Apple Arcade surprised fans of the platform with the addition of 30 new titles filled with great games, including Fantasian. If you haven’t heard of the game before, be sure to read: Final Fantasy Makers Announces New JRPG Fantasian.
What is Apple Arcade?
All Apple devices have access to Apple Arcade, a subscription service offered by Apple. You can use your Apple Gift Card or iTunes Gift Card to pay for the library of games. There are no ads or in-app purchases required, and up to six family members can access the service.
Pricing is just USD 4.99 a month, or you can pay USD 49.99 for the entire year.
The addition of new games pushes the library to over 180 game titles, including new releases and award-winning titles. You can find the service on the App Store in its dedicated tab. You’ll need to have an Apple device with iOS 13 or later.
10 Best Additions to Apple Arcade Games
1. Fantasian
Fantasian is a game for RPG lovers and fans of the Final Fantasy series. The developers of Fantasian worked on Final Fantasy. The game is a two-part series that uses 150 handmade dioramas that are stunning and make for a vibrant, beautiful world to explore.
Mistwalker, the developer of the series, put detail into every corner of the game, offering an enchanting environment that is made better with an in-depth combat system.
True to the turn-based RPG model, the game is different because:
- Monsters are scattered on the field rather than being right in front of you
- Single and multiple hit attacks are available (melee is a single hit, magic is a multiple hit)
Enemies can be immobilized and snared, and players can collect up to 30 monsters to start a massive Dimengeon Battle that offers massive XP and a difficult battle. There are also boss fights available, offering difficult, satisfying battles.
You’ll be playing as Leo, a boy that has lost his memory and is trying to regain them in a great mystery of a game. Players will be able to run through a series of quests and have the freedom to choose which areas of the games they want to explore.
2. Clap Hanz Golf
Want a game with a lot of replayability? Clap Hanz is made by the same developers that created Everybody’s Golf – the PlayStation 4 hit. The visuals are spectacular, but they’re also different, with caricatured players and vibrant visuals.
Defeating opponents on the golf course is important because they’ll be joining you when you beat them in the one-off tournaments that are randomly offered.
Each player has their course specialty and a favorite club that they use. You’ll be building up a squad of your all-stars as you continue to beat players. The touch controls are responsive and work very well when lining up and taking a shot.
And there’s also a three-tournament training mode that will help you get a hang of the gameplay.
A Tour Mode is available along with “bosses” in the game that are a lot harder to beat than the AI. Overall, golf fans or friends spending time together will have a lot of fun playing this game. It’s a game for all ages and requires a fair amount of skill to beat your opponents.
3. Star Trek: Legends
Star Trek lovers young and old will love playing this fun RPG, which thrusts you into the middle of two worlds. The turn-based game brings together some of the best characters in the Star Trek universe together.
Encounters last 30 seconds, and you’ll be up against other factions, including Klingons and Romulans.
Buffs and status effects help to buff up your team and make for interesting strategic battles. The game revolves around the Nexus where two timelines are coming together. Missions make the game fun, but there is no annoying grind included.
Legends is more or less a standard turn-based RPG, with each character equipped with their skills and abilities that they bring to the team. Combat mechanics are not innovative by any means, but they work well and are what you would expect in an RPG.
Unlock characters, have fun, and complete missions that never feel like a grind.
4. The Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail is a nostalgic game for some and a whole new experience for others. You won’t be disappointed with this fun remake, which brings great visuals and audio to a timeless classic.
The game’s graphics are exceptional, with players required to:
- Form their own party
- Choose their own starting items
- Play through hundreds of random events
- Play through 12 playable journeys
The game brings back the wagon and oxen that many people remember breaking down or dying. You can watch your party members’ three main statistics: hygiene, health, morale, and stamina.
Strategically manage your inventory and also maintain your wagon to ensure that it doesn’t break down and leave you stranded.
Hunt, raft, and work your way through the Oregon Trail in one of the timeless classics that has been voted into the Video Game Hall of Fame.
5. Badland
Badland brings a stunning side-scroller to Apple Arcade games with atmospheric graphics and a multiplayer option that allows up to four players to play on the same device. It’s a survival of the fittest games.
The game has 65 million players as a spooky side-scroller, with simple controls and winding levels that offer you power-ups from one stage to the next.
Timing and strategy are key to playing through Badland.
Badland has been around since 2013 and was even released on the PS4. You’ll be playing as Clone, a creature that runs through the woods. The first stage of the game puts you through four main stages:
- Dawn
- Noon
- Dusk
- Night
The forest is filled with evolving dangers that you’ll need to traverse either in single-player or multiplayer modes.
6. Don’t Starve
Don’t Starve is – you guessed it – a survival game that is just as frustrating as it is fun. The addition to the Apple Arcade games library offers interesting graphics, which include a mix of pixelated graphics and beautiful drops of the wild throughout the game.
But this game isn’t for the faint of heart because it doesn’t hold your hand. It’s a difficult game.
Paper-cutout graphics make the game interesting as you traverse through a gothic-like adventure with immense replay value. You’ll find that the world is always different, and one game you may start with low supplies and need to survive, and another immerses you in dangerous adventures in the wild.
It’s a unique experience to a survival game where you play the role of Wilson, who wakes up in the wilderness and has to traverse the dangerous landscape collecting items, raw materials, and other tools that you need to survive as you forage or hunt for food.
If you don’t make the right choices, your character will starve and die.
7. Really Bad Chess
Really Bad Chess is a game to use your iTunes Gift Card on whether you’re good or bad at chess. The game is made for people who want to play chess even if they’re really bad. And while the game is chess-related, you start every game with totally random pieces.
You may have an army of 6 queens, or you can have five knights and bishops. The rules are the same, but the change in piece dynamics would make Bobby Fischer squirm in his chair. But, this single-player masterpiece is a lot of fun and still follows the normal chessboard design and concept.
New and advanced players to traditional chess can really hone their game by playing Really Bad Chess. The game eliminates the traditional openings, which makes chess a strategic game and puts a lot of pressure on players to memorize the board.
8. NBA 2K21
NBA 2K needs no introduction in the sports game world. People of all ages will appreciate the game, especially if they’re fans of the NBA. If you’ve tried NBA 2K in 2020 or earlier, you know that there’s little difference between new versions of the game.
But 2K21 brings new elements that correct the flaws of the past and bring together realism, such as sweat droplets on the players.
For months, people have been asking where the 2K21 version was, but the Arcade Edition is finally here. The game includes MyCareer, which is a career mode that allows you to customize a player and play his entire career through the game. You can customize everything from:
- Tattoos
- Haircut
- Wardrobe
- Etc.
Players can even scan their faces into the game when creating their player. You’ll be able to earn virtual currency in the game as well. One major disappointment for fans of the previous versions is that there is no card game included – something a lot of fans are sad about.
If you’re an NBA fan and love the past games, give 2K21 a try. It’s available for free on Apple Arcade.
9. Monument Valley
Monument Valley was developed in 2014 and is one of the best games on the Apple Arcade, and you don’t even need to use an Apple Gift Card to play it. The game was built on the Unity Engine and is considered an indie puzzle game.
You’ll play as Princess Ida that is thrown into the world that she’s able to manipulate.
Ida will need to make her way through:
- Impossible objects
- Optical illusions
The game has stunning graphics and an immersive soundtrack, but it’s a short-lived puzzle game. First-time players claim that it’s a game unlike any other that they’ve played, and it’s available for players 7 and older.
Monument Valley is a break out of reality, with a story that unfolds with a beautiful narrative as the princess remains silent. Landscapes are what makes this game truly unique, as you’ll need to bend the world to your will and use the game’s physics to your advantage.
For example, you can bend reality and create new pathways to traverse the world, even if these paths wouldn’t exist in the world otherwise.
But for younger players, there are no tips that will help you get through each puzzle – it’s completely up to the player to find their way to help the princess.
Each level also gets progressively harder and will require a different style of gameplay to complete.
10. Cut The Rope Remastered
Cut The Rope is a great game that revolves around waking up and smelling the cake as Om Nom’s birthday unfolds. And if you don’t know who Om Nom is, he’s a cute monster with a sweet tooth – the world’s biggest – and everyone is invited to the big birthday bash.
Remastered is the remastered version of Cut The Rope, a franchise that includes over 1 billion players.
The game is filled with stunning levels that include:
- Magical hats
- 3D levels
- Fun boosters
- Obstacles
- Whoopie cushions
Om Nom’s child, called Nibble Nom, is also in the game with a massive appetite. You’ll play through multiple boxes, all with their levels, eating your way to success. Box 1 has 12 levels of its own.
Each box adds new elements to the game and is continuously added over time to add to the game’s replay value.
Remastered also introduces a new map to the game that you can click on and use to navigate your way. If you want to play a less serious game but a lot of fun, Cut The Rope is a good choice.
If you want to see more about any of the new games added, you can always go on Twitch or YouTube to learn more about these games and watch playthroughs that may be available.
Apple Arcade’s library is growing, and these new additions to the platform are just another incentive to sign up and play. You can even buy cheap last-minute gifts: gift cards to give to others to let them enjoy all the games in the Arcade’s library.
