Apple Arcade Games of the Week: A Pinball, Sasquatch, and Hedgehog Walk Into a Bar

Remember everyone; mobile gamers are still gamers. Last week, Apple released Apple Arcade – a new gaming subscription service with a ton of new games with a $4.99 monthly subscription. With so many games available, we thought we should highlight some that we think you shouldn’t overlook.

Welcome to our newest segment, Apple Arcade Games of the Week, where we give you a quick rundown of 3 of our favorite Apple Arcade Games, that we recently played.

The Pinball Wizard
Developer: Frosty Pop

At one point in our lives, we enjoyed the simple pleasures of dropping $10 of our parents’ money on pinball machines. I’m sure we’ve seen them all at an arcade or spent hours on 3D Pinball Space Cadet. Well, developer Frosty Pop brings a unique twist of classic pinball by mixing it with dungeon crawling and RPG elements in The Pinball Wizard. Ascend the castle tower as The Pinball Wizard by smacking him across the room with flippers. Clear the room by smashing into enemies, and collect treasures to level up abilities. The stage ends after you grab the key, which unlocks the door to the next room.

Don’t let the game’s simplicity fool you. Being that it’s a dungeon crawler, you’ll be expected to die a lot and start over with the benefit of upgraded abilities to gain an advantage the next time around. Yea, I know, this kind of sounds like a roguelike game without having to lose too much. The amount of depth that goes into the concept makes it a fun game that doesn’t feel repetitive, even after playing for an extended period. However, the game could use some additional wizard customization options though. The only option currently is to have a beard or not.

Sneaky Sasquatch
Developer: RAC7 Games

Sneaky Sasquatch is a hidden gem packed with hilarity. Have you ever wondered what a sasquatch does on a typical day? Well, in this title, you play as the big man himself to answer the question for yourself. You can do things like:

• Sneak  around campsites
• Disguise yourself in human clothing
• Eat food from unguarded coolers and picnic baskets
• Play a quick nine holes at the golf course
• Go fishing
• Scare the park rangers
• Dig up buried treasure
• And many more zany things

There’s no real end goal besides doing sasquatch stuff and living your best sasquatch life, and that’s the best part of all.

Sonic Racing
Developer: Sega

I’ve been looking for a reliable mobile kart racer for quite some time, and I think I found it in Sonic Racing. I say that not as a Sonic fan, but because of how none of this particular racer has pay-to-win features. While other racers have you pay money to upgrade a specific part of your car or buy an entirely new vehicle. Each Sonic character can be naturally leveled up by competing in races that increase stats such as technique, speed, and power. Additionally, you can upgrade the strength of the items you can pick up during a race to use against opponents or protect yourself. Surprisingly, you do this with in-game gold earned from each race.

The multiplayer racing options in the game are robust without technical or latency issues. However, my opponents might have since there were a few disconnects that resulted in me winning. Tight controls, familiar Sonic faces, decent environments, and the headbanging Sonic soundtrack that we’ve all come to know and love, makes Sonic Racing a must-play mobile racer.

I want to note that the game currently has a 3.3 on the App Store. Most of the complaints stem from the fact people don’t know how to switch landscape mode to portrait mode. It’s a quick change in the settings after the tutorial. Don’t let bad reviews about how to change the viewpoint of a game deter you from this experience. Now if only we can get an excellent proper Sonic game on consoles.