Retro Blasters vs AsciiTapper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retro Blasters
Experience classic arcade action with modern graphics and sound. This game reimagines beloved retro titles for an intense, fast-paced adventure.
- Classic arcade gameplay
- Modern graphics
- Enhanced sound effects
- Action-packed experience
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Blast into a fast, score-chasing space battle. Dodge enemy fire, weave through waves of attackers, and unleash fireballs and shockwaves when the screen fills with danger. FEATURES • Fast, classic arcade-shooter action • Fireballs and screen-clearing shockwaves • Short runs with instant restarts • High-score chasing and Game Center competition • Multiple ship skins • Optional Support Pack with bonuses and no ads • Free to download on iPhone and iPad
AsciiTapper
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Serve up frosty mugs of root beer in a glowing green terminal. AsciiTapper is a love letter to 80s arcade serving games, rendered entirely in living phosphor text. Customers are walking up the bars and they're thirsty. Slide mugs down the bar to push them back, catch the empties before they crash, and read the room: rush the big spenders for early-serve bonuses, keep up with speedy customers, and never pour for the grumpy ones. Features: - An eight-stage career of 84 hand-authored shifts, each with its own twist and a Master contract - Clear, Clean, and Master ratings on every shift - Daily Challenge: one ranked attempt per day, the same seeded puzzle for everyone, unlimited practice afterward - Combo scoring that rewards sustained, error-free serve-and-catch play - Achievements tracked in-game, plus Game Center leaderboards - A pure retro terminal aesthetic: the whole game is ASCII art, with optional cosmetic CRT themes - Simple two-tap play: tap a lane to move, tap again to serve, and be there to catch - No ads. Ever. The tutorial, the first three career stages, and Daily Challenge are free. One optional Full Shift purchase unlocks stages 4 through 8 plus Endless mode. No subscriptions, and purchases never affect ranked play. The terminal is warmed up. The mugs are cold. Tap in. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Retro Blasters and AsciiTapper are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Retro Blasters sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and AsciiTapper sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Retro Blasters ships an update every 2 months, AsciiTapper monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retro Blasters | AsciiTapper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Red Hawk Studios, LLC | Vertolini |
In-app purchases
Retro Blasters
- Remove Ads$1.99
- Support Pack$3.99
AsciiTapper
- Faster Mugs$0.99
- Mug Catcher$1.99
- CRT Theme Pack$1.99
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- Full Shift$3.99
Questions
Is Retro Blasters free?
Is AsciiTapper free?
Do Retro Blasters or AsciiTapper have ads?
Which is updated more often, Retro Blasters or AsciiTapper?
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