Comparison

R.TYPE vs 1942 Classic Arcade

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

Head to head
About

R.TYPE

Experience a classic arcade shooter reborn for modern devices. Battle the evil Bydo Empire across eight challenging levels, utilizing a variety of weapons and power-ups. This faithful adaptation offers both original difficulty and enhanced touch controls for an authentic retro gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Classic arcade shoot 'em up gameplay
  • Eight challenging levels
  • Multiple weapon upgrades and power-ups
  • Two difficulty settings
  • Touch and virtual D-pad controls
  • Unlockable achievements and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

R-TYPE, THE CLASSIC ARCADE SHOOTER, RETURNS AS A UNIVERSAL APP! Revisit the 80's (mesh half-shirts and Keds optional) with this classic, old-school shoot 'em up! One of the decade’s most popular arcade games will awaken fond memories of jangling quarters, Jolt Cola and week-old popcorn. Fire up your iPhone or iPad and get ready to go back... to R-Type! FEEL THE BLAST! Blast off and attack the evil Bydo Empire. Use everything in your arsenal to take them down – don’t be shy! It's retro, it's fun and it's a “10” on the difficulty scale. Finish this masterpiece and carve your name amongst the greats! INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL FEATURES… Remember how damnably difficult R-Type was? Well it still is, because we stayed true to the original, just the way you remember it! Choose between two difficulty settings, utilize two different control options and soar through eight jam-packed levels, each with its own unique boss. Upgrade to new weapons, power-ups, and attachments as you battle wave after wave of enemies. ... AND SOME NEW FEATURES TOO! - Universal version - Enhanced Touch mode - Eight levels and two different control options: touch and virtual D-pad - Two difficulty settings - Available in 10 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Portuguese - Full Retina Display support - Game Center: unlockable achievements + online leaderboards

About

1942 Classic Arcade

Engage in classic aerial combat as a fighter pilot during World War II. Navigate through 20 challenging levels, battling enemy fleets and powerful bosses. Collect power-ups to enhance your aircraft's firepower and survival capabilities.

Highlights
  • 20 challenging levels
  • End Level Bosses
  • Multiple game modes
  • Various enemy types
  • Aircraft upgrades and power-ups
  • Retro arcade style
Features
Read full description

It is World War II, the story takes place in 1942 and you take on the role of "Super Ace", a brave fighter pilot. There are 20 levels to go through and the goal is to reach Tokyo and destroy the entire Japanese air fleet. And before you reach the main city, you will travel through Midway, Marshall, Attu, Rabaul, Leyte, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At each level, you start and end on an aircraft carrier. Then on your plane, you fly to struggle against enemies over sea and land and shoot them all down. You get some different power-ups to increase your firepower and chances of survival after destroying certain plane formations. There are such power-ups as two machine guns, two side planes, extra loops, and so on. HOW TO PLAY * Screen slide: moves the airship - combat plane. * Choose the plane for your liking and become the flying ace! * Touch the "lighting" button to make special lightning attacks. * Select boosters to start easier. * Defeat enemies and become the War Hero! FEATURES * Discover 20 challenging levels of aerial combat with huge End Level Bosses and 3 modes to play: Normal, Hard, Crazy * Many different Enemy types * Numerous Upgrades and special gameplay * 5 different aircraft and more. * Arcade retro style feeling. * Easy control. Enjoy awesome air battles anytime, anywhere with Air Strike: Pacific Warfare WW II Completely free to play on mobile!

Screenshots

R.TYPE4 screens
1942 Classic Arcade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 1942 Classic Arcade at Free against R.TYPE's $1.99. 1942 Classic Arcade also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 25 months). R.TYPE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On device support and iOS requirement 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

1942 Classic Arcade is free to download; R.TYPE costs $1.99 up front. 1942 Classic Arcade sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. R.TYPE asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

1942 Classic Arcade holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 1942 Classic Arcade has 6K ratings behind it against 62, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of R.TYPE's written reviews are positive against 43% of 1942 Classic Arcade's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

R.TYPE ships an update every 25 months, 1942 Classic Arcade fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
R.TYPE versus 1942 Classic Arcade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterR.TYPE1942 Classic Arcade
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.4 (62 ratings)4.7 (6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.9% of reviews — better43.1% of reviews
Number of ratings626K — better
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB345 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDotEmuFALCON GAMES PTE. LTD.

Customer experience

R.TYPE

All ratings62 ratings
Positive56.5%
Neutral6.5%
Negative37.1%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive61.9%
Neutral7.6%
Negative30.4%

1942 Classic Arcade

All ratings5,999 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative5.5%
Written reviews413 reviews
Positive43.1%
Neutral10.2%
Negative46.7%

User reviews

R.TYPE

From 62 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Arcade-perfect port
  • 👍 Faithful to the original
  • 👍 Great retro experience
  • 👍 Customizable controls
  • 👍 Works well on iPad

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy on newer devices
  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Covers too much of the screen
  • 🐛 Laggy performance

1942 Classic Arcade

From 6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Classic arcade feel
  • 🕹️ Nostalgic gameplay
  • 💥 Challenging levels
  • 🚀 Smooth performance

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Progression gated by in-app purchases
  • 💰 Excessive ads and monetization
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Bugs and requests

R.TYPE

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Ship randomly jumps to the right side
  • Buttons overlap and obscure gameplay
  • Crashes and freezes on iOS 13+
  • Compatibility issues on iPhone 12 and newer

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for Bluetooth controllers
  • Option to resize/reposition controls
  • Difficulty settings/modes
  • Improved sound quality

1942 Classic Arcade

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Levels getting stuck or unbeatable
  • Ads not registering properly
  • Progression and upgrades not tracking correctly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and content
  • Controller support
  • Improved reward system
  • Better communication from developers

In-app purchases

None

R.TYPE

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

1942 Classic Arcade

One-time10
  • Sale off buy 220 gems$0.99
  • Buy 500gems$1.99
  • Sale off buy 600 gems$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Buy 600 gems$4.99
  • Sale off buy 1300 gems$4.99
  • Buy super power starter pack$7.99
  • Buy 1500 gems$9.99
  • Sale off buy 2800 gems$9.99
  • Buy 3500 gems$19.99
  • Sale off buy 7500 gems$24.99

Questions

Is R.TYPE free?
R.TYPE costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 1942 Classic Arcade free?
1942 Classic Arcade is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, R.TYPE or 1942 Classic Arcade?
1942 Classic Arcade is rated higher. R.TYPE averages 3.4 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while 1942 Classic Arcade averages 4.7 from 6K ratings.
Do R.TYPE or 1942 Classic Arcade have ads?
1942 Classic Arcade shows ads; R.TYPE does not.
Which is updated more often, R.TYPE or 1942 Classic Arcade?
R.TYPE ships an update every 25 months, and 1942 Classic Arcade fortnightly. Most recently, R.TYPE was updated on November 1, 2026 and 1942 Classic Arcade on November 2, 2026.

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