Apple adds five new Arcade games as its free trial draws to a close
Roughly a week left to binge for free.
Not sure what to make of Apple Arcade, the company's $5 a month gaming service? It didn't really matter, as the service landed in September (or earlier if you were on the beta) with a free month trial on iOS and iPadOS and MacOS. But it's a few weeks on, and in a bid to keep you playing (and start paying), Apple Arcade's latest update lands today, adding to the 75 games already on board.
Inmost
Publisher Chucklefish is best known for Stardew Valley and Wargroove, but Inmost, from studio Hidden Layer Games, looks like a very different game again. With bleak pixel art wrapped around a 2D puzzle adventure, you'll control three different characters, trying to defeat enemies and use traps to your advantage.
ShockRods
For something completely unlike Inmost, ShockRods is another racing game for Apple arcade, with multiplayer and gameplay modes including deathmatch and capture the flag. It looks like a destructive racer -- so it's probably completely different to Sonic Racers, then. The game will also be coming to Steam soon.
Stela
Apple Arcade already has no shortage of puzzle games (they're good on phones, okay?), and Stela should offer a degree of cerebral challenge alongside platform traversing and exploration. Oh and a creepy soundtrack. Headphones in. You might recall Stela being revealed for the Xbox One -- it's still headed for the Microsoft console on October 17th and Steam early 2020.
Decoherence
Decoherence, a new RTS game involving armies of robots, combines PvP matches with a single-player campaign. Your character will join the fight as a pilot, and you'll be able to customize your robots to tackle anything. Apparently "anything can happen" during matches. And, importantly, your character can be a penguin general.
Mind Symphony
Mind Symphony promises to "emotionally and mentally impact you", but we don't know much about this game, besides the fact that gameplay will sync with the music and play a little like a bullet-hell shoot-em-up. In Release Mode, enemy attacks synchronize with the soundtrack. Meanwhile, Calm Mode focuses more on the melody for timing your attacks -- and presumably making things a little easier.
