Kevin C. Wong

Backgammon, Checkers, Chess on Apple Arcade

Backgammon+ (2021) [/] from Adikus is a nice looking board game on Apple Arcade. You can play vs computer, PvP on the same device, online vs a random opponent, online vs a friend. You can play a series of games and have a doubling cube, which I've heard is how you turn this mostly random game into a game of skill.

Checkers Royal+ (2021) [/] from Gamma Play Limited has quite a bit more customization than Backgammon+. You can choose ruleset (different countries have different rules) or use custom rules, change board size (6x6, 8x8, 10x10), change board and piece design, and there are five difficulty levels. PvP on the same device but no online play. So a better game than Backgammon+.

Really Bad Chess+ (2021) [+] from Zach Gage. Apple Arcade doesn't have a chess game (and chess.com is the best site with a good enough app). Really Bad Chess is a chess variant where each side starts with random pieces and piece layout (though the Kings are set). The better you get the worse pieces you get and the better pieces meanwhile the AI doesn't get better or worse. I really like that when a piece is taken the taking piece has a little icon showing what piece was taken. Overall this is a simple concept and well done.