Touch Arcade

Overall, Sayonara Wild Hearts isn’t just one of the best Apple Arcade games available today, it is one of the best games of 2019 for me and easily Simogo’s best yet. The soundtrack is killer and I haven’t played a game that felt this cohesive visually since Atlus’ Persona 5 on PS4. I know Apple Arcade has a lot of great games right now with multiple getting added each week but nothing has come close to the experience I got with Sayonara Wild Hearts.

Yaga, overall, was a really enjoyable experience for me and there were few hiccups at all. I found it both challenging and rewarding, with a storyline that kept me interested and combat that felt fluid and fun. The replayability and different endings you can obtain help it even further to be a game you’ll likely want to play through at least twice to see just how much the world can change.

There are things that the game could do better — like less-linear stage progression, a story that’s more than just an afterthought, and a few bug fixes spring to mind. But it’s rare to find a mobile game that embraces its platform as well as Bleak Sword, and I encourage anyone with an Apple Arcade subscription to check it out. I still think it could do with some better graphics, though.

I’m saying this in the best way possible, of course. Stela is a beautiful, cinematic game that does a great job keeping you curious and scared since the beginning. While it could do a better job when it comes to guiding the player through the game or making the gameplay mechanics a little more intuitive, Stela is one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time.

So, what’s the verdict on Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands? It has all the makings of a good game but fails to execute most of them well. Rather than rewarding you the more you play, it feels like it’s punishing you by everything you have to do the further you go. If there was just the one change of your crew being able to make daily items for you, it would be tremendously better. Until then, it falls into mediocrity.

There’s certainly things that Towaga could do better, with its samey environments, token upgrade system, and uneven powers. But the problems never feel like much more than nitpicks, and don’t distract from what is ultimately a great exploration in how to take simple mechanics and weave them into a game that feels like a blockbuster experience.

Despite its flaws, MONOLISK has potential. It is, as far as I’ve seen, unique, and a great deal of effort has gone into making it impressive. Unfortunately, since progression and player content, the areas it should excel in most, are where it is weakest, that effort feels… insufficient. Where there should be tutorials introducing prospective shard-makers to the tools and how to use them, there is nothing; not even an encouraging, “Good luck figuring it out!"

To sum up, Over the Alps is a fantastic game. It has a believable story, realistic characters, a great setting, several hundred different choices, multiple endings, a great balance between relaxing discovery and hard-pressed action, and emotional moments that make you feel. I cannot recommend this game enough for anyone that enjoys a good story, especially about spies and overcoming fascism.

While being like any other skating game, Skate City stands out as a good option for the people interested in skating. Its several challenges, different cities, and excellent music make this game a great game to enjoy. Just try to use a BlueTooth controller when playing to improve the experience.

Down in Bermuda does a lot of good by keeping it fresh. Puzzles are unique, the different islands and environments are refreshing, the style of the game is relaxed, and there was no feeling of frustration from it. It’s a really solid game that I hope gets a whole lot more content soon as I saw no issues at all with it. I would certainly recommend this game to you (or your kids) for a fun little weekend.