iPad Questions on Apple Arcade (exclusives, and recommendations)

[ackmondual]

EDIT: added 4th and 5th questions

I have complimentary 3 months of Apple Arcade via purchase of a new iPad. In order to get the most out of it, I'd like to get some answers to the following Q's below...

1) Is there a list of games that are exclusive to Apple Arcade?
Only one I know of is Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. I'd like to focus on exclusive games while I'm on AA.

2) Any games to recommend that weren't popular/mainstream?
I've already played stuff like Cut The Rope 1 & 2. I'll go see if there are any Angry Bird variations here (since AA doesn't do adds nor IAP in this format, should make playing these here a far better experience). Some of the other ones would be nice to check out while I'm here.

3) Longer games that can be finished within a few weeks?
Dunno if I'll continue AA after my complimentary offering, so I don't want to bother with games that can go on for months and months on end.

4) If I quit my subscription, will my game progress be saved (if so, is it saved server side or on-device)? Or will all progress be deleted? I may want to pause for some time and pick off where I left off.

5) Do games work offline? Ofc., I expect to require internet access to download games, update them, and to use online features (like accessing leaderboards on their site, or actual multiplayer games)

 

[0128672]

I could recommend The Pathless by Giant Squid for one. Alto's Odyssey: Lost City is good too.

 

[Abazigal]

EDIT: added 4th and 5th questions

I have complimentary 3 months of Apple Arcade via purchase of a new iPad. In order to get the most out of it, I'd like to get some answers to the following Q's below...

1) Is there a list of games that are exclusive to Apple Arcade?
Only one I know of is Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. I'd like to focus on exclusive games while I'm on AA.

2) Any games to recommend that weren't popular/mainstream?
I've already played stuff like Cut The Rope 1 & 2. I'll go see if there are any Angry Bird variations here (since AA doesn't do adds nor IAP in this format, should make playing these here a far better experience). Some of the other ones would be nice to check out while I'm here.

3) Longer games that can be finished within a few weeks?
Dunno if I'll continue AA after my complimentary offering, so I don't want to bother with games that can go on for months and months on end.

4) If I quit my subscription, will my game progress be saved (if so, is it saved server side or on-device)? Or will all progress be deleted? I may want to pause for some time and pick off where I left off.

5) Do games work offline? Ofc., I expect to require internet access to download games, update them, and to use online features (like accessing leaderboards on their site, or actual multiplayer games)

1) You could try Cards of Darkness, Grindstone, Fantasian and World of Demons (at least these are the ones I have personally tried). I am not so sure about the other titles. Oceanhorn 2 is a poor Zelda clone, I was bored with Pathless after a while, and Towaga got repetitive very fast.

2) See above.

3) I don’t think I have ever finished any of the games. My personal favourite so far is still world of demons (you will want a game controller to get the most out of it), but it requires 1-2 hours of gameplay for a few weeks to grind it out till the end. I got the closest with this game.

4) I suspect game progress is saved to your iCloud account. I tried Apple Arcade for a while, then stopped, and am now a permanent part of it due to Apple One and my game progress is where I left off.

5) I can’t speak for all the games, but the ones I have tried, they do work offline.

 

[0128672]

For game progress saves, look for games that use Apple's Game Center. The progress is definitely saved even if you delete the game. Maybe all Arcade games use Game Center, I'm not sure.

Access your Apple Arcade gameplay data on all of your devices - Apple Support

You can use iCloud and Game Center to keep your progress, high scores, and game saves up-to-date across your devices.

support.apple.com

 

[pacorob]

As far as question 1 I can refer you to this amazing 200+ app collection by another user of the AppRaven community which includes all (or almost all) Apple Arcade games.

I have had a trial for a certain period of time when I bought a new iPad in 2020 and some true masterpieces (and I think Apple Arcade exclusives) I can remember and have read good stories about are:

- Little Orpheus
- Stranded Sails
- Outlanders
- Oceanhorn 2
- Legend of the Skyfish 2
- Beyond a Steel Sky
- The Pathless
- Alba: a Wildlife Adventure
- Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker