Gaming titles can be affordable but that doesn’t mean there needs to be compromises on the gameplay or the hardware. A glowing example of this is Apple Arcade, which launched in 2019 and this week it received a massive boost through the inclusion of 20 new titles, many of them originals.

In case you haven’t tried Apple Arcade yet, it’s a subscription gaming service from Apple. There are over 200 titles to choose from. Now, that’s enough to remind one of a Ted Lasso quote: “I do love a locker room. It smells like potential.” What makes Arcade special are a few things. First, there are no pesky advertisements on the platform or in the games. Second, there are no in-app purchases, meaning you don’t have to pay anything extra once you access the system. Third, the monthly charge for having access to over 200 games is as little as Rs 99.

There are more than three billion people around the world who play games. Not all of them are playing AAA titles on a PC or on Xbox or PlayStation. Not everyone wants to play God of War, Cyberpunk 2077 or Hades. For them, the idea is to simply play a game on the devices they have. This is where things get interesting.

Designed to be played by everyone

Apple Arcade works seamlessly across devices — iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple TV. You may have an iPhone but your friend may have an iPad or your colleague has a Mac. Everyone can access the same games on the device they have to enjoy Apple Arcade.

The new games that have arrived on the platform are a mix of Originals and App Store Greats. Originals, like the name suggests, are games meant for Arcade. App Store Greats are titles that are/were available in the App Store. These may (on the App Store) have a price tag, ads, or in-app purchases but are now accessible on Arcade without ads, in-app purchases and for that one fee of Rs 99 for a month (plus, access more to than 200 games).

“Apple has been a great partner for us since the debut of Apple Arcade, with SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit being one of the first titles available, and it continues to perform extremely well since its launch in 2020,” said Doug Rosen, Paramount Global’s senior vice-president of Games & Emerging Media. “We love the Arcade model because it provides us with a great opportunity to build unique games, specifically for this audience. We’re so excited for subscribers to play TMNT Splintered Fate, a brand-new title from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe, available exclusively on Apple Arcade.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount) are anthropomorphic reptiles with superpowers and live in the sewers beneath New York City. And what could be there to dislike about a bunch with catchphrases like “bodacious” and “cowabunga”? Originally created in 1983 by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael make an awesome team. In their latest adventure, Splinter is missing and the brothers are under attack. You need to unravel the mysteries to discover the sinister hand behind the mayhem. The Turtles go on a co-op roguelike adventure where their unique attacks combine with randomised power-ups for some fun.

Shared experiences

What most game developers like about Arcade is how the games work not only across Apple devices but even devices that are years old. You may have an iPad from 2018. That’s fine. Or your friend may have an iPhone 11. That works well too. Most of the titles on the platform are about offering shared experiences. You can play lying on the couch with a controller on Apple TV. All of us may not have all the devices but across family/friends there is a range of devices. So everyone can join in.

Take the example of the Arcade Original Cityscapes: Sim Builder (Magic Fuel Games). It’s one of the most promising games to have been added to Arcade. While Cityscapes: Sim Builder features several elements that have come to define the city-building genre over many decades, like the ability to build real-world landmarks, the new title talks about sustainability. You’re the Mayor and you need to make your city thrive, keeping sustainability in mind. Decisions need to be taken around power generation, building on natural environments, overdevelopment, and social agendas. All this will feed into the happiness quotient of the citizens who ultimately control the ratings for the Mayor. The team behind the game obviously has taken inspiration from their travels around the globe. You can use the touchscreen on Apple devices to play or take advantage of controller support.

Apple Arcade is fun

The fun — to the point crazy-cool — element can be seen in the new game What The Car? from Triband, which is also behind games like What The Golf? and What The Bat? You’re a car, but instead of wheels, you have legs. In the game, you can race through hundreds of unique levels by jumping, flying with jetpacks, climbing buildings, delivering packages, and pretty much everything you don’t expect a car do to. What makes the game very different is the way you can create your own wacky levels, share them with friends and family, or climb the leaderboards of quirky levels made by other players. Don’t expect to improve your driving skills but you will definitely add a lot to your happiness quotient. There are even bears in the game. Why? Because it’s fun. The developers found inspiration in everyday objects. Everyone knows what a car can do. What about what it can’t but would be fun? Frankly, the game captures the spirit of Apple Arcade.

Start on one platform and then continue…

Mac has its macOS platform, iPhone has iOS and iPad runs on iPadOS, yet Apple Arcade games are supported across devices. You can even start a game on one device and then swap over to another without losing your place. So if you want to play a title on Mac and then take it on the go on your ‌iPhone‌, go ahead. Try it with a game like Disney SpellStruck (Artist Arcade), which has been developed in partnership with the co-creator of Words with Friends.

Every month Apple keeps adding new levels to existing games and, of course, there are enough new titles. There’s another advantage of Arcade. It hooks to Apple’s Games Centre, where you can share scores with your friends and compete against one another.

The 20 new titles add more depth to the platform and these will certainly keep users busy for months.