App Army Assemble: Apple Arcade - Is it a must have subscription?

Apple Arcade has been out in the wild for about a week now and even longer if you managed to hop into beta. So we decided it was improtant we got some thoughts from our App Army.

Do they think it's good value? What would they change? What's the best game? Here's what they said:

How is Apple Arcade?

Apple Arcade seems to offer a good range of choice for users. For anyone who uses an iOS device as their primary gaming method, it’s definitely appealing. However, after playing a large selection of the games already, and planning to finish the big AAA before the trial period is over, I am not sure if I personally will continue to subscribe. I will be interested to see how many new quality games are added each month. I am more likely just to subscribe once every few months to play and finish any big releases.

What is your favourite game?

Whatthegolf is by far my favourite release. I love mini golf games and this fits mobile perfectly. The humour is great and I love the way it completely revamps the genre by mixing up the gameplay throughout.

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

What the golf?, Cat Quest 2, oceanhorn2, Skate City, Rayman Mini.

Anything you would change to improve the service?

Easy way to search and filter within the Apple Arcade in iTunes. Subscribers should have the option to buy the games outright.

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

No

How is Apple Arcade?

Amazing, it was simply an amazing idea from Apple.

What is your favourite game?

Oceanhorn 2

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

All of them

Anything you would change to improve the service?

Nothing

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

I am enjoying it a lot. There are a lot of fun games with a good amount of quality. Shantae and Oceanhorn are my personal favourites from what I have played so far. Sayonara Wild Hearts is trippy but really fun and a beautiful rhythm game. I will get the most out of the service once the updates for iPad and Apple TV come out. I definitely think I will be subscribing.

What is your favourite game?

Oceanhorn 2. From what I have played, it improved on the first game in every way. And I’m a bit of a Zelda nut, so a game in that style is right up my alley.

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Oceanhorn 2, Shantae

Anything you would change to improve the service?

Make it easier to find certain games by genre.

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

Great, it has many good games for a small amount of money

What is your favourite game?

Mini Motorways because I love Mini Metro

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Mini Motorways, Hot Lava

Anything you would change to improve the service?

More strategy and simulation games

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

Really great.

What is your favourite game?

Assemble With Care - Because of its innovative nature and nostalgic items.

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Most of them I’ve tried out till now. More notably - Assemble With Care, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Cat Quest II, Oceanhorn 2, Pinball Wizard.

Anything you would change to improve the service?

A section for games updated recently in the Arcade tab. That way, people can return to a game they previously deleted due to some annoying bug or just personal preferences. Some games might not be perfect at launch but improve drastically over a period of time-based on player feedback.

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

I’ve enjoyed browsing and downloading a wide variety of games from a variety of different genres. A £5 price point might seem quite high to some but to those who spend more than that on apps anyway might feel like they’re getting their money’s worth.

What is your favourite game?

Assemble with care

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Skate City, Assemble With Care, Overland, Mini Motorways.

Anything you would change to improve the service?

Nothing currently

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

An incredible service, with tons of perfectly curated games. No IAPs, no timers, simply download and play offline. The game selection alone makes it a worthwhile investment - $4.99 per month for the ENTIRE family is a steal in my opinion. I hope this service takes off and expands with more great games from both indie and AAA developers. A must-have for any iPhone user who plays games either casually or extensively.

What is your favourite game?

Oceanhorn 2, to think that a game with this amount of depth and graphics that rival consoles can play on a small 2-year-old phone, is something to behold.

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Oceanhorn 2, Cat Quest, Rayman Mini, Exit the Gungeon among others.

Anything you would change to improve the service?

More RPGs and platformers, please!

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

How is Apple Arcade?

I really like it. It seems like great value for money given that many of these games would cost more than a fiver on their own and the level of quality is high. There's also a ton of content for day one. I'll be interested to see whether Apple can keep the momentum up with regular additions, but for now, I'm impressed.

What is your favourite game?

Neo Cab. It has some of the best writing I've come across in a game (and I've played thousands across most formats over the last three decades). And with the need to maintain your cab driver rating while conversing it adds an interesting level of tension to every conversation.

Which games would you pay for outside of the subscription?

Neo Cab, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Mutazione

Anything you would change to improve the service?

It could maybe do with some more lengthy and AAA games. It's playing to mobile's strengths with mostly short, indie and casual ones, which is a good call, but some content outside that would be good.

Will you continue to subscribe to Apple Arcade?

Yes

The App Army is Pocket Gamer's lovely community of mobile game experts. Each week, we ask them for their thoughts on the latest games and share them.

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