Favorite Apple Arcade Games of 2019
May 04 2023
I've played all the Apple Arcade games released in 2019, most fairly briefly. I haven't finished writing up quick reviews of the last few but none of them are going to be in my favorites list.
S Tier - These two games I could have bought separately (though admittedly not at full Steam prices) and would have been money well spent. I finished both of them.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens ($30 on Steam) - I guess this is my favorite Apple Arcade game. A platformer that plays amazingly great with a controller. Smooth animation so gameplay is easy and short but good voice acting.
Tangle Tower ($20 on Steam) - A mystery game where you need to talk to everyone and find various objects then figure out who what when why. Two great protagonists and a good bunch of distinctive NPCs and great voice acting. I guess the only quibble is the ending is a bit of a long narration without suspense.
A Tier - These would be good games at the $5 level. I finished Bradwell Conspiracy and still play Mini Motorways a couple times a week.
The Bradwell Conspiracy ($20 on Steam) - A good puzzle game with really good voice acting and not the best graphics.
Mini Motorways ($10 on Steam) - Connects houses to workplaces and watch people drive to work and back. This game I still play a lot since there are daily and weekly challenge levels and they even added a new city about a month back. Starts slow and eventually gets hectic and you don't mind when you eventually lose.
B Tier - These games would also be good at the $5 level and yet I don't play them any more. Good concepts but maybe too involved for me as I don't like banging head against wall on a particular level. I guess these are games I wish I could like more.
Overland ($20 on Steam) - Turn based survival horror rogue-like. I like the concept but it's a brutal game.
Outlanders ($15 on Steam) - Casual village building game that is not actually that casual since early mistakes can mean failure an hour later.
If you spend $50 for a year of Apple Arcade then these games are more than twice that value. Yes at the end of the year you don't have them anymore but three of them are basically play once to completion and those three are more than $50 retail.
S Tier - These two games I could have bought separately (though admittedly not at full Steam prices) and would have been money well spent. I finished both of them.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens ($30 on Steam) - I guess this is my favorite Apple Arcade game. A platformer that plays amazingly great with a controller. Smooth animation so gameplay is easy and short but good voice acting.
Tangle Tower ($20 on Steam) - A mystery game where you need to talk to everyone and find various objects then figure out who what when why. Two great protagonists and a good bunch of distinctive NPCs and great voice acting. I guess the only quibble is the ending is a bit of a long narration without suspense.
A Tier - These would be good games at the $5 level. I finished Bradwell Conspiracy and still play Mini Motorways a couple times a week.
The Bradwell Conspiracy ($20 on Steam) - A good puzzle game with really good voice acting and not the best graphics.
Mini Motorways ($10 on Steam) - Connects houses to workplaces and watch people drive to work and back. This game I still play a lot since there are daily and weekly challenge levels and they even added a new city about a month back. Starts slow and eventually gets hectic and you don't mind when you eventually lose.
B Tier - These games would also be good at the $5 level and yet I don't play them any more. Good concepts but maybe too involved for me as I don't like banging head against wall on a particular level. I guess these are games I wish I could like more.
Overland ($20 on Steam) - Turn based survival horror rogue-like. I like the concept but it's a brutal game.
Outlanders ($15 on Steam) - Casual village building game that is not actually that casual since early mistakes can mean failure an hour later.
If you spend $50 for a year of Apple Arcade then these games are more than twice that value. Yes at the end of the year you don't have them anymore but three of them are basically play once to completion and those three are more than $50 retail.