Comparison

Astro Wars vs Blue Box Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Astro Wars

Relive the 80s with an accurate emulation of a classic tabletop arcade game. Experience authentic retro sounds, graphics, and gameplay with multiple attack waves and a challenging ship docking sequence.

Highlights
  • Accurate simulation of classic handheld machine
  • Full retro sound effects
  • Four waves of attack
  • Simple and addictive gameplay
  • Nostalgic 80s experience
  • Ship docking challenge
Features
Read full description

Astro Wars reviewed in the latest edition of Retro Gamer magazine: "Fans of the old tabletop game from Grandstand will be highly impressed with this accurate IOS port. It looks superb, sounds annoyingly authentic and features every stage and the ship docking from the original game." 72% -Retro Gamer After the success of our Galaxy Invader and Invader from Space games, BeatsNBobs are proud to release our most eagerly anticipated and requested video game emulation, Astro Wars. Also known as Galaxy II *Screenshots show actual app in action and original artwork based on the original packaging. See how close to the real thing it is! Travel back to the 80's and this was THE video game to have in the home. It was one of the most advanced video games of the time with four sub games, coloured fluorescent display and a joystick only seen in the arcades. You could finally have your very own arcade machine in your home. These types of machines were made by companies such as Grandstand, Tomy, Entex, CGL, Tandy, Bandai and Epoch to name but a few. Also known as "Galaxy II" by Epoch • Accurate simulation of the classic handheld /desktop machine • Full retro sounds • 4 waves of attack • Simple and addictive • Totally nostalgic Some reviews so far: Great retro fun ***** by romfordneil - Version 1.0 - Sep 7, 2013 Super gameplay just like the original machine for those of us of a certain age! A blast from the past ***** by Bagpuss1000 - Version 1.0 - Sep 3, 2013 A perfect emulation...... A must for retro fans. Brilliant old skool action ***** by psj3809 - Version 1.0 - Sep 2, 2013 I remember this from the early 80s. It was one if the best tabletop games out there This is a brilliant version for iOS and the memories come flooding back. Well worth picking up TO PLAY: Turn Power ON (menu will disappear and intro music will play). Select Level (Graphics will resemble difficulty level). Press Start (Gameplay will begin after intro music). Fire at all enemies while dodging enemy fire on all phases of attack. If you survive three attack waves,you get the chance for more points if you can dock your rocket-ship. Press fire, left and right for thrusts to land rocket ship. Game is complete when you reach 9999 points or you lose all your lives. To restart, turn off and on Power. If using with iCade or compatible controller, press the iCade button on top left and you can now use joystick and red fire(5) button. NOTE: pressing this without connection to a compatible Bluetooth controller will bring up the keyboard. If this happens just press the button again to turn it off. We have painstakingly analysed every detail of this game and we have managed to achieve 99% of the original. We had to modify the controls as it simply does not work as well on an iPhone or iPad so you now have extra large arrow keys but we have left the joystick in for the purists out there (which you can try to use but we recommend the larger arrow keys). All the sound effects are here. All four phases including the docking sequence. We compared this to two real machines as these also vary with slight details and we are very pleased with the results. We hope you will be too. If you find anything that does not feel quite right let us know from the app. Enjoy this blast from the past and if you like this why not look at our others. More information about this classic game on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Wars

About

Blue Box Simulator

Embark on interstellar journeys with a virtual time and space machine. Explore planets, engage in manual flight with warp capabilities, or utilize autopilot for guided expeditions. Experience time travel through a vortex for ultimate exploration.

Highlights
  • Time and space travel simulation
  • Manual flight with warp capabilities
  • Autopilot for guided navigation
  • Time vortex travel
  • Planet exploration
  • Superluminal speed travel
Read full description

