Comparison

Retro vs Starfall Vanguard

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Arcade-style space shooter
  • Battle waves of enemies
  • Face epic bosses
  • Unlock powerful upgrades
  • Stunning pixel art
  • Multiple unique ships
Features
Read full description

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!

About

Starfall Vanguard

Features
Read full description

One thumb. Fifty levels. Ten star systems. How far can you fly? Starfall Vanguard is a classic arcade shoot-em-up built for one-handed play. Drag anywhere to fly — your ship rides above your finger and fires while you're touching. Lift off to hold fire, weave through the barrage, and get back in the fight. Tap with a second finger to drop a bomb. CAMPAIGN - Fifty levels across ten star systems and six biomes, each with its own enemies, bosses and skies - Fourteen enemy types: rammers, gunships, armored hulls, splitters, carriers and swarms that learn new tricks the deeper you go - Twelve bosses with multi-phase attack patterns — spread fans, bullet rings, homing missiles you'll learn to bait and break - Earn up to three stars per level; three means a clean run - Clear a level and fly straight into the next with your weapon, shields and bombs intact FIGHT - Weapon upgrades to a 5-barrel spread with double-damage rounds - Stacking energy shields that absorb hits before your hull - Bombs that grow from a ring to a full screen clear as you upgrade PROGRESS - Earn coins with every kill, keep them forever - Three ships to own and fly — buy them with the coins you earn and switch between them in the hangar - Spend coins on hull plating, shield batteries, rapid fire, weapon mastery, bomb bays and coin magnets - Your progress syncs through iCloud between your devices COMPETE - Endless mode: ever-shifting formations, a boss every 20 waves, and a kill-streak multiplier — stay clean, score big - Local top-10 high scores and a Game Center leaderboard Painted ships and enemies, neon lasers, fireball explosions and a cockpit view. No in-app purchases and no accounts. Coins are earned by playing, never bought. A short ad plays after boss victories, and after a run you can optionally watch one to double your coin haul.

Screenshots

Retro4 screens
Starfall Vanguard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Retro at daily against Starfall Vanguard's every 3 days. Retro also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro ships an update daily, Starfall Vanguard every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Retro versus Starfall Vanguard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetroStarfall Vanguard
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 3 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB24 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperBatuhan YildirimRick Conner

In-app purchases

None

Retro

No in-app purchases

None

Starfall Vanguard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro free?
Retro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Starfall Vanguard free?
Starfall Vanguard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Retro or Starfall Vanguard have ads?
Both Retro and Starfall Vanguard show ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro or Starfall Vanguard?
Retro ships an update daily, and Starfall Vanguard every 3 days. Most recently, Retro was updated on September 26, 2026 and Starfall Vanguard on October 8, 2026.

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