I know, I know, I’m a little late to the party to be reviewing something that came out almost a month ago but I have finally played enough to give Apple Arcade a fair review. I can admit that if I reviewed this right off the bat there wouldn’t have been much positive to say. In fact, some of the games I have played seem like they could easily be procured right out of the regular app store without paying the $4.99/month price tag.

                Upon first playing through, I confess I didn’t fully understand what I was getting into. It appeared some of the games being suggested to me were sub-par. Games like Word Laces or Way of the Turtle didn’t really differentiate themselves from other free-to-play games I’ve gotten off the app store in the past. I don’t mean to imply that they are bad games, just not anything special enough to warrant the cost. One other negative I would say is that these games are not being streamed. Since this is the case, games inevitably take up space on the hard drive of whatever device you are playing on.

                It wasn’t until I began to understand the motives behind what Apple was trying to accomplish here that I really started to appreciate the product. They are trying to create an entirely new gaming service unique to Apple! They have been partnering with some pretty high caliber developers like Ubisoft, Konami, LEGO, Capcom, and a slew of others to bring consumers new and exclusive games. I started digging a little harder and started to find games like Ubisoft’s Rayman Mini and Sega’s ChuChu Rocket! Universe. These were awesome games and started helping me justify the cost a little more but I still felt like I needed more. Konami’s Frogger in Toy Town is certainly worth checking out since they gave a cool spin on the hit classic by making it more of an adventure. As I kept digging I found a “Metroidvania” game in a series I’ve always enjoyed from WayForward, Shantae and the Seven Sirens. Now this was a series that I’ve played on my Xbox and at one point was released on Game Boy Color so I was impressed to see this on the Arcade.

                I could go on and on about other great titles that I have found on the Apple Arcade but we would be here a while and I doubt anybody would appreciated that rambling. Instead, I’ll just put a list at the end of the article with everything that’s available now. Aside from the A-list developers, Apple Arcade has some other great features that are absolutely worth noting. First and most obvious from the start is, thankfully, NO ADS!! As mentioned previously, the price tag per month is $4.99. What’s nice about this is not just the affordability but the family sharing capability. Up to six family members can use one plan which means (to me) no more passing my phone off to my son so he can play the games he wants. Other great features include playability on any Apple device without losing your place in the game you’re engaged in. I can go from playing on my AppleTV until my wife wants to watch her “90-Day Fiancé” to playing on my MacBook Pro without losing my place in the game. When it’s time to leave to go run errands for the day, I can pick up my iPhone and continue the action without skipping a beat. Perhaps one of the best features is the compatibility with a PS4, Xbox One, or any MiFi capable controller. If you feel that a game doesn’t have the intuitive controls on the iPhone there’s no need to fret! Just hook up the controller of your choice and take full control over your gaming experience.

                Every day I play Apple Arcade I am getting more and more into it. Right now I am playing a Zelda-like game from the developer Cornfox & Bros. called Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm. Highly recommended for anyone that loves the Zelda franchise. There is clearly a good bit to explore on the Apple Arcade a planned 100+ games and more on the way (not to mention a free 1-month trial when you sign up) it is absolutely worth checking out!

List of Apple Arcade games currently available:

•Agent Intercept (PikPok)

•Assemble With Care (usTwo)

•ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree (Wildboy Studios)

•BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner (BattleBrew)

•Big Time Sports (Frosty Pop)

•Bleak Sword (Devolver Digital)

•The Bradwell Conspiracy (Bossa Studios)

•Card of Darkness (Zach Gage)

•Cardpocalypse (Versus Evil)

•Cat Quest II (The Gentlebros)

•ChuChu Rocket! Universe (Sega)

•Cricket Through the Ages (Devolver Digital)

•Dead End Job (Headup)

•Dear Reader (Local No. 12)

•Dodo Peak (Moving Pieces)

•Don’t Bug Me! (Frosty Pop)

•Down in Bermuda (Yak & co)

•Dread Nautical (Zen Studios)

•EarthNight (cleaversoft)

•The Enchanted World (Noodlecake Studios)

•Exit the Gungeon (Devolver Digital)

•Explottens (Werplay Priv.)

•Fledgling Heroes (Subtle Boom)

•Frogger in Toy Town (Konami)

•The Get Out Kids (Frosty Pop)

•Grindstone (Capybara Games)

•Hexaflip: The Action Puzzler (Rouge Games)

•Hot Lava (Klei Entertainment)

•HyperBrawl Tournament (Mlky Tea Limited)

•Jenny LeClue - Detectivu (Mografi)

•King’s League II (Kurechii)

•LEGO Brawls (LEGO)

•Lifeslide (Block Zero Games)

•Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)

•Murder Mystery Machine (Blazing Griffin)

•Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik)

•Neo Cab (Surprise Attack Games)

•Nightmare Farm (Hit-Point Co.)

•Oceanhorn 2 (Cornfox & Bros)

•Operator 41 (Shifty Eye Games)

•Outlanders (Pomelo Games)

•Overland (Finji)

•Over the Alps (Stave Studios)

•Painty Mob (Devolver)

•Patterned (Borderleap)

•Pilgrims (Amanita Design)

•Possessions (Noodlecake)

•The Pinball Wizard (Frosty Pop)

•Projection: First Light (Blowfish Studios)

•Punch Planet (Block Zero Games)

•Rayman Mini (Ubisoft)

•Red Reign (Ninja Kiwi)

•Redout: Space Assault (34BigThings srl)

•Sayonara Wild Hearts (Annapurna)

•Shantae and the Seven Sirens (WayForward Technologies)

•Shinsekai Into the Depths (Capcom)

•Skate City (Snowman)

•Sneaky Sasquatch (Rac7 Games)

•Sonic Racing (Sega)

•Spaceland (Tortuga Team)

•Speed Demons (Radiangames)

•Spek. (Rac7 Games)

•Spelldrifter (Free Range Games)

•Spidersaurs (WayForward Technologies)

•Stellar Commanders (Blindflug Studios)

•Stranded Sails (Shifty Eye)

•Super Impossible Road (Rouge Games)

•Tangle Tower (SFB Games)

•Tint. (Lykke Studios)

•Towaga: Among Shadows (Noodlecake)

•Various Daylife (Square Enix)

•Way of the Turtle (Illusion Labs)

•WHAT THE GOLF? (The Label)

•Where Cards Fall (Snowman)

•Word Laces (Minimega)

~Greg Silvers - Xbox Gamertag: EventualCoast8 / PSN: Zero3511

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