Have Apple Arcade but looking for a good dungeon crawler style game? Here are a few of our favorites so far.
Apple Arcade is Apple's gaming subscription service that is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and macOS. For a low, flat rate of $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, you get access to over 100 games, some of which are exclusive to Apple Arcade, and Family Sharing is included in the cost so that you can share a single subscription with up to six Apple IDs.
With Apple Arcade, there is a little bit of everything sprinkled throughout, so everyone is sure to find a game that they'll enjoy. Here's a roundup of all of the dungeon crawler style games on Apple Arcade.
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Apple Arcade offers over 100 games for everyone to enjoy. The cost includes unlimited access to all games in the library and Family Sharing, so one subscription can be used among up to six people.
THE BEST Cat Quest II Studio: The Gentlebros. Age rating: 9+ Gamepad: Yes
Isn't the world just better when cats and dogs rule it? Cat Quest II is the sequel to the original Cat Quest, and it continues the tradition of a beautiful 2D, open-world action RPG where cats and dogs are in charge.
While war brews between the cats of Felingard and the dogs of the Lupus Empire, a larger threat looms in the distance. The kings of both kingdoms must unite together and restore peace and reclaim their thrones. In Cat Quest II, players can play as both cat and dog, and there is even two-player co-op for a grand time.
Cat Quest II has a gorgeous open world that players can freely explore to their heart's content. Equip your cat or dog character with various melee or ranged weapons and cast magical spells to vanquish the forces of evil that stand in your way. Defeating your enemies will net you experience points, and there is plenty of loot to be found. There are also plenty more weapons, spells, and abilities to make your quest more manageable, and trust me, you'll need everything you can get to take on some of the more challenging areas.
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The Pinball Wizard Studio: Frosty Pop Age rating: 4+ Gamepad: Yes
The Pinball Wizard is a unique dungeon crawler title because it is unlike anything you've played before. If you like pinball, as well as dungeon crawlers, then this is right up your alley.
In The Pinball Wizard, you'll find a tower that is full of useful knowledge and wisdom at the very top. But to reach it, you must clear each floor and make your way to the top. After all, wisdom and knowledge are earned, not given.
You'll take control of a little wizard character, and you must help them get to the top of the tower by propelling them with... pinball flippers. These flippers basically serve as the entrance into each floor, and your goal is to survive, collect treasures, and outlasting the enemies, at least until the door to the next floor opens. You only have so much health to last you, and the enemies only get more challenging as you ascend. Fortunately, you can get items like health potions to aid you.
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Roundguard Studio: Wonderbelly Games Age rating: 9+ Gamepad: Yes
Did you enjoy that one classic puzzle game, Peggle? Now imagine it with elements of RPG dungeon crawling, and you end up with Roundguard. It's basically the love child of Peggle and RPGs.
You can choose from three different hero classes in Roundguard: Warrior, Rogue, and Wizard. The Warrior specializes in powerful melee attacks, the Rogue deals in precision hits, and the Wizard can nuke enemies from far away. Each class offers up a different play style, so you'll want to experiment with them all to see which one fits you best.
In Roundguard, you essentially "shoot" your hero out of a cannon at the top of the screen, and they will bounce off of pegs on the stage. The pegs are a mix of pots that need to be cracked to get through, and there are enemies as well as potions to restore your health and mana. You attack enemies by bouncing off them, but they will hit you back! To clear a stage and move to the next area, you'll have to clear out all enemies from the level. You get bonus points for bouncing longer, and make sure you don't fall off the screen because you only have a limited amount of lives. You gain experience points and can level up and learn new abilities and find new gear, so take advantage of that.
Roundguard is also a roguelike, so if you run out of health and die, then you'll have to start from the beginning on the next run. The game is harder than it looks, and you'll need to spend a good amount of time practicing and learning the play style of each if you want to succeed.
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THE REST Card of Darkness Studio: Zach Gage Age rating: 9+ Gamepad: No
Like Pinball Wizard, Card of Darkness is not your typical dungeon crawler. In Card of Darkness, you will embark on a hand-animated adventure by the fantastic Zach Gage, the mind behind other great iOS games like SpellTower and Sage Solitaire.
In Card of Darkness, you'll face off against many hordes of monsters that you can best by casting powerful spells and discover ancient secrets — as long as you pick up the right cards.
Think of Card of Darkness as a hybrid of dungeon crawler and solitaire. Each level has a grid of several card stacks, and you can only see the top card of each stack, with the rest beneath a complete mystery. But if you take a card from a stack, you must eventually take all of the cards in that stack. The card stacks will have anything from fun weapons to spells to enemies that must be defeated before they kill you. Getting to the end of each level will be easier said than done.
Card of Darkness is a challenging game, and while it doesn't follow the traditional dungeon crawler formula, it's fresh and worth taking a look.
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Grindstone Studio: Capybara Games Age rating: 12+ Gamepad: Yes
If you enjoy some match-three RPG action, then Grindstone is a great hidden gem that's worth your consideration.
In Grindstone, you take on the role of a muscly barbarian type warrior, who must make his way through Grindstone Mountain to the peak, where fortune and glory await, naturally. But along the way, there are large swarms of Creeps that will do anything to prevent you from reaching your goal. The only solution? Hack and slash your way through them, of course!
You'll be drawing lines to connect similarly colored Creeps together so you can cut them down. There will be helpful items to aid you, but there are several different types of Creeps, too, with many of the tougher ones requiring longer chains to defeat. So you'll need all of your puzzle-solving skills and the best items to carve your way through to the exit of each stage — all 150 of them. Do you have what it takes to get to the top of Grindstone Mountain?
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Bleak Sword Studio: Devolver Age rating: 12+ Gamepad: Yes
Bleak Sword is a more along the lines of a dark fantasy action game like Dark Souls, but we think it can fit here as well. The coolest thing about Bleak Sword is the pixel art that is rendered in 3D diorama battlefields, which gives it a distinctive aesthetic.
There are nine chapters in Bleak Sword, and each one will test your skill and strength. The goal of the game is to lift the curse from the legendary Bleak Sword by striking down and vanquishing every creature in the forest, swamp, castle, and dungeons along the way. You'll have access to powerful magical spells, loot, and items, and your character levels up and has stats that you can distribute and unlock your full potential.
To lift the curse of the Bleak Sword, you'll have to be fast on your feet and resourceful, because this game can be rather unforgiving. Are you up to the task?
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Legend of the Skyfish 2 Studio: Crescent Moon Games Age rating: 9+ Gamepad: Yes
This is the sequel to the popular game, Legend of the Skyfish. In this followup, you play as a Red Hook guardian, one of the followers of the original Little Red Hook from the original game, which took place 100 years ago.
In Legend of the Skyfish 2, you'll use the Combat Fishing Pole to grapple your way through obstacles and enemies alike, and it serves as your most trusty weapon. The battle system is similar to that of a hack-n-slash style, but you need to master the three different weapon types (sword, hammer, and scythe) to get far. The game is split up into different worlds, and you need to clear each stage before you're able to move on. There are boss fights and puzzles to solve, so the game has plenty of content to keep you entertained.
And of course, there are plenty of materials to craft your own weapons and armors, and items to find. The real magic of the game is the unique grappling hook mechanics — master them because it's your best friend in the game.
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Prove yourself worthy
Apple Arcade may not have a ton of true dungeon crawlers in its library right now, but we can only expect the number of titles for the genre to grow over time. For now, these are some of the closest ones that we've found, and they're all quite enjoyable. What are your favorite dungeon crawlers on Apple Arcade? Let us know in the comments!
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