Have you subscribed to Apple?

This is Apple's new game subscription service. It plans to aggregate more than 100 paid games into one place. Users can play all of them by paying a monthly fee. Apple will also regularly update the game lineup.

You can’t see the entrance to this page in the App Store China. Considering the review factors, it is estimated that it will be difficult for this service to land in the Chinese market.

But that shouldn't be a reason for you to miss it.

In the past month or so, I have played all the games on Apple one after another. If in the first few days they were just out of curiosity, downloading each one one by one and clicking on it to try, then when the novelty dissipates, people can’t help but click on it. At this time, Apple’s pursuit of high-quality mobile games has become more and more intense. Become clear.

To be honest, Apple has done a really good job. The nearly 100 games not only have different styles, but also cover a wide range of genres. Whether you prefer hardcore action or casual match-3, you can find your favorite among the works already on the shelves.

Many friends around me who have experienced it also willingly paid $4.99 after the first month of the free trial to continue to stay in this subscription service.

But whether it can make you stay, too, depends on the game itself.

What games do mobile phone users like? Apple has given many examples

Different from those Free to Play works where "Krypton gold can make you stronger", you will not see in-app purchase buttons or pop-up ads in any of Apple's games.

This is not the only regulation Apple has made to attract users to pay. In order to suit the preferences of mobile game users, the types of games it introduces are also traceable.

Considering the interaction limitations of touch screens, some mobile game developers can only add various virtual buttons to the screen; but if they want to cut off the buttons and retain the visual integrity, it means that developers have to "subtract" the gameplay. It is inevitable to fall into a situation of single content.

From a user perspective, they naturally want to have both experience and fun. This balance is not easy to master, because it requires developers to come up with a unique creative point and gradually expand and evolve the gameplay based on it, without forcibly incorporating too many complex mechanisms.

In Apple, some developers have shown us many examples. Here are a few representative works.

▲ If you like to play with small objects around you repeatedly, you should try "with Care"

One is the new work "with Care" by ustwo, the developer of "Monument Valley", which integrates the delicate process of dismantling and repairing small objects into a short story about maintaining emotions with family members. It is full of nostalgia and simplicity, and is as gentle as the afternoon sunshine. A cup of hot tea in hand.

▲ The independent games developed can always bring surprises to people

The second is "Wild" brought by the developer of "6", which combines parkour and QTE tap gameplay. Each level has gorgeous graphics and psychedelic electronic soundtrack, which reminds me of another game. The game "Dream Melody" also emphasizes the use of music narrative.

▲The process of "" is very short, but since there is no unique way to pass the level, it can be played repeatedly

There are also games like "Machinarium" created by the production team, which hopes to allow players to find ways to overcome levels based on the relationship between different characters and items. In this process, you can't even see any paragraph containing text. dialogue.

For this type of game, the public is accustomed to using keywords such as "art, beauty, and freshness" to describe them. They often have a strong visual style, elegant music, and ingenious interactive forms. "Monument Valley" became famous in its early years. and the later "" all have a similar temperament. After playing it, it's like reading a miniature storybook.

▲The sequel to "Mini Metro", "Mini Highway", is also available on Apple

Another strategy game that focuses on low-polygon art style is also favored by mobile phone users. If you have played "Go" and "Lara Croft Go", you should be familiar with this "lattice walking" game that has bright colors and does not require many operations.

▲ Strategy games that emphasize puzzle solving, do not test operating skills, and are composed of small levels are very popular on mobile platforms.

In Apple, "Dread", "" and "Team" are representatives of this type of game. They are all similar in strategy and gameplay, and the difference is more reflected in the theme. For example, the first two are zombie disaster elements, and the latter one is It became a space science fiction style.

▲"WHAT THE GOLF" is really a very silly golf game

What cannot be ignored are those short and fast casual games, such as "Speed" and "Quick Attack" which include racing elements, the remake of "Frogger Crossing" which is similar to "Crossing the Road", and "" which combines match-3 games. , there are also "Cricket Chronicles" and "WHAT THE GOLF" that emphasize the physics engine and have very funny gameplay.

They don't have a very deep system. Each independent level is designed to give you an instant pleasure. Even if you only have 5 minutes of fragmented time, you can click on it and play a game.

For these lightweight works, fun and fun are the key.

There are many core games, but I strongly recommend getting a controller.

There is no shortage of large-scale games on the iOS platform. In the App Store, you can also see transplants of masterpieces such as "BioShock" or "Civilization 6".

The experience of these larger traditional games on mobile phones is not good. Spending hours staring at a 6-inch screen is far less comfortable than watching a 20- or 30-inch monitor.

However, the indisputable fact is that the number of "large-scale games" is still the key to the core player circle to measure whether a platform is attractive. While we emphasize the gameplay, we are still obsessed with all kinds of gorgeous graphics.

Otherwise, Apple would not repeatedly emphasize that it can restore "console-level game quality" in game demonstrations at new conferences every year.

An interesting detail is that when many media or podcasters publish Apple reviews, they like to use the "Seahorn 2" game as the header image.

The reason is also very simple. "Sea Horn 2" is probably the one with the most "AAA game presentation" in Apple's game library, such as more realistic 3D scenes, full real-time combat, character development, mission system, There is no shortage of BOSS battles, etc., and it is indeed suitable to use it as the main promotion work.

▲"Seahorn 2" is definitely Apple's most popular game. It sells well, but the details are still lacking polish.

But with a higher starting point, "Ocean Horn 2" is still difficult to compete with mainstream 3A games. Even though this is the second time developers have tried to borrow the gameplay from "The Legend of Zelda", what they can transfer is only some superficial knowledge.

