Apple Arcade to Gain NFL Retro Bowl '25, Monster Train+, and Puzzle Sculpt

[MacRumors]

The Apple Arcade gaming service is set to gain three new games in September, including NFL Retro Bowl '25, an NFL and NFLPA-licensed relaunch of the popular Retro Bowl game that initially came out in 2020.

NFL Retro Bowl '25 lets NFL fans create their own football dynasty by selecting their favorite NFL teams and players to manage. The game focuses on roster management and game strategies, with the Apple Arcade version offering authentic rosters and NFL players in the original game's retro style.

Monster Train+ is another Apple Arcade revamp of a popular original. It is a roguelite deck builder with more than 250 cards to unlock and six monster clans to discover. The Apple Arcade version of the game includes a new strategic layer with three vertical playing fields to defend, along with support for The Last Divinity DLC with an additional clan and more gameplay challenges.

For the Apple Vision Pro, Apple Arcade is gaining Puzzle Sculpt, a game where players decipher increasingly challenging clues to solve puzzles. Gameplay consists of removing unnecessary cubes to uncover Deco Objects that can then be placed anywhere in the virtual space around the player.

Several Apple Arcade games are set to get new content updates, including new Shrek-themed hoops for Stitch, a Smithsonian-inspired area in Crayola Create and Play, and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog for Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Apple Arcade is priced at $6.99 per month, a fee that allows up to six family members to play games. Apple Arcade titles have no in-app purchases or ads. Apple Arcade is also part of the Apple One, Family, and Premier plans.

Article Link: Apple Arcade to Gain NFL Retro Bowl '25, Monster Train+, and Puzzle Sculpt

 

[HiVolt]

Does anyone pay for this stuff outside of an Apple One sub?

I just got a notification in the App Store to claim Arcade for 3 months free... no thanks.

 

[TechnoMonk]

During my last 3 month free trial I enjoyed the retro bowl. It was fun, I wouldn’t pay for subscription though.

 

[Circa1984]

I wish Apple would let you choose within the One subscription, I’d probably go with News over Arcade.

I like to game once in a while, but the current Arcade games I’m not very interested in - It would be a pleasant surprise if they made a dozen or so of the most popular console games for Apple Arcade - I’m not suggesting 2024 AAA titles but maybe a reboot of top rated games from a few years back, that phone/ipad and Apple TV hardware could handle & that have wide appeal to a ‘gamer audience’.

 

[Simmias]

It’s time to take Apple Arcade off life support.

We‘ve had enough puzzle games.
We’ve had enough recycled mobile games.
We’ve had enough crude pixel art games.

Bring higher quality, or shut it down.

 

[BugHunter]

People are so harsh on Apple Arcade, I think the games they offer there are fine, with a few gems to make it worthwhile, and a few bits of Pay to Win mobile games with the Pay to Win removed exposing how un-fun the games that rely on FOMO are.

All that said, I would imagine the primary target audience of Apple Arcade is parents who don't want to have to constantly tell their children that no, they can't buy $99 worth of magic crystal gems even if it is "BEST VALUE".

I'm sure people will reply to that with "maybe they should try parenting" - but I'd say giving your child a gaming experience that's not infested with addiction and gamble mechanics - is parenting. Yeah, have your kids do sports and other activities as well, but sometimes parents just need a break when they're at a cafe with their bored kid.

 

[PsykX]

It’s time to take Apple Arcade off life support.

We‘ve had enough puzzle games.
We’ve had enough recycled mobile games.
We’ve had enough crude pixel art games.

Bring higher quality, or shut it down.

Yes. Bring stuff like OceanHorn or something.

I think when my daughter will be 6 years old I will finally use Apple Arcade after 3 years of having Apple One. Other than that, it's a failure in my book.

 

[ikir]

As always people are too hard. Apple Arcade is a great service, especially it was with great indie at the beginning.
The real issue is title disappearing, I’m understanding why, still it is pretty bad to think to have this title and then see it to disappear. I would prefer much less titles that stick to arcade forever.

