Fans of Zelda can now try Baldo: The Guardian Owls, a puzzle adventure that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade. The look is inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibili.
Plus Asphalt 8: Airborne+, a classic racing game, also zoomed onto Apple’s gaming service.
Baldo: The Guardian Owls offers whimsical adventure on Apple Arcade
In Baldo: The Guardian Owls, players travel across a magical land to decipher a cryptic prophecy warning that a creature sealed in the underworld is about to rise again.
While it promises thrilling adventure and dungeons to explore, the game seeks to be charming rather than violent. There’s plenty of whimsy from interacting with quirky characters. An influence from Studio Ghibli movies like Spirited Away is obvious.
This is an adventure game not an RPG so there’s no leveling up. But players do need to collect objects to get powerful new weapons.
Baldo: The Guardian Owls can be installed now from the Apple Arcade section of the App Store. It supports external game controllers and is compatible with iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple TV. (There are also versions for PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.)
Or race to Asphalt 8: Airborne+
And that’s not all that hit Apple Arcade on Friday. Gameloft’s Asphalt 8: Airborne+ is a classic game now available through the service.
Race cars and motorcycles in this highly acclaimed app. There’s plenty of gravity defying action and 240+ vehicles to choose from: Ferrari, Ducati, Lamborghini and many more.
Asphalt 8: Airborne+ is available now in the App Store for iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple TV. And game controllers are supported. It’s currently a single-player game but Gameloft is working add multiplayer support “as soon as possible.”
Gameloft’s written description mentions in-app purchases but that seems to be a cut-and-paste from the regular version. Apple’s gaming service bans these, as well as advertising.
Apple Arcade offers access to over 200 games for $4.99 a month. New titles are added almost every week. Those interested in Baldo might try The Last Campfire or Cozy Grove, which are also included.