In contrast, the "" developed by "" is actually better than expected. I originally thought this was just a platform jumping game with the theme of underwater adventure, but in fact it contains multiple complex elements such as item collection, equipment modification, and map exploration, which is more "heavy" than many mobile games.

In addition, if you like side-scrolling puzzle games with a somewhat mysterious and weird style such as "Limbo" and "", you can also feel a similar tense atmosphere in "" and "Stela".

There is also a derivative of "Exit the Dungeon", which also continues the refreshing barrage shooting elements, but the presentation format is changed into a platform jumping independent level.

It can be seen that these games with longer processes and more "console-oriented" gameplay are works introduced by Apple to attract core players. If you put them in the paid column of the App Store, they will probably set the price in the range of 30-60 yuan, instead of 6 yuan or simply free.

Their biggest problem is that they are interactive. Since some games have cross-platform requirements between PC and console, the operation method will be more like a controller than a touch screen.

This is why Apple will add game controller support for PS4, Xbox One and MFi protocols in system updates for iPad, Apple TV and Mac this year. Ai Faner also shared her experience of playing iOS games with a controller in her previous article.

Nowadays, if I want to play some Apple games that require higher operation requirements at home, I am more inclined to turn on the iPad or Apple TV and connect it to the Xbox One controller. The entire control experience will be qualitatively improved.

At $4.99 a month, is it worth it?

No matter how you look at it, Apple deserves a subscription for all iOS users. Even if we put it together with Apple's own video, music and other services, I will put Apple as the first priority.

Because it is not fungible.

▲ Apple’s streaming video service Apple TV+ will be launched on November 1

You will see that in the two markets of music and video, Apple Music and Apple TV+ have entered as followers. In the same category, they already have very mature competing products to choose from.

This is the root of the problem. When everyone's content formats are basically the same, assuming that the user only has one budget, how can Apple ensure that he will give priority to its own services over others?

For example, if you are in China, you can choose NetEase Cloud or Music without Apple Music; while abroad, if you don't have Apple TV+, it won't be any worse if you buy one or HBO.

But Apple is a special case. Considering Apple’s strict control over the app ecosystem, this may be the only game subscription service available to many iOS users.

▲ "Wild" will be released on PS4 and platforms at the same time, priced at US$12.99

Besides, the price of $4.99 a month is not outrageous. Even if we calculate that each game is sold for only 6 yuan (in fact, the unit price of many games on other platforms is around 50-100 yuan), Apple's 100 games are equivalent to a value of 600 yuan.

But paying monthly is only 420 yuan a year, which is obviously more cost-effective.

▲ Play Pass also has many good games, but they are all "fried rice".

Putting aside platform limitations, the only thing that the mobile platform can compare with Apple is the Play Pass service. It not only contains games, but also some tool applications, but after subscribing, I found that it only integrated some old applications, and its appeal was more than one level lower than Apple's.

Apple also has regulations, but any game that enters Apple is prohibited from being ported to the platform. There are reasons behind Apple's investment, but some games will still be sold on Steam, PS4 or iOS. iOS is equivalent to obtaining a "limited time exclusive" Opportunity.

But even if you have a clear goal and just want to spend dozens of dollars on one of the games in the App Store, the only way to go is through subscription, because these games will only appear on Apple's page, and they cannot be purchased individually.

It seems that in the future, even within Apple's own ecosystem, there will be a difference between "listing on the App Store" and "listing on Apple."

The subscription system will indeed allow you to click on more game icons

Whether it is players or developers, the subscription model will also bring new impacts to them.

Some time ago, the person in charge of Microsoft ID@Xbox shared some data about the Xbox game subscription service Game Pass. He said that 91% of subscribers will try games they would not otherwise play, and the types of games they play are 30% more than before.

▲ Microsoft has established a very mature game subscription service on the console platform

Some smaller works also gained greater exposure. It is emphasized that all games added to Xbox Game Pass have been clicked by users 6 times more than usual.

In other words, in the past, smaller paid independent games may have been ignored, but if they are integrated into a subscription library that can be opened at any time, players will be more motivated to try them. Play.

▲ Apple TV also added a new Apple icon after updating the tvOS 13 system

The same is true for Apple. In line with the mentality of "I bought everything, I have to prove that the money is well spent", many people tend to download all the games in the game library first during the first free month. Locally, and then click to try it out one by one, just like when we go to a buffet and want to scan all the dishes.

But if your storage space is limited, I recommend browsing the game introduction before clicking the download button.

Apple has carefully designed a separate display area for Apple. Each game has a cover image, as well as detailed videos, pictures and text descriptions.

At the same time, Apple will also tell you the type of the game, the number of players it supports, whether it is compatible with controllers, and the capacity.

After subscribing to Apple, I also changed my habit of looking for mobile games. In the past, I was used to looking through the rankings of paid and free columns, but now whenever I open the App Store, I will immediately pull down the update list to check Apple game updates, or directly check the subscription page to see if there are any new ones. The game is available.

What are the challenges facing Apple?

In January of this year, the founder of , mentioned a point, saying that he did not regard Amazon, Hulu, Disney or other streaming video services as core competitors.

In comparison, it feels like it’s competing with Fortnite for users’ time.

"If you are really addicted to a certain drama, you will choose to stay up late."

The entire entertainment industry has joined in the battle for users’ attention. After all, even if a person can purchase multiple subscription services, the amount of time available each day will not increase accordingly.

There is also only 2 hours of leisure time. Some people will choose to watch TV series, while others will choose to spend time on social networks. Everyone is filling up their leisure time with various media for fear of wasting a little bit.

Whether the newly born Apple can grab an acre of its own land depends on Apple's ability to continue to output "high-quality content."

This