 

[TechnoMonk]

People are so harsh on Apple Arcade, I think the games they offer there are fine, with a few gems to make it worthwhile, and a few bits of Pay to Win mobile games with the Pay to Win removed exposing how un-fun the games that rely on FOMO are.

All that said, I would imagine the primary target audience of Apple Arcade is parents who don't want to have to constantly tell their children that no, they can't buy $99 worth of magic crystal gems even if it is "BEST VALUE".

I'm sure people will reply to that with "maybe they should try parenting" - but I'd say giving your child a gaming experience that's not infested with addiction and gamble mechanics - is parenting. Yeah, have your kids do sports and other activities as well, but sometimes parents just need a break when they're at a cafe with their bored kid.

True. I doubt Apple Arcade was ever targeted to serious gamers. It’s a sandbox for mobile gaming with protections. I enjoyed me last free trail, just don’t see much value in paying for subscription.

 

[Isengardtom]

It has some gems but I definitely used it much more in the beginning.

additions of the last year or so have been less interesting to me

 

[Velli]

True. I doubt Apple Arcade was ever targeted to serious gamers. It’s a sandbox for mobile gaming with protections. I enjoyed me last free trail, just don’t see much value in paying for subscription.

So-called “Serious gamers” are in general a bunch of arrogant wankers who can’t see beyond their nosetip. Casual gamers are big business. Maybe, perhaps, if you are doing it professionally, gaming is by definition not “serious”. Stop kidding yourselves.

I probably spend a few hours per day gaming, but rarely more than 15 minutes at a time. I simply don’t have X hours set aside by myself to do a “gaming session”. But, I loathe P2W, and will happily pay significant money to avoid ads. I am very happy with Apple Arcade, and I have spent more hours using Apple Arcade games than I care to think about.

 

[Velli]

People are so harsh on Apple Arcade, I think the games they offer there are fine, with a few gems to make it worthwhile, and a few bits of Pay to Win mobile games with the Pay to Win removed exposing how un-fun the games that rely on FOMO are.

All that said, I would imagine the primary target audience of Apple Arcade is parents who don't want to have to constantly tell their children that no, they can't buy $99 worth of magic crystal gems even if it is "BEST VALUE".

I'm sure people will reply to that with "maybe they should try parenting" - but I'd say giving your child a gaming experience that's not infested with addiction and gamble mechanics - is parenting. Yeah, have your kids do sports and other activities as well, but sometimes parents just need a break when they're at a cafe with their bored kid.

100% agree. And yes, I pay for a family subscription to Youtube that I rarely use myself, only to avoid my kids being subjected to ads 25% of their screen time (and yes, we have exactly zero ad-supported TV channels or services available in my household).

 

[Velli]

I wish Apple would let you choose within the One subscription, I’d probably go with News over Arcade.

I like to game once in a while, but the current Arcade games I’m not very interested in - It would be a pleasant surprise if they made a dozen or so of the most popular console games for Apple Arcade - I’m not suggesting 2024 AAA titles but maybe a reboot of top rated games from a few years back, that phone/ipad and Apple TV hardware could handle & that have wide appeal to a ‘gamer audience’.

Apple Arcade is not targeted towards the “gamer audience”. You need to realise that a lot of people who are not “gamers” play games every day, often several hours. My mom does not consider herself a “gamer”, and few people would. Yet, she probably spends at least six hours per day gaming, either digitally or analog.

 

[syklee26]

How about bringing Madden series instead.....eh, never mind.

 

[svish]

Good to know about the new additions. Would like to see good quality games on Apple Arcade.

 

[Ctrlos]

Apple Arcade is not targeted towards the “gamer audience”. You need to realise that a lot of people who are not “gamers” play games every day, often several hours. My mom does not consider herself a “gamer”, and few people would. Yet, she probably spends at least six hours per day gaming, either digitally or analog.

^^This

Whilst Its a shame to see some really good titles leave the service never to return (So long, Butter Royale ) on the whole I have always found something to play. I definitely put myself in the 'gaming enthusiast' column but more often than not I use my iPhone.

3D Action-based titles translate poorly to touchscreens but I have had a blast playing the likes of everyt great Square Enix RPG (FF, Chrono Trigger, DQ), Disgaea (which is bottomless), Hades, Flower, Journey, Lunar, Bastion, Potion Permit and Stardew Valley alongside mobile classics like Tiny Wings, Rolando, Trism, Drop Wizard and Spelltower. Many of these games are iOS exclusives and unavailable on Android.

The recent launch of PS1 and PSP emulation alongside a Backbone controller has transformed my iPhone into the retro console of my dreams, finally letting me set free my PSN purchases I can no longer play. (Here in the UK its legal to play backups of digital games you have clearly purchased regardless of paper-thin licence agreements)

Apple have also made some great strides in accessibility, offering controller support from all major platforms as well as a bottomless number of rebind options.

 

[Chastepe]

It’s time to take Apple Arcade off life support.

We‘ve had enough puzzle games.
We’ve had enough recycled mobile games.
We’ve had enough crude pixel art games.

Bring higher quality, or shut it down.

Well said! Apple + gaming is a joke.

 

[Manzanito]

Why doesn’t apple buy a game studio and have a catalogue of AAA titles to offer? Make them release mac ports of every game they develop while they’re at it.

I’m sure it must be cheaper than founding a film production company…

 

[RedWeasel]

You need to realise that a lot of people who are not “gamers” play games every day, often several hours. My mom does not consider herself a “gamer”, and few people would. Yet, she probably spends at least six hours per day gaming, either digitally or analog.

I would dare to say that a majority of gaming addicts are probably more of „causal gamer“ type than the „hardcore gamer“ type, at least that’s what I see in my environment. Even if that sounds a bit contradictory.

 

[Velli]

Why doesn’t apple buy a game studio and have a catalogue of AAA titles to offer? Make them release mac ports of every game they develop while they’re at it.

I’m sure it must be cheaper than founding a film production company…

Name a AAA game that “serious gamers” typically play on their phone.

 

[Ctrlos]

Name a AAA game that “serious gamers” typically play on their phone.

Fortnite?

Look in r/EmulationoniOS and you'll see people playing anything from Balloon Fight to God of War.

I'd call myself a serious gamer. I play mostly JRPGs and Hades at the minute.

Currently waiting for mobile ports of Persona 4, Final Fantasy X and Sea of Stars

 

[Manzanito]

Name a AAA game that “serious gamers” typically play on their phone.

They don’t. But they want, or so they claim, to bring AAA gaming to the mac. They could be hitting two birds with a stone. Also, with airplay mirroring and game controllers compatibility, they could advertise the iPhone and iPad as your next console.

I dunno, it’s just an idea.

 

[MasterControlProgram]

Name a AAA game that “serious gamers” typically play on their phone.

It depends when we're talking about. We used to get interesting stuff like Bioshock, Ridge Racer, Soul Calibur, GTA Vice City, Deus Ex, Max Payne, etc on iOS. The trouble is, Apple kept breaking old games with iOS updates, I believe Bioshock lasted about 4 months before it stopped working and the developer didn't bother to fix it.

The trouble with mobile gaming is the race to the bottom that made F2P so prevalent, no-one is willing to pay for games anymore. Aside from the odd developer dipping their toe (like Capcom with their current RE ports) we never seem to get a consistent stream of decent games because anything more expensive than free gets ignored by the majority. I used to game on iOS all the time, but slowly but surely the choices have dwindled to nothing. The Switch and the Steam Deck have pretty much replaced my iOS devices for gaming now.

 

[xmarcuswildx]

These ‘+’ names just make me not want to play it. It’s cringe. And saying cringe from an adult is not a good look.

 

[CarAnalogy]

It’s time to take Apple Arcade off life support.

We‘ve had enough puzzle games.
We’ve had enough recycled mobile games.
We’ve had enough crude pixel art games.

Bring higher quality, or shut it down.

They did this to themselves with their App Store policies. And with their treatment of major game studios. And with their strange take on gaming in general.

It fills a niche of games that aren’t showing you ads or trying to exploit you into paying more. Though many of them are IAP games with the IAP removed which kind of breaks the game loop sometimes. It’s still designed to keep you subscribed.

But this is what mobile games have become. The alternative is already what we see in the rest of the App Store.