Comparison

Ugh! vs Phoenix 2

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

Head to head
About

Ugh!

A brave caveman battles invading aliens with advanced weaponry. Run through alien worlds, using vaporizers and defenses to fight off intergalactic enemies. Experience fast-paced action with fantastic graphics and stereo audio.

Highlights
  • Battle intergalactic enemies
  • Unleash alien vaporizers
  • Use weapons and defenses
  • Warp to new worlds
  • Fast-paced action
  • Fantastic graphics
Features
Read full description

From the maker of six #1 ranked games on iPhones and iPads! ____________________________________________________ Aliens have arrived. They are destroying everything. A caveman stands in their way. The brave Ugh! Ugh! has already seized an alien weapon. Help Ugh! -Battle intergalactic enemies -Unleash vaporizers -Use weapons and defenses -Warp to new worlds Fast-paced, thrilling, action, running game. In stereo audio. With fantastic graphics. Ugh! the cave man is completely free and you can play all the way though without spending anything. If you choose, you can buy in-game items to accelerate your progress.

About

Phoenix 2

Blast through waves of alien invaders in this classic arcade space shooter. Collect and upgrade over 100 unique ships, complete exciting missions, and compete on global leaderboards. Enjoy short game sessions or an action-packed campaign with stunning graphics.

Highlights
  • Over 100 unique ships
  • Ship collection and upgrades
  • Action-packed campaign
  • Special abilities
  • Daily missions
  • Global leaderboards
  • Cross-platform play
Features
Read full description

Save the galaxy in this classic arcade shooter that everyone can enjoy! Blast wave after wave of menacing invaders in exciting missions to achieve glorious victory. Start playing Phoenix 2 right now with all these great features. * Blast invaders with over 100 unique ships. * Build your own ship collection and upgrade your favorites. * Experience an action packed campaign with 30 exciting story missions. * Discover special abilities like Mega Laser, Missile Swarm and Personal Shield. * Short game sessions: Launch whenever you have a minute to play. * Complete daily missions of different skill levels, from casual to bullet hell. * Get the high score on global leaderboards and show you are the best of the best. * Engage with an active community to help each other and discuss ship tactics. * New missions are generated every day. * Stunning and smooth 120FPS graphics powered by our custom game engine. * Create a group for your friends and play your own unique missions. * Cross-platform saving and cross-platform play. Phoenix 2 is developed by a passionate indie studio in The Netherlands and delivers the handcrafted experience of a retro space shoot’em up with modern gameplay. Phoenix 2 is your new daily visit to the arcade! Internet connection required to play.

Screenshots

Ugh!4 screens
Phoenix 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Ugh! at none against Phoenix 2's shown. Ugh! also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 73%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Phoenix 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (26K vs 67). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Ugh! sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Phoenix 2 sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Ugh! against 4.7 for Phoenix 2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phoenix 2 has 26K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Ugh!'s written reviews are positive against 73% of Phoenix 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ugh! ships an update every 21 months, Phoenix 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ugh! versus Phoenix 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUgh!Phoenix 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (67 ratings)4.7 (26K ratings)
Positive reviews83.1% of reviews — better73.3% of reviews
Number of ratings6726K — better
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB295 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperSkyworks Interactive Corp.Firi Games

Customer experience

Ugh!

All ratings67 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral6.0%
Negative10.8%

Phoenix 2

All ratings25,800 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.5%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews1,559 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral8.6%
Negative18.2%

User reviews

Ugh!

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • addictive Highly addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Fun and enjoyable
  • 🎮 Great challenge
  • 🚀 Fast gameplay
  • 💡 Upgradable weapons and powers

Room to improve

  • 😥 Dies too easily
  • 💰 In-app purchase issues
  • ❓ Unclear objectives
  • 🔄 Progress loss on upgrade
  • 💸 Perceived as a scam

Phoenix 2

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic mobile game
  • 🚀 Incredibly fun and addictive
  • 🚀 Best bullet hell game on the phone
  • 🚀 Easily the best bullet hell I've played
  • 🚀 Amazing game for on the go fun

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Great Gameplay Ruined by Frustrating Ad Experience
  • 💰 Supers aren't well implemented
  • 💰 Micro-transactions too much
  • 💰 Progression limited, hard to earn credits
  • 🐛 Terrible, uninspiring compared to original Phoenix HD

Bugs and requests

Ugh!

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • In-app purchases not received
  • Purchased items not unlocking
  • Loss of purchased items on upgrade
  • Mission objectives impossible to achieve
  • Upgrade not making bullets more powerful
Show 1 more
  • Glitch preventing level up

Requested features

5 requests
  • Update other games
  • Save game progress
  • Clarify egg colors
  • Fix mission bugs
  • Make main screen buttons work on iPad

Phoenix 2

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Warp gate charge time bug
  • Occasional crashes
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add haptic feedback
  • Implement an endless mode
  • Allow players to customize ships
  • Add a level creator
  • Provide an offline mode
Show 2 more
  • Improve ship ability descriptions
  • Add a replay feature

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Ugh!

One-time10
  • Pile of Eggs$0.99
  • Bunch of Eggs$4.99
  • Fistful of Hearts$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Double Eggs$4.99
  • Cave of Eggs$9.99
  • Field of Eggs$19.99
  • Sack of Hearts$19.99
  • Mountain of Eggs$49.99
  • Chest of Hearts$49.99
  • Island of Eggs$99.99
11 purchases

Phoenix 2

One-time11
  • 800 Credits$0.99
  • 5000 Credits$4.99
  • Special Offer$4.99
Show 8 more
  • VIP$4.99
  • 12000 Credits$9.99
  • Special Offer$9.99
  • 25000 Credits$19.99
  • Special Offer$19.99
  • 65000 Credits$49.99
  • Special Offer$49.99
  • 140K Credits$99.99

Questions

Is Ugh! free?
Ugh! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phoenix 2 free?
Phoenix 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ugh! or Phoenix 2?
Ugh! and Phoenix 2 are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 67 and 26K ratings respectively.
Do Ugh! or Phoenix 2 have ads?
Phoenix 2 shows ads; Ugh! does not.
Which is updated more often, Ugh! or Phoenix 2?
Ugh! ships an update every 21 months, and Phoenix 2 every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ugh! was updated on September 30, 2026 and Phoenix 2 on October 3, 2026.

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