adventure where the whole world counts on you. Compete with friends on leaderboards and enjoy haptic feedback.

Highlights
  • Retro 8-bit pixel art
  • Simple one-touch gameplay
  • GameCenter leaderboards
  • Infinite arcade mode
  • Haptic feedback
Features
Read full description

Defend the beach in this retro 8-bit arcade shoot’em up! Your fellow villagers, your friends and even your own mother are counting on you… in fact, the whole world is. You are the Guardian of the Beach, and it’s adventure time! Handcrafted pixel art and 8-bit sound effects pay tribute to the classic handheld adventures of the 90s. Easy to pick up, hard to put down. FEATURES • One-touch controls: simple to learn, hard to master • Endless waves of sea creatures: octopuses, sea urchins, jellyfish, crabs that dig out of the sand and turtles whose shells bounce your shots back • A wooden palisade protects the village: an enemy that breaks a plank opens the way for the next one • Game Center leaderboard: challenge your friends and beat their scores • Optional “Remove Ads” purchase • Haptic feedback • Retro pixel art and sound

Screenshots

Mars Quest4 screens
Beach Defender4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mars Quest at 68% against Beach Defender's 43%. Mars Quest also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Beach Defender's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 and Beach Defender sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Beach Defender holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 91 and 34 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Mars Quest's written reviews are positive against 43% of Beach Defender's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars Quest ships an update fortnightly, Beach Defender every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mars Quest versus Beach Defender: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMars QuestBeach Defender
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (91 ratings)4.4 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings91 — better34
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB126 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFirst Class Media B.V.Florian Brochard

Customer experience

Mars Quest

All ratings91 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral7.7%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral8.7%
Negative22.8%

Beach Defender

All ratings34 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

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
1 purchases

Beach Defender

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Mars Quest free?
Mars Quest is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beach Defender free?
Beach Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mars Quest or Beach Defender?
Beach Defender is rated higher. Mars Quest averages 4.0 out of 5 from 91 ratings, while Beach Defender averages 4.4 from 34 ratings.
Do Mars Quest or Beach Defender have ads?
Both Mars Quest and Beach Defender show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mars Quest or Beach Defender?
Mars Quest ships an update fortnightly, and Beach Defender every 10 days. Most recently, Mars Quest was updated on November 1, 2026 and Beach Defender on November 1, 2026.

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