Step into the incredible world of time and space travel with Blue Box Simulator, your very own Time and Space Machine on your phone! Explore the universe and travel to any planet you desire at superluminal speeds. With easy-to-use controls, simply tap the screen to access the console and begin your adventure. Experience manual flight like never before! Set the Handbrake mode to FLIGHT, pull it up to prevent unwanted braking, then lower the Space Throttle to around 50%. Set its mode to WARP to exponentially increase its power, allowing you to fly around planets and explore the vast expanse of space. Prefer a guided journey? Simply tap on a planet icon or enter coordinates in the menu, set the Autopilot to ON, and your ship will automatically navigate to your chosen destination! Adjust your cruise speed with the Space Throttle. Feeling adventurous? Dematerialize and travel through the Time Vortex! Set the Handbrake mode to VORTEX, pull the Space Throttle all the way down, and once inside the vortex, select a new destination. Then, pull up the Space Throttle to materialize in your new location! We're always looking to improve Blue Box Simulator, so show your support by joining our Patreon or leaving a review with your suggestions for our next exciting update! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Astro Wars3 screens
Blue Box Simulator3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Blue Box Simulator at Free against Astro Wars's $1.99. Blue Box Simulator also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 12 months) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). Astro Wars's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) 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

Blue Box Simulator is free to download; Astro Wars costs $1.99 up front. Blue Box Simulator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Astro Wars asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blue Box Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blue Box Simulator has 107 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Astro Wars's written reviews are positive against 79% of Blue Box Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astro Wars ships an update every 12 months, Blue Box Simulator every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Astro Wars versus Blue Box Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstro WarsBlue Box Simulator
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)4.5 (107 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.4% of reviews79.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5107 — better
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB2.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRob WilmotJesus Garces Villarrubia

Customer experience

Astro Wars

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive69.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative26.4%

Blue Box Simulator

All ratings107 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews197 reviews
Positive79.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative12.2%

User reviews

Astro Wars

From 5 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Nostalgia trip
  • 💯 Accurate recreation
  • 🎶 Authentic sounds
  • 🕹️ Classic gameplay
  • 👍 Simple fun

Room to improve

  • 👎 Poor controls
  • 🐌 Laggy controls
  • 🤷 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🚫 Doesn't work

Blue Box Simulator

From 107 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic game
  • 👍 Great graphics and gameplay
  • 🎨 Awesome TARDIS interiors
  • 🎮 Immersive Doctor Who experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🤖 Lack of alien species/enemies
  • 🗺️ Limited planets and locations
  • 🔌 Performance issues on some devices

Bugs and requests

Astro Wars

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • Lag on left right controls
  • Constant crashing
  • Controls don't work
  • Black screen
  • Joystick works poorly
Show 12 more
  • Game doesn't switch on
  • No sound
  • Controls are so bad
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Docking manoeuvre timing out
  • Cannot move left and right on lander level
  • Sometimes only takes 2 shots not 3 to knock out aliens
  • Ship nor the dock moves in the docking sequence
  • Left right controls need work
  • Controls are not responsive enough
  • Ship dock is uncontrollable
  • No sound on iPad Pro

Requested features

10 requests
  • Improve slider control responsiveness
  • Fix docking sequence timing
  • Make controls more positive
  • Expand responsive area for controls
  • Fix lander level movement
Show 5 more
  • Fix alien hit detection timing
  • Add continuous melody for 10 times in sound
  • Fix docking maneuver timing out
  • Fix ship and dock movement in docking sequence
  • Fix lander level movement and alien hit detection

Blue Box Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashing when trying to land on planets
  • Chameleon circuit issues causing problems
  • Google Maps API unavailability
  • Controls and navigation not always intuitive

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add 13th, 14th, and 15th Doctor's TARDIS interiors
  • Implement more rooms and areas to explore within the TARDIS
  • Introduce quests, companions, and other Doctor Who elements
  • Optimize performance and stability across devices

In-app purchases

None

Astro Wars

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Blue Box Simulator

Subscriptions1
  • Access to the 3D Earth$0.991 Month
One-time2
  • Cup of tea$0.99
  • Unlock All The Extra Content$3.99

Questions

Is Astro Wars free?
Astro Wars costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blue Box Simulator free?
Blue Box Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astro Wars or Blue Box Simulator?
Blue Box Simulator is rated higher. Astro Wars averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Blue Box Simulator averages 4.5 from 107 ratings.
Do Astro Wars or Blue Box Simulator have ads?
Blue Box Simulator shows ads; Astro Wars does not.
Which is updated more often, Astro Wars or Blue Box Simulator?
Astro Wars ships an update every 12 months, and Blue Box Simulator every 10 days. Most recently, Astro Wars was updated on September 28, 2026 and Blue Box Simulator on September 30, 2026.

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