DIGITISER
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ

REVIEW: Apple Arcade

30/9/2019

20 Comments

 
Picture
The world isn't perfect. Indeed, in this day and age it feels less perfect than ever. We're locked into an era where we're ruled by blonde egomaniacs, so undeserving of power. Injustice and inequality is rife, teenagers with autism are attacked by those in government, simply for trying to hold them to account, and our planet is choking on mankind's hubris.

We feel so powerless, numbed to the daily shocks.

Cynicism in the face of all this is, perhaps, understandable. Every day brings more bad news; abuses of power, environmental collapse, unsavoury revelations about those we might've once idolised... and we're all feeling battered and worn down. 

It's perhaps best summed up by the word Weltzschmerz - meaning "world pain" - coined by the German author Jean Paul Richter, to describe a weary melancholy at that imperfection of the world. John Steinbeck referred to it in The Winter of Our Discontent, where he called it "Welshrats", for some reason.

Though it'd be easy to think that this was a relatively new term, Richter first used it in 1810, suggesting that - as bad as things might seem now - we're not the first generation to believe that the world could, and should, be better than it is.

Indeed, so coloured have we become by this all-consuming Weltschmerz that it's hard to notice when something comes along that seems to be pretty darn perfect. 

Step forwards Apple Arcade. 
Picture
NO BOTHER
I'd become so disillusioned by mobile gaming that I wasn't even going to bother with Apple Arcade. Simply, I couldn't envision a version of mobile gaming which wasn't ruined with ads or microtransactions. And if I could, I certainly would never have imagined it coming from Apple, which has done so much to spoil a lot of early promise.

​I mean, when it was announced, Apple Arcade appeared too good to be true; no ads, no in-game purchases, games that could be played across the entire Apple family of products, for up to six family members - all for £4.99 a month (following a one-month free trial). 

There had to be some catch, right?

But no: that's exactly what Apple Arcade is, and from the quality of the early line-up - which is approaching 100 games already, and includes titles from indie developers, well-regarded studios like usTwo, as well as big names like Sega and Capcom - it's hard to argue against. 

It's even harder to argue against when you realise that most of these games are exclusive to Apple (albeit it on mobile; while none of Apple Arcade's games will be on Android, you might see some of these popping up on the Switch or whatever), and that the selection has been curated carefully, and showcase the breadth of what gaming can be.

I've barely scratched the surface of what's on offer, but of the 10 or 12 games I've dipped into thus far, the quality is remarkable. In fact, there's a case here to argue that this might be the strongest platform launch line-up of all time.
Picture
RIDDLED WITH MESS
Just look at the furore with which Mario Kart Tour has been met: a microtransaction-riddled mess, that is unworthy of Nintendo's brand... all because it has come out as a mobile game. Yet Sega's take on the genre - Team Sonic Racing - is available on Apple Arcade with not a whiff of in-app moneygrabbing.

What's more, by offering an alternative to the freemium model, Apple has opened up the sorts of games developers can create. As well as traditional quick-fix games, Apple Arcade has more involved, narrative, experiences... quirky experiments... beautiful, borderline artistic, achievements. 

It's hard to imagine a game like Assemble With Care - a gentle, story-led, puzzler where the aim is to repair the items brought into your repair shop - existing on the App Store a couple of weeks ago. Likewise Capcom's Shinsekai Into The Depths - a gorgeous, underwater take on the Metroid formula.

Then there's the brilliant battle-puzzler Grindstone, a brutal take on the tile-matching formula, and ludicrous comedy golf game What The Golf? - both of which, pre-Apple Arcade, would've stopped play every other level to beg you for money or show you an un-skippable ad.

Honestly, it feels weird to be praising something so fulsomely - normally, as a critic, its our job to give a bit of balance, but it's hard to find anything to really beat Apple Arcade over the head with. The deal is that good, and the games so great, that Apple has literally, overnight, changed the game for mobile.

Oh, alright then... if I must. The one downside is this; the choice available already is overwhelming.

Frankly, it's hard to know where to start, and there are going to be games in among the 100-ish available that get lost in the mix. How Apple is paying the developers is anyone's guess (I read that for the launch they've been given a lump-sum upfront), but going forward a less-is-more approach might be better, just to ensure that every game on there gets its due.

That said, it's hardly the end of the world when the one criticism I have is: there's too much good stuff.
Picture
THE BEST THUS FAR
Everything I've played on Apple Arcade thus far (and just to remind you, that's far from everything) I've enjoyed.

The breadth of what's on offer ensures there really is something for everyone, but I've been pleasantly surprised (understatement) to find so many games which seem to offer exactly what I'm looking for from games at the minute; bite-sized, original, unique, and seemingly authored, experiences.

Of everything I've played, here are my favourites:

Assemble With Care
From the team behind Monument Valley, this has a similar pastoral atmosphere, but is otherwise completely different. Disassemble items, find the fault, repair - while a sweet story plays out.

Grindstone
Draw a line through objects (here they're monsters) of the same colour to make them disappear. The twist here is the tongue-in-cheek fantasy battle trappings.

What The Golf?
What starts out seeming to be a regular golf game becomes something completely bizarre.

Shinsekai Into The Depths
A unique platformer from Capcom. As a diver fleeing encroaching ice, you must solve puzzles and keep an eye on your oxygen levels.

Where Cards Fall
Isometric puzzler, where you guide a boy on an adventure, using decks of cards to aid his journey. Sounds weird. Isnt.

Bleak Sword
If Dark Souls had an entirely pixellated art style, and bite-sized levels, it would be Bleak Sword.

Overland
Atmospheric, post-apocalyptic, turn-based, RPG. Sort of.

In short, Apple Arcade is a genuine triumph. We can all be cynical about Apple's ecosystem - boo, hiss: big corporation, and all that - but there's no getting away from the reality that here they're responsible for delivering something which everyone who plays games, at whatever level, should pay attention to.

SCORE: 1810 out of 1850
20 Comments
Paul
30/9/2019 10:24:17 am

My only negative thought on this is that it will require you to keep up with the annual OS updates on your iPhone/iPad, and at some point, I expect you'll find your access to games curtailed if you don't buy new hardware.
Let's see how this pans though.

Reply
MENTALIST
30/9/2019 10:26:10 am

It's this as much as almost anything else that's making me think more and more about getting an iPhone. Thanks to the reasonable pricing of the lowest-end iPad, that I've already taken advantage of, I'd be well placed to make good use of the family sharing aspect, too.

Google's half-arsed copycat service looks so weak in comparison. Their headline games seem to be largely stuff I got for next-to or actually nothing years ago, from humble bundles, or even when Amazon was doing their free-android-app-a-day thing, which ended years ago.

Reply
Craig Grannell link
30/9/2019 10:58:39 am

I’ve long been an advocate of mobile gaming, and since the early days of the App Store the best has felt like a return to 1980s in terms of developers just being able to do new stuff. But the lottery approach to success, and an increasing reliance on freemium business models has soured things. Part of the problem isn’t Apple, but the users. I often see reviews of free games slamming the ads, demanding more content, and then noting that the writer didn’t pay for anything (and in one case even turned on Airplane mode to kill the in-game advertising – as in, the only revenue the creator would get from them).

I was optimistic yet sceptical about Apple Arcade, on the basis of Apple’s history with games. Having so far played at least some of 50 of the 70 titles, I’d also say the launch line-up is variable, and some games reek of freemium title with freemium bits hastily removed at the last moment.

BUT.

Apple Arcade is free for a month and a fiver a month after that. It works with Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and soon also Mac. You can use the touchscreen or a controller. iCloud syncs your progress. And there are at least a dozen pretty great games on there, and perhaps another 20 that are objectively good – many of which individually on other platforms cost (or are set to cost) several multiples of the Apple Arcade monthly cost.

I see a lot of ‘proper’ gamers getting all pissy about Apple Arcade, and it baffles me. Are people really so entrenched in their own tribes that they don’t want to – for free – check out dozens of games they may end up enjoying? It seems like a no-brainer to me.

As for the mention further up about Google’s response, there’s really no comparison. Google’s effort is akin to the one Amazon did a while back, which bundles existing content under a single subscription. That’s fine if you haven’t already played those titles, and if the developers are happy competing with themselves. But Apple Arcade content is at least unique to mobile.

Finally, on the list of recommendations above, I’d strongly urge any Digi reader to also check out Super Impossible Road, Card of Darkness, Sasquatch, and PaintyMob. And if you’ve a controller, also Sayonara While Hearts and Oceanhorn 2.

Reply
Super Bad Advice
30/9/2019 11:42:38 am

One of the best things about Apple Arcade is really a side issue, but it’s the addition of PS4/Xbox controller support. Hook one up, then connect to a TV or use an Apple TV and you’ve got a surprisingly well supplied console. Stuff like Dead Cells or Hyper Light Drifter are half the price they are on the Switch or elsewhere, and with a controller are essentially the same game.

Reply
Geebs
30/9/2019 12:23:39 pm

TBH Apple are still being annoying - there are a zillion controllers out there that don’t cost £45, like the Xbox One... one, or lack buttons like the MFi controllers; and Apple has chosen not to support them for basically no reason.

Reply
MENTALIST
30/9/2019 01:02:30 pm

Actually, as the poster you replied to was just saying, that has changed with the latest version of iOS. You CAN use an Xbox One or PS4 controller with an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV now.

Geebs
30/9/2019 01:42:27 pm

Well.... yes, I said as much. AFAICT, though, it’s only ”official” XO and PS4 controllers, which cost twice ad much as compatible brands. Also, this isn’t Apple adding support, it’s Apple unlocking support - Chinese models have been able to use non-MFi controllers even before iOS 13.

Andrew Gillett
30/9/2019 12:49:11 pm

Just to let you know, if I view this page in Firefox's Reader Mode, I see an extra column with stuff like this:

"This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings:

Current Number Of Columns are = 2

Expand Posts Area =

Gap/Space Between Posts = 12px"

Not happening on other articles.

Reply
Jopijedd
30/9/2019 12:55:37 pm

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but regardless of how good the selection was, i couldn't bring myself to be part of the Apple ecosystem. £4.99 a month might be cheap, but look at how many extortionately priced laptops you've had to buy from them to remain part of that.

Reply
Kev link
30/9/2019 01:41:32 pm

But you don't need a laptop to use Apple Arcade, do you?

Reply
Craig Grannell
30/9/2019 10:43:28 pm

As of late Oct, it will work with Macs, but you certainly don’t need one. A second-hand Apple TV HD would do – or an iPod touch.

Meatballs-me-branch-me-do
30/9/2019 12:59:05 pm

I literally just bought a Switch after umming and ahhing for two years (or as my autocorrect would have it, “bought a sietch after umma” so I guess the spice must flow) and my biggest question for this is: does it require a data connection? I ride the subway to work and so a lot of otherwise promising little phone games (including Puzzle Fighter) simply will not work unless they can phone home to feed you ads or confirm you’re you or something.

I also saw the Switch as the return of two proper things:
1. Proper games made for the love of a fun concept, not a grindy Skinner box
2. Proper fucking buttons. These might be great games, are they still on a touchscreen? It seems like there’s innumerable great conversions of classic games (and new ones) that are completely unplayable unless you actually plug a controller in and have proper fucking buttons and stuff.

Reply
Craig Grannell
30/9/2019 10:44:39 pm

Games are downloaded. Most of them play offline, bar things like the Lego brawler, which is online multiplayer.

Reply
jackie
30/9/2019 03:28:30 pm

yeah, jackie

Reply
James Walker
30/9/2019 11:55:56 pm

CodeMasters should do something similar.

Reply
Mr Bass
3/10/2019 12:35:45 pm

Out of principle that I can't stand Jobs' legacy, I'm going for Stadia and ignoring mobile gaming.
I don't care how good it is, I'm an Android user and have been for the last 10 years, and I have no intention on buying into an OS that's locked-down to the point of ridicule, just so I can play a few arcade games.

Reply
MSX
9/10/2019 01:17:39 pm

Do you ever wonder what you're missing with that sort of narrow tunnel vision? Blows my mind.

Reply
Cp
31/10/2019 04:05:43 pm

It really blows your mind someone doesn’t like using locked in closed operating systems. Come on. You’re bigger minded than that.

Geoff Pastie
6/10/2019 01:05:05 pm

As great as this sounds, I’ve tried loads of different Bluetooth controllers with my iPhone / iPad down the years and none of them have worked. When I finally saw what Android’s been doing / allowing for years that Apple still refuses to, I nearly guffed myself unconscious. So I won’t be sad to miss this.

Reply
MSX
9/10/2019 04:09:12 pm

On iOS? You can't have tried very hard. For years there have been "iCade" compatible Bluetooth controllers. I bought a mini gamepad for a few quid on eBay. Works with games that support iCade controllers. And then there's MFi (made for iPhone) controllers by Hori etc that are as official as you'll get and work with any games that support the official controller mechanism. On Mac it's even easier as you can use anything at all. Check out https://controller.wtf for controller and game support info.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings:


    Current Number Of Columns are = 2

    Expand Posts Area =

    Gap/Space Between Posts = 12px

    Blog Post Style = card

    Use of custom card colors instead of default colors = 1

    Blog Post Card Background Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Shadow Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Border Color = current color

    Publish the website and visit your blog page to see the results

    Picture
    Support Me on Ko-fi
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    RSS Feed Widget
    Picture

    Picture
    Tweets by @mrbiffo
    Picture
    Follow us on The Facebook

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    May 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