Product test

Apple Arcade: makes even an Android user like myself jealous

20.9.2019

Translation: Eva Francis

Apple Arcade gives you access to 100 select games on all your Apple devices for six francs a month. I’ve put this service to the test and tried to find out if Apple Arcade is worth it – and who it’s best for.

No advertising, no in-app purchases – instead there’s a curated games library. That's what Apple Arcade promises. The game subscription has been available for iPhones since Thursday. iPad, Apple TV and the rest will follow at the end of the month. The offer? Unlimited access to 100 selected games. Apple calls it «exclusive», which is not entirely true, but more about that later.

Apple Arcade is listed in the App Store menu. The first month is free, after that you pay six francs or five euros a month. Family Sharing allows you to share your subscription with up to five others.

Not really exclusive

Over 100 games are said to be available for you to choose from. I counted 71. Apparently, new ones are added every month. Apple's headline speaks of «exclusive». But this is only true for Android – many of the games are also available on other platforms such as Switch, PC or PS4. Apple has, however, acquired the exclusive rights for the mobile sector, which is why games such as «Oceanhorn 2» are no longer to be found in the Play Store. In the foreseeable future – and this could be several years – the games will no longer be available separately in the App Store or elsewhere.

Regardless of how exclusive the games are or aren't, the selection surely is impressive. Many of them, «Overland» or «What the Golf», for instance, have been on my mind for a while now.
With an investment of 500 million dollars Apple takes an active part in ensuring that the games are more than just good average. Jeremy Spillmann from the Zurich Blindflug Studios, who contributed «Stellar Commander» to Apple Arcade, confirmed on enquiry that Apple actively participated in the development process. The exclusive deal is likely to pay off financially. Originally, «Stellar Commander» was also planned to be available on Android. But Jeremy confirms that there were also other reasons: being able to build a long-term universe together with Apple and being part of the launch of a brand-new platform.

In addition to Blindflug, Sunnyside Games from Lausanne are represented with «Towaga» and Rosie Reality from Zurich with a title that’s yet to be released.

Are the games any good?

I didn't try all but many of the available games. On an iPad Mini. I would have been willing to pay for many of them individually, so I'm more than happy that I got them all for six francs (or five euros). Each game comes with an introductory video, which I like. What I'm not happy with is the sorting function: there are several not very helpful categories such as «Going wild» or «Only Arcade». If the latter describes those games that are actually exclusive, there are ten. There's no search function either.

This means, you need to explore the games by yourself. So far, these are my highlights.

«Over the Alps»
The developers describe it as a combination of «80 Days» and «Grand Budapest Hotel». I love the game and like the movie. I'd say those are good conditions for «Over the Alps». It's an adventure game where your answers in dialogues decide where the journey takes you. This espionage adventure takes you all over Switzerland in the year 1939. World War II has just broken out and you're always trying to stay one step ahead of the local police. Includes beautiful postcard scenery and a thrilling story.

«Overland»
«Overland» is a turn-based survival game. The goal is to navigate a group of survivors through a post-apocalyptic world full of dangers. Each level is played on a small square playing field. Using your limited turns, you need to search the levels for resources such as petrol for your car or weapons to fight off evil creatures that are sneaking around trying to spoil your road trip.

«Skate City»
In my opinion, there aren’t enough skate games. That's why I’m happy to see every new addition. «Skate City» uses simple controls to do tricks. The graphics are simple but nice and you’re sure to nod along with the soundtrack. What more could you ask for?

«What the Golf»
A game of golf in which you usually hit everything except golf balls. Houses or yourself, for instance. «What the Golf» is a fun physics-based puzzle game which has new crazy mini tasks waiting for you in every level. Silly but entertaining.

«The Pinball Wizard»
Instead of bouncing around a ball, «The Pinball Wizard» has you bounce a magician across the playing field. It's not so much about scoring high as it's about hitting all the opponents on the field. Opponents drop loot that lets you unlock new skills. The first skill, for example, enables you to quickly change direction in the middle of the field.

«Cat Quest II»
This is a cute fantasy role-playing game in which you accompany two cat kings on an adventurous journey. You'll beat up all sorts of nasty riffraff, collect better equipment, and learn new spells. The graphics are great and the gameplay is accessible and motivating.

What’s playing with controllers like?

Recently, the possibility was introduced to connect your PS4 or Xbox controller with Apple devices. This is especially useful in combination with an Apple TV, but Apple Arcade isn't available for Apple TVs yet. In theory, pairing is easy: press the Dualshock Share and PlayStation buttons at the same time until a white light appears. Then click the Connect button on your Apple device in the Bluetooth settings. On the Xbox controller, it's the pairing button along with the Xbox button. The latter didn't work for me right away, which is why I stayed with Dualshock.

It's obvious that Apple made it clear that all games must be playable with both touch and controller. The ones I tested all worked perfectly with both controls. As expected, 3D role-playing games such as «Oceanhorn 2» are much more fun and smooth to play with the controller. The adventure game «Over the Alps», which doesn't require much interaction, is more fun to play via touch. The same applies to «Grindstone», where it's much easier to draw your character's path via touch control than via controller. This game is optimised for iPhone format – on the iPad, there are black margins to the left and right of the playing field. Most games in the Arcade library are clearly designed for touch control.

What I personally noticed was that playing with the controller changes my perception of games: they don't feel as casual any more and I compare them to console or PC games. And especially titles such as «Oceanhorn 2» make we wonder why I'm not playing the much better «Zelda Breath of the Wild».

Conclusion: who's it for?

I'm not quite sure what the target group for Apple Arcade is. Casual gamers will probably find it too expensive and the games too demanding. As expected, there are no simple games in the style of «Candy Crush», and the free-to-play offer in the App Store is attractive indeed.

Apple Arcade is more interesting for people like myself who are always looking for new good games on mobile and are willing to spend money on them – even if the games aren't as exclusive as Apple claims. However, I don't own an Apple device and I am a bit jealous, I must admit. And I doubt that Google can keep up with a supposedly similar project «Play Pass».

Another target group could be families who share an account with their kids and are willing to spend money on curated and high-quality games. Apple Arcade is definitely a guarantee for a certain quality standard and with the 71 games that are currently available, there's sure to be something for everyone. Plus, you don't have to worry about in-app purchases or advertising.

If you own an Apple device, it's definitely worth trying out Arcade, as the first month is free. However, not every game is equally enjoyable in every set-up: some titles, «Oceanhorn 2», for instance, are better suited for controllers and therefore the TV. But in this set-up, Apple Arcade has to face being compared to a console. If you have a PS4 controller, you probably have the console that goes with it. So why wouldn't you play on that in the first place? The quality is just as good and the choice is even larger. On top of this, the Xbox Game Pass or EA Access Premiere are similar game subscription services. However, they do cost a bit more than Apple Arcade.

In other words: if you've been buying one or two games a month from the App Store anyway, Apple Arcade is a no-brainer – provided Apple keeps its word and continues to deliver good games. And if you're a parent and don't want to spend time searching the App Store for hours to find some decent games for you and your kids, it's also worth getting Apple Arcade.

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Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.

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