Comparison

Dolphin Emulator vs Cosmic Ascent

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

Head to head
About

Dolphin Emulator

Relive classic gaming with this emulator. Easily import ROMs, play in portrait or landscape, and save progress. Customize your sound and enjoy a seamless retro gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Import game ROMs
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Save and restore progress
  • Adjust sound effects
  • Ad-free premium option
Features
Read full description

Dolphin Emulator - Basic is your gateway to reliving the golden era of gaming. Whether you're diving back into childhood favorites or exploring retro classics for the first time, this game emulator makes it easy to enjoy the games you love. How to use: • Import game ROM files easily and start playing instantly • Run games in both portrait and landscape modes for flexible gameplay • Save and restore game progress anytime for a seamless experience • Adjust sound effects to customize your gaming atmosphere Currently supported game types: (NES) Other information: It's important to note that Dolphin Emulator - Basic should only be used with legally acquired game files. We do not endorse or support any form of piracy. Rest assured, Dolphin Emulator - Basic operates independently and has no affiliation with console manufacturers. The mention of related game console names in this statement is only used to describe the environment supported by the retro game emulator application. With Dolphin Emulator - Basic Premium you can unlock the ultimate experience: • Remove Ads: Enjoy an uninterrupted, ad-free journey to inspiration. • Unlock All Features: Get full access to every feature Unlock your gaming emulating potential—elevate your retro gaming experience with Dolphin Emulator - Basic Premium! Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/dolphin-game-emulator/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://sites.google.com/view/dolphin-game-emulator/terms-of-use

About

Cosmic Ascent

Defend Earth from incoming threats by strategically placing orbiting satellites. Progress through a 30-level campaign, expanding your defenses from a single planet to entire star systems as your civilization climbs the Kardashev scale. Explore diverse enemy doctrines and colonize new worlds to fuel your galactic ascent.

Highlights
  • Orbital satellite defense
  • 30-level campaign
  • Gravity-bending mechanics
  • Planet colonization
  • Diverse enemy types
  • Generative soundtrack
  • Procedural art
Features
Read full description

Earth sits alone at the centre of the screen, and they are coming from every direction at once. Cosmic Ascent is an orbital tower defense about one civilisation's climb up the Kardashev scale. You do not build along a path — you ring a planet with satellites that orbit as it turns, and the enemy arrives from all 360 degrees under real gravity that bends their approach. Hold long enough and the map itself transforms. Earth becomes a solar system. The solar system becomes five star systems. Then the galactic core stirs, and spacetime starts answering to you. — THE CLIMB — Ascend from TYPE 0 to TYPE III across a 30-level campaign. Every tier rebuilds the arena, deepens gravity, and grows your reactor. The Sun appears. Planets open for colonisation. A Dyson forge harnesses a star. — NINE SATELLITES — Railgun, missile, cryo, tesla, lance, graviton, nova, singularity and Dyson collector — each with its own hull, damage type and role. Kinetic, energy and blast all matter, because the enemy fields hulls that punish the wrong choice. — AN ENEMY WITH A DOCTRINE — Scouts map your guns by dying to them. Wardens shield everything nearby. Menders repair the wounded faster than a loose fleet can finish them. Splitters die into two. Every hull you destroy unlocks its dossier in the codex. — COLONISE — Claim a world and a settler ship actually flies there. Colonies grow, feed your power grid, pay tithes — and can be besieged and lost, with everything you built on them. — NO TWO LEVELS THE SAME — Most levels open under a named directive: fewer but far tougher hulls, a browned-out grid that pays double salvage, a bounty run. Waves mutate. Comets pass. Meteor showers cross the arena and thin their lines for you. — BUILT WITH CARE — A fully generative soundtrack that ascends with your civilisation. Procedural art, from Earth's recognisable continents to each star's limb-darkened photosphere. Haptics on the beats that matter, and full Reduce Motion support. Free to play, all 30 levels included. An occasional ad appears between runs — one small one-time purchase removes every ad forever. No pay-to-win, no consumable currency, no accounts, and no cross-app tracking. iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Dolphin Emulator3 screens
Cosmic Ascent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cosmic Ascent at 100% against Dolphin Emulator's 19%. Cosmic Ascent also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0). Dolphin Emulator's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (196 vs 5). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Dolphin Emulator sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month and Cosmic Ascent sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cosmic Ascent holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dolphin Emulator has 196 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Dolphin Emulator's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cosmic Ascent's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dolphin Emulator versus Cosmic Ascent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDolphin EmulatorCosmic Ascent
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (196 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings196 — better5
Update frequency—Every 3 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIrene KleinErick Murillo

Customer experience

Dolphin Emulator

All ratings87 ratings
Positive29.9%
Neutral6.9%
Negative63.2%
Written reviews111 reviews
Positive18.9%
Neutral7.2%
Negative73.9%

Cosmic Ascent

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Dolphin Emulator

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • NES games not loading properly
  • Redirecting to premium version when trying to open NES files

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for GameCube and Wii games
  • Add support for Sega Genesis
  • Add support for PlayStation games

Cosmic Ascent

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dolphin Emulator

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Premium Subscription$2.991 Month
1 purchases

Cosmic Ascent

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Dolphin Emulator free?
Dolphin Emulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cosmic Ascent free?
Cosmic Ascent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dolphin Emulator or Cosmic Ascent?
Cosmic Ascent is rated higher. Dolphin Emulator averages 2.0 out of 5 from 196 ratings, while Cosmic Ascent averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Dolphin Emulator or Cosmic Ascent have ads?
Cosmic Ascent shows ads; Dolphin Emulator does not.

Other comparisons