Comparison

R vs Sky Force Reloaded

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

Head to head
About

R

Relive a classic horizontal scrolling shooter arcade experience. Pilot an advanced ship against the returning Bydo Empire, utilizing new weapons and power-ups across six challenging levels. Enjoy customizable graphics and controls for a nostalgic or enhanced gameplay session.

Highlights
  • Six unique levels with bosses
  • New Search Laser and Shotgun Laser weapons
  • Power-ups and attachments
  • Adjustable difficulty settings
  • Customizable touch and D-pad controls
  • Original and improved graphics options
  • Game Center achievements and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

A CLASSIC OLD-SCHOOL GAME R-Type II is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game developed and published by Irem in 1989. This classic old-school game is the sequel to R-Type and the story takes place two years after. The player controls a ship called the R-9C which is an improved version of its predecessor, the R-9. The Bydo Empire is back! Take it down with power-ups, two new types of weapons, the Search Laser and Shotgun Laser, and a new anti-ground unit bomb. WITH ORIGINAL FEATURES •Unlock six levels each with its own unique boss. •Upgrade to new weapons, power-ups, and attachments to fight wave of enemies. •Keep original graphics or choose improved ones thanks to filter and scanline options … AND NEW FEATURES TOO! •Choose between three difficulty settings: unlimited (unlimited lives), normal (same as original) & insane (more challenge!). •Two control modes: Touch and virtual D-Pad •Customizable controls •Auto Fire ON/OFF •Available in 10 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Portuguese. •Play in full-screen, or keep the game’s original screen ratio •Game Center: 11 unlockable achievements + online leaderboards (normal & insane modes only) •Universal version •Support iOS 7 controllers Are you looking for challenge? R-Type II is the perfect game!

About

Sky Force Reloaded

Experience an intense scrolling shooter with explosive action, diverse aircraft, and challenging missions. Master beautiful stages, battle colossal bosses, and customize your plane with hundreds of upgrades. Rescue operatives and collect bonus cards for deeper gameplay.

Highlights
  • 15 beautiful and immersive stages
  • Enormous and intimidating bosses
  • Unlock new difficulty modes
  • Rescue missing operatives
  • Assemble 9 different aircrafts
  • Hunt down 30 bonus cards
  • Hundreds of weapon and equipment upgrades
Features
Read full description

The shoot ‘em up you were looking for! New entry in the series will keep you entertained with all the things you’ve came to love in scrolling shooters. Meaty explosions, incinerating lasers, collosal bosses and diverse aircrafts to pilot. “Sky Force Reloaded” is not your average scrolling shooter. It will draw you in with its beautiful environments and intense effects. It will keep you with its superb gameplay mechanics, progression system and in-game collectibles. It will leave you wishing for more, once it’s over. Fortunately, there’s a lot to do before that happens. * Master 15 beautiful and immersive stages with challenging missions to complete. * Battle enormous and intimidating bosses, laugh when they explode and cry when you explode. * Unlock new difficulty modes, all the way from Normal to Nightmare. * Put yourself in danger to rescue missing operatives from the battlefield. * Assemble and test 9 different aircrafts. Pick your favorite, with its unique features and play style. * Hunt down 30 elusive bonus cards to add even more depth to the gameplay. Some of them will grant permanent benefits, while others will boost your abilities only temporarily. * Install hundreds of upgrades to your weapons, shields and other equipment. Turn your plane into a flying tank. * Complete in-game objectives to unlock 8 assisting technicians. Choose one of them to help you with their special skill. * Spot the wrecks of your fallen friends and get rewards for picking them up. * Appreciate highly polished gameplay and well balanced difficulty curve, whether you consider yourself a casual gamer or a die-hard shmup fanatic. * Enjoy professional voiceover and incredible electronic soundtrack. Welcome to your new favorite shoot ‘em up. Welcome to Sky Force Reloaded!

Screenshots

R4 screens
Sky Force Reloaded4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sky Force Reloaded at Free against R's $1.99. Sky Force Reloaded also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (11K vs 27). R's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

Sky Force Reloaded is free to download; R costs $1.99 up front. Sky Force Reloaded sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. R asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sky Force Reloaded holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sky Force Reloaded has 11K ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of R's written reviews are positive against 75% of Sky Force Reloaded's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
R versus Sky Force Reloaded: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRSky Force Reloaded
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.7 (27 ratings)4.8 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.7% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2711K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB687 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDotEmuInfinite Dreams Inc.

Customer experience

R

All ratings27 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative29.6%
Written reviews319 reviews
Positive67.7%
Neutral9.4%
Negative22.9%

Sky Force Reloaded

All ratings11,427 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews527 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative17.1%

User reviews

R

From 27 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Nostalgic gameplay
  • 👍 Faithful port of the original
  • 🎮 Good controls with controller support
  • 💎 Classic arcade shooter experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy controls and performance issues
  • 📱 Difficult to play on small screens
  • 🕹️ Suboptimal touch controls
  • 🕰️ Outdated graphics and sound

Sky Force Reloaded

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Excellent graphics
  • 💰 Fair monetization
  • 🕹️ Addictive arcade-style action
  • 🎮 Great for mobile gaming

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Repetitive grinding required
  • 🔁 Difficulty increases too rapidly
  • 🔒 Lack of account sync across devices
  • 🔇 Unresponsive controls at times
  • 📢 Intrusive ads

Bugs and requests

R

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Graphical glitches and performance problems
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Difficulty settings and accessibility options
  • More levels and content
  • Improved compatibility with modern devices
  • Sensitivity and control customization

Sky Force Reloaded

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Inconsistent performance on some devices
  • Syncing issues with saved progress

Requested features

5 requests
  • More level variety
  • Ability to customize controls
  • Landscape mode support
  • Expanded upgrade system
  • Multiplayer or co-op modes

In-app purchases

None

R

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Sky Force Reloaded

One-time5
  • Precious Cargo$1.99
  • SX2 - Star Doubler$3.99
  • Ads Removal$3.99
Show 2 more
  • Plane Generator$3.99
  • Starter Pack$9.99

Questions

Is R free?
R costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sky Force Reloaded free?
Sky Force Reloaded is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, R or Sky Force Reloaded?
Sky Force Reloaded is rated higher. R averages 3.7 out of 5 from 27 ratings, while Sky Force Reloaded averages 4.8 from 11K ratings.
Do R or Sky Force Reloaded have ads?
Sky Force Reloaded shows ads; R does not.
Which is updated more often, R or Sky Force Reloaded?
R ships an update monthly, and Sky Force Reloaded monthly. Most recently, R was updated on October 19, 2026 and Sky Force Reloaded on October 20, 2026.

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