Comparison

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM vs AKA TO BLUE

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

Head to head
About

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM

Experience intense bullet-hell action with this mobile shooter. Navigate through overwhelming enemy fire with intuitive one-finger controls. Features include multiple difficulty modes and a remixed soundtrack.

Highlights
  • One-finger controls
  • Bullet-hell gameplay
  • Easy and Normal modes
  • Remixed soundtrack
  • Combo system
Features
Read full description

Now updated for iOS 11 or later! Enjoy the bullet hell with your new iOS! ###CAVE'S FIRST ALL-ORIGINAL SMARTPHONE SHOOTER### Take a ride on EVAC Co.'s maximum bullet-hell simulator, the M.B.S.! Survive an incredible array of bullet-hell weaponry! CAVE shooters are now mixed up! ≪ Game Overview ≫ [OPTIMIZED FOR ONE-FINGER WARFARE!] Weave through walls of bullets! Smash through the enemy and build combos! Manic, full-throttle gameplay, all controlled with your thumb! [BEGINNERS CAN JUMP RIGHT IN! EASY MODE INCLUDED!] If you're not sure you've got what it takes, start off with Easy Mode. Once you've conquered that, test your mettle with Normal Mode! [REMIXED MUSIC INCLUDED!] Remixed versions of classic Dodonpachi series tracks included! Remix composer WASi303 has written a new soundtrack for a new Dodonpachi world! ### Important ###: Please read the following before downloading this application. ●Compatibility: iPhone5S or later, iPod touch 6thGen. or later and iPad Air or later. ●Compatible OS: iOS 11 or later. ●This application will use mass volume of memory. Please note the application may not function properly or shutdown without any notice when used with limited memory space. ●Turning ON the accessibility option setting may cause malfunctions in certain features.

About

AKA TO BLUE

Experience console-quality arcade shooting with silky smooth controls. Dodge through intense bullet patterns, strategically use bombs to cancel attacks and score points. Features beginner-friendly options, simple one-finger controls, and a powerful Japanese voice cast.

Highlights
  • Vertical arcade-style bullet hell shooting
  • Strategic bomb usage for scoring and survival
  • Beginner-friendly features with auto-bombs
  • Simple one-finger swipe controls
  • In-game voices by Japanese voice actors
  • Head-banging guitar rock soundtrack
Features
Read full description

▼▼PLEASE READ RECOMMENDED DEVICES SECTION BEFORE PURCHASING▼▼ The first console-quality smartphone shooter! Glide with silky smooth controls through a sea of bullets! SLASH THROUGH THE BULLET RAIN in this gripping vertical arcade-style bullet hell shooting game! AKA TO BLUE ■■ SLASH THROUGH THE BULLET RAIN! DEFEND AND ASSAULT WITH YOUR BOMBS! ■■ Cut through the enemy's bullet nets with Bombs at the flick of your finger. Dodge your way through 5 gripping shooter stages! More bullets means more points! Cancel enemy attacks with your bomb to earn high scores, and recharge it rapidly to blow away the next group of enemies. Don't dodge, bomb! The key to survival is at the tip of your fingers! ■■BEGINNER-FRIENDLY FEATURES ■■ Push through the enemy hordes with 3 lives per level, and a maximum of 3 regenerating auto-bombs! Charge your Auto-Bomb to have it protect you if you get hit by enemy bullets. Strategize your way through each stage while polishing your high score! ■■SIMPLE CONTROLS, POWERFUL ATTACKS ■■ Wind your way through the clouds of bullets with just one finger! Shoot down the incoming enemy squadrons! Enjoy arcade and console-level shooter gameplay in the palm of your hand! All you have to do to control your ship is swipe on the screen, or tap with two fingers to bombs away! ■■ IN-GAME VOICES ENHANCE THE ACTION ■■ A powerful cast of Japanese voice actors lends their talents to Aka & Blue, making each stage that much more exciting!  CAST  AKA SHEENK  Shunsuke Takeuchi  BLUE CERNY  Kanade Koshino  MURASAKI EDOU  Hiroo Sasaki  KURO GUHRO  Wataru Komada ■■ HEAD-BANGING GUITAR ROCK SOUNDTRACK ■■ Rock out with your butt out to the hard-rocking sounds of game musician WASi303. Ikedaminorock, General Manager of the Mikado Arcade, also lends his sharp guitar talents to the soundtrack to add a frenetic and powerful shred to the bullet hell action. ■■ A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM TANOSHIMASU ■■ Have fun propelling yourself through these 5 challenging stages! Fight your way through to the ending! Oh and have a nice flight! ************************************************************************** [IMPORTANT] Please read before purchasing. ■■ RECOMMENDED DEVICES ■■ OS: iOS9.0 and up iPhone 5S(*), iPad mini 2(*), iPad Air(*), iPhone 6, iPhone 6Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6SPlus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7Plus, iPad Pro(Second Generation), iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad(Fifth Generation), iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4 iPod touch(Sixth Generation) only   ■■ CAUTION ■■ Please be aware that we cannot guarantee application performance for devices other than those listed above. (Application also does not support OS versions earlier than iOS 9.0 on devices above) *iPhone 5S, iPad mini 2, and iPad Air can choose from Low and High Quality Settings. Other devices can also choose from Low, Medium and High Quality Settings, however note that the Medium setting is set as default as it helps prevent the chip-set from heating up. Shifting the game's Quality Seting to High will give you access to better graphics resolution. This game runs at 60fps to ensure smooth performance. Battery consumption is higher than other applications, so please avoid playing in the event of major disasters or emergencies. ************************************************************************** Powered by "CRI ADX2 (TM) LE". CRIWARE is a trademark of CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.

Screenshots

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM4 screens
AKA TO BLUE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: DODONPACHI MAXIMUM at $3.99 against AKA TO BLUE's $7.99. AKA TO BLUE's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 72%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 11.0). On rating, 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

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM costs $3.99 and AKA TO BLUE $7.99 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 — 4.8 for DODONPACHI MAXIMUM against 4.7 for AKA TO BLUE. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 53 and 62 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of DODONPACHI MAXIMUM's written reviews are positive against 83% of AKA TO BLUE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM ships an update every 2 months, AKA TO BLUE every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
DODONPACHI MAXIMUM versus AKA TO BLUE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDODONPACHI MAXIMUMAKA TO BLUE
Price$3.99 — better$7.99
Rating4.8 (53 ratings) — better4.7 (62 ratings)
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5362 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size393 MB198 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperCAVE CO.,LTD.Tanoshimasu Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM

All ratings53 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral7.4%
Negative20.1%

AKA TO BLUE

All ratings61 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative7.4%

Bugs and requests

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Screen glitches after iOS updates (especially iOS 18)
  • Graphics breaking/rendering issues
  • Game Center achievements not unlocking
  • Screen shifted upwards, making parts inaccessible
  • Game not displaying correctly on iPad Mini 2024
Show 4 more
  • Game not installing on iPod Touch 5th gen
  • Leaderboard scores wiped
  • Achievements not awarded
  • Game Center integration issues

Requested features

9 requests
  • Adjustable screen size
  • Option to disable letterboxing
  • More varied backgrounds
  • Improved Game Center integration/achievements
  • Support for older devices/iOS versions
Show 4 more
  • MFi controller support
  • Add more Cave games to the store
  • Option to continue from last boss
  • Manual fire option

AKA TO BLUE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

DODONPACHI MAXIMUM

No in-app purchases

None

AKA TO BLUE

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DODONPACHI MAXIMUM free?
DODONPACHI MAXIMUM costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AKA TO BLUE free?
AKA TO BLUE costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DODONPACHI MAXIMUM or AKA TO BLUE?
DODONPACHI MAXIMUM is rated higher. DODONPACHI MAXIMUM averages 4.8 out of 5 from 53 ratings, while AKA TO BLUE averages 4.7 from 62 ratings.
Do DODONPACHI MAXIMUM or AKA TO BLUE have ads?
Neither DODONPACHI MAXIMUM nor AKA TO BLUE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, DODONPACHI MAXIMUM or AKA TO BLUE?
DODONPACHI MAXIMUM ships an update every 2 months, and AKA TO BLUE every 6 weeks. Most recently, DODONPACHI MAXIMUM was updated on October 30, 2026 and AKA TO BLUE on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons