Apple Arcade: A review of Spyder, Creaks, and ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

Apple Arcade has been adding to its catalog for several years now, with both big exclusive games for mobile gamers and smaller hits from the past. A subscription to the service costs 200 rubles a month, and for that Apple  offers hundreds of games with no ads or in-app purchases, but with high-quality and enjoyable play. Many games even support controllers. At this point, the service is well worth its price tag if you like to play on iOS devices.

And if you like to play on iOS devices, it’s a good deal.

But from experience, it turns out that not all of the tittles are up to high standards. In this column, I’ll be looking at a small selection of Apple Arcade games to determine whether or not they’re worthy of consideration. In the sixth article in this column, we’ll talk about Spyder, Creaks, and ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree.

Apple Arcade: Spyder

A cute puzzle game in which a robotic spider (oddly enough, with only six legs) is sent on spy missions. You run around each level, picking up objects, manipulating knobs and dials, and generally being prankish.

And you’ll have a blast.

Now we need to talk about the camera before we move on. When using on-screen controls, the camera is pretty much useless in the game. It wanders off at obscure angles at the most inopportune moments and fails to identify the next target. But using a controller solves this problem, and otherwise it’s an interesting game. Note, although I liked this tittle, I do not recommend playing it without a controller.

The music is atmospheric (Donna Summer’s stylization of the space mission in particular stands out), the interaction with the game’s physical environment is pleasantly tactile, and I liked the overall feeling of being a tiny creature who isn’t being watched, with freedom to explore and mess around.

Apple Arcade: Creaks

Based on the developer’s previous games, I expected this one to be a point-and-click adventure, but it’s a pure puzzle game. In each level you must climb up and down ladders, manipulate lights, and intimidate various monsters into positions that will allow you to move on.

The game’s gameplay is a bit of a puzzle.

It’s an uncomplicated formula, but the gameplay feels pleasantly simple rather than monotonously tedious. As such, don’t underestimate this tittle. The game gives you a nice sense of satisfaction every time you do something.

As puzzles go, Creaks has an unusually well-defined sense of narrative that forms an integral part of the gaming experience rather than background nonsense. Eccentric visuals and phenomenal music, Limbo-style death silhouettes and sinister collectibles: these all add up to a game that engages its world quite well and provides extra motivation to get through.

All of these things add up to a game that engages its world quite well and provides extra motivation to get through.

Apple Arcade: ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

A dark RPG with an appealing look: a cartoonish Scandinavian saga with a touch of neon. The story isn’t bad, the visuals and music are fantastic, and it’s generally fun to play.

AtONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

There are fewer battles than you’d expect from a game with so many deaths: exploration, dialog, and puzzles take up more of your time. But when it does happen, combat takes the form of a rhythmic mini-game in which pieces cascade down the screen Guitar Hero-style, and you try to tap along to the beat of the music.

Battle takes the form of a rhythmic mini-game in which pieces cascade down the screen in a Guitar Hero-like fashion, and you try to tap along to the beat of the music.