Well, on Apple Arcade, you get these games in all their, ad-free glory, and are free to download, in a manner of speaking. Yes, you do have to shell out the Rs 99 per month (USD 4.99 in the US – yes, it is WAAAY more affordable in India), but that also opens the door to several other games on Apple Arcade, which you can play at no extra cost at all. These games come with a “+” attached to their names in Arcade. And while more than twenty games have been added to these collections, these seven classic titles in our opinion make it more than worth it to grab an Apple Arcade subscription (their normal prices together are lesser than the price of an annual Apple Arcade subscription). You might have already played them. But if you have not, well, these are about as good as gaming gets on an iPhone. And it is all free if you have got an Arcade subscription.
1. Fruit Ninja Classic+: Chop, slice, dice
One of the games that started the whole casual gaming phenomenon, alongside the likes of Angry Birds and Temple Run. Like them, it is incredibly simple, and yet insanely addictive. You just swipe through fruit that pops up on the screen, cutting through them with satisfyingly juicy sounds at times. Of course, sometimes you will end up slicing something dangerous, and then it is game over. Basically, you have got to keep chopping up a fruit storm. Sounds simple? It is. But start playing it, and you will realize that stopping playing it is…difficult. Download Fruit Ninja Classic+ (Normal price: Rs 179)
2. Monument Valley+: A sight for sore eyes, a test for the keen mind
One of the most beautifully crafted games for a mobile platform, Monument Valley was basically a sort of path-finding game. Your job is to help a Princess find her way through a world of amazingly intricate pathways. There are lifts, secret passages, tiles that move…a whole lot of physics-meets-geometry architecture here, and evidently a lot of inspired by real temples and palaces around the world. The design of the whole game is minimalistic – there is no riot of color here – but it will keep you transfixed. And the music is so amazing that you need to play this game with headphones! Download Monument Valley+ (Normal price: Rs 349)
3. Threes!+: Candy Crush with numbers…kinda sorta
This is the game that numerical slider games an absolute rage. And it remains compellingly addictive even now. It starts with sliding numbers across a grid that add up to three, but then it gets more complicated, as numbers go off the grid and new ones appear. You keep moving numbers to get a certain number until you run out of space to move. It is like Candy Crush but with numbers. It might seem a little complicated initially, but once you get the hang of it, you will find the hours flying away as you try to just get one more sum right! Download Threes!+ (Normal price: Rs 549)
4. The Room Two+: Locked room mystery mystique
This is the perfect game for those who love puzzles with a lot of “atmosphere.” You start the game in a room and your job is to figure out a way to get out. There are articles in the room, ranging from locked boxes to keys to documents. You can inspect them, read them, find out more about them, and then mix and match them as you try to get out of the room. The Room Two as its name indicates is a sequel to The Room, but it can be played on its own. It is brilliantly rendered and might just creep you out a little at times with its dark ambiance but it is fantastic gaming and remains one of the best mobile games ever made. Download The Room Two+ (Normal price: Rs 179)
5. Mini Metro+: Traffic management that’s simply brilliant
Mini Metro is all about making a metro network for an emerging city. You start by simply connecting a few places. But then the number of places increases, and you have to change routes, and ensure that trains do not overlap. It is a bit like those Air Traffic Control games but on the ground, and your task as in those games is to ensure that the trains keep moving, and there is no disruption. It is a simple task that gets more complex as your resources are limited. The cities are real-life ones, so you get those reality feels too. Simple, intricate, and yet so incredibly challenging. Download Mini Metro+ (Normal price: Rs 349)
6. Really Bad Chess+: Really good chess!
This is a game for those who love chess, as the name indicates. The name, however, does not indicate what a really good game of chess this is. Really Bad Chess takes normal chess and then throws a hefty spin on it by changing the usual number of pieces. You might suddenly get three queens or five knights or four bishops and so on. Or your opponent might. And you then have to get back and try to play the game to win – the pieces move in the same way, incidentally. It is incredibly unpredictable and challenging. Beginners can play it too, but we really think this a fantastic game for anyone who has played a bit of chess already. Download Really Bad Chess+ (Normal price: free, in-app purchases)
7. Cut the Rope Remastered: Om Nom remains Awwwwsome!
This has not been placed in the App Store Greats or Timeless Classics collection (and it does not have a + in its name either), but well, it gets into this list on merit. Cut the Rope remains a mobile classic with you having the task to cut ropes in a cartoonish world to pave the path for candy to fall into the mouth of the irresistibly cute frog-like creature, Om Nom. This is basically a mix of physics and puzzles but once again, it is simple gameplay that pulls you in and then presents you with more complex problems. Of course, you dare not stop – Om Nom’s sad expressions would compete with those of disconsolate puppies! Download Cut the Rope Remastered (Normal price: free, in-app purchases)
