Retro vs Novabolt
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retro
Engage in an arcade-style space shooter with waves of enemies and challenging bosses. Unlock upgrades and master multiple unique ships with stunning pixel art and fast-paced gameplay. It's easy to learn but difficult to master.
- Arcade-style space shooter
- Battle waves of enemies
- Face epic bosses
- Unlock powerful upgrades
- Stunning pixel art
- Multiple unique ships
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Take command of your spaceship in this thrilling arcade-style space shooter! Battle waves of enemies, face epic bosses, and unlock powerful upgrades. Featuring stunning pixel art, fast-paced gameplay, and multiple unique ships to master, this game will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of retro arcade games, it’s easy to pick up but hard to master. Can you dominate the galaxy and become the ultimate pilot? Download now and find out!
Novabolt
Pilot a fighter jet through relentless waves of space enemies in this fast-paced twin-stick survival game. Earn XP to level up, unlock powerful weapons and upgrades, and unleash a screen-wide NOVA beam to dominate the arena. Face challenging boss fights and customize your ship's appearance.
- Twin-stick space combat
- Wave-based survival gameplay
- Unlockable weapons and upgrades
- Chargeable screen-wide NOVA beam
- Boss battles every 10 levels
- Ship and cosmetic customization
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Novabolt is a fast-paced twin-stick space survival game. Pilot your fighter jet against relentless waves of enemies, level up your arsenal, and trigger the screen-wide NOVA beam to turn the tide. HOW TO PLAY Use the left joystick to fly, the right joystick to aim and fire. Destroy enemies to earn XP and charge your NOVA meter. Level up to choose powerful upgrades. Survive as long as you can. WEAPONS & UPGRADES Unlock and upgrade 6 unique weapons: - Scatter Cannon: fires 3 laser blasts in a wide arc - Pulse Cannon: rapid-fire bursts at 4 shots per second - Homing Missile: self-guided rockets that seek the nearest target - Force Field: an energy ring that shreds nearby enemies continuously - Plasma Rocket: detonates on impact, blasting all enemies in range - EMP Burst: slows enemies to 40% speed for 2 seconds Every level-up lets you choose from 3 upgrade cards — boost weapon damage, fire rate, move speed, or supercharge your NOVA beam. BOSS FIGHTS Every 10 levels a massive boss drops in. Take down the Dreadnought or face the Void Tyrant — a three-cannon warship that fires spreading volleys and enrages at low health. 3 PHASES OF DESTRUCTION Defeat bosses to unlock new phases. Enemies transform from organic asteroid creatures into mechanical steel warriors and finally into void-corrupted nightmares. CUSTOMIZE YOUR SHIP Spend NOVA coins earned each run in the shop: - 6 ship skins including Ice Falcon, Flame Hawk, and Void Phantom - 4 shield skin colours - 4 Nova beam colours including Inferno, Void Pulse, and Eclipse Can you reach the Void Tyrant? Can you survive what comes after?
Screenshots
Verdict
Retro and Novabolt are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Retro against 5.0 for Novabolt. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
| Parameter | Retro | Novabolt |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Daily | — |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Batuhan Yildirim | Eric Morrison |
Customer experience
Retro
Novabolt
In-app purchases
Retro
No in-app purchases
Novabolt
No in-app purchases









