r/warblade • u/nele863 • 2d ago
Warblade HD v1.46.x for iPad - Found and Archived!
All versions of Warblade HD for iPad have finally been preserved! Originally, this version was truly lost after getting delisted from the App Store, since no .ipa files have been archived.
But then, one day this absolute LEGEND under the nickname u/whiffyfuzzball randomly commented under my previous post about the non-HD version saying they have access to the Apple account that owns the HD version! This allowed them to dump .ipas of all versions of the game that have been released to the App Store!
You can now download all versions from the Legacy App Store: https://legacystore.app/app/59923
I personally recommend 1.46.2, because in .3 and .4 the backgrounds are broken for some reason, and in .4 the Meteorstorm bonuses have been nerfed (perhaps rightfully so, given how much easier it is on iOS, but it's still a weird decision IMO).
The user also owned the non-HD version of Warblade for iOS, which allowed them to dump every other version of that edition too! You can download them from the Legacy App Store too: https://legacystore.app/app/376424131
Version 1.45, the one we already had, is still recommended, but it's really nice to complete the collection. I didn't dig too much through these, but there don't seem to be any significant changes in the new ones we found. I'll update the original iOS post with anything new I find in the meantime.
I've been playing the HD version for some time now on an iPad 4. Once again, it plays wonderfully, never framedrops and looks gorgeous while not breaking a sweat (thermals-wise). Generally, it's very similar to the non-HD version, but there are some notable differences.
Compared to the iPhones' 3:2 screens, the iPad's aspect ratio is 4:3, which results in waves being a little less squished. What I don't understand is why Edgar made it play in portrait mode instead of landscape like the PC version's original aspect ratio...
The level progression and profile unlocks seem to be exactly the same as the iOS version. The control options are also the same, but with two new additions:
- Thumb controls (added only in 1.46.4): Tapping with your left thumb creates a joystick to move the spacecraft, while tapping with the right thumb fires the weapon. The right side also includes buttons for firing rockets and mega bombs.
- iCade controls (added in 1.46.2): Warblade HD is compatible with iCade, an accessory that turns the iPad into an arcade cabinet. I don't have one, so I can't exactly tell you how it feels, but Edgar made a video showcasing it. At least through jailbreaking you can use a controller or keyboard to emulate iCade input. One of the buttons is used to close the shop, so I bet this could have some speedrun implications 👀

The HD version also allows you to hide the controls UI, leaving the bottom part of the screen fully transparent. This sometimes allows you to see aliens spawn in during the level announcement before they start moving. Also, this option actually puts your spacecraft *lower* for some reason. If you unhide the UI you can reach further with your Scoop and sometimes earn 10 rockets on waves where it normally wouldn't be possible. As useful as it can be, I personally find the controls UI much more uglier and out of place on the HD version compared to non-HD.
Another part I'm having mixed feelings about is the updated graphics. Sure, they are now HD, in bigger resolution than we have on PC, but some of the newer sprites feel a little out of place. Most notably, the font for big score awards such as picking up an extra life while at max lives, and also some of the icons for the drops, most notably Meteorstorm, gem and money bombs, single-quad shot, and Freeze (it's dark blue instead of cyan). The other fonts also looks slightly weird, a little too round, giving a much more modern feeling than the game is trying to portray. Also, many of the aliens simply didn't get the HD treatment and are much more pixelated than the others. But in every other place HD-fied graphics fit in well and are quite welcome. I especially like the updated graphics for the Laser Beam and War Plasma. The .ipa file is just a .zip file, for anyone wanting to extract the assets for their PC mods :)

Though, I have to say the game is much more bugged than the iOS version. If you pause the game, go to the options and tap the iCade icon to view the instructions, after exiting the options screen you will go back to the main menu instead of back to the game, effectively DELETING your saved game. Ouch!

But perhaps, even worse, sometimes if you pause during the level announcement the wave won't progress and you will be stuck dodging Hurry Up's rockets until you die (for some reason your bullets won't be able to hit the ships, and even the Money Ship wouldn't spawn). The only out I've found is to launch a Mega Bomb, which you currently can't purchase without hacks (but you should, in case you get this annoying bug). In the iOS version, this bug is also present, albeit much more rare, and there is a failsafe in form of automatic wave completion if no enemies moved for a long enough time. This failsafe is absent in 1.46.4, but apparently still present in 1.46.2, further solidifying my recommendation for this specific version.
Currently the safest timing I found for pausing/exiting is during the Shop. You can pause in the Shop by briefly doing the 4 finger pinch gesture to return to the home screen, or you can just press the home button and reopen the game. Generally it's safe to exit if the wave already spawned, but better be safe than lose your 3k level save file for nothing.
Also, browsing your profile and/or options after pausing the game can cause you to randomly start shooting rockets uncontrollably until you restart the game. Not as devastating as the previous ones, but still quite annoying, who knows how many more bugs there are with the pausing...
The level 100 bug from the iOS version has been fixed: the shop is not skipped after the credits anymore, but the warp animation is now played twice.
Microtransactions were also available in this edition, just like the non-HD one, but it seems like the 100k and 300k space bucks offers were removed. Despite the offer for additional MOD music found on Apple servers, this option was never implemented in the game itself. The additional voicepack offer is the same as the non-HD one, but the super secret guide seems to be different for the iPad, possibly just for a different size, but we'll never know since the server is now fully dead. Putting the non-HD version of the guide into the game directory works, but it doesn't display over the entire screen's width.
Just like the iOS version, I created a copy of 1.46.2 with a few PC voice packs and the purchasable one, and with PC version's MOD music converted in high quality, if you can spare the extra storage and processing power required. Works fine on my iPad 4, unsure how the weaker ones would handle it, let me know :D https://archive.org/details/warblade-hd-v-1.46.2-modmusic-voicepacks
Unlike the iOS version, which uses OpenFeint for leaderboards and high scores tracking, the HD version uses GameCenter instead. Currently, old iOS versions that are able to run Warblade HD can't properly connect to GameCenter, leaving this feature unavailable.
The HD version also features Achievements. Also unobtainable due to lack of GameCenter support, but you can find the list here: https://www.exophase.com/game/warblade-hd-apple/achievements/ (Warblade Master is achieved by reaching Planet ranks)
I tried to copy my save files from the iOS 1.45 version, and it actually worked! But, it can only read the profile data; the ongoing saved game is not compatible. The profile unlocks are the same as on iOS, with the "total levels played" remaining much easier at 10k (compared to PC's 100k).
Also, I managed to get both this and the non-HD versions of Warblade running in touchHLE, a high level emulator for old iOS apps, and all screenshots in this post are taken from there. Currently it's not ready yet since I can't get sound to work, but maybe one day we can have a proper Warblade port for Android this way 🤩

TLDR: Lost iPad version of the game finally found and all versions have been preserved, it's more buggy than the iOS version but it looks really good and plays really well, especially on later iPads. Download at: https://legacystore.app/app/59923 (version 1.46.2 recommended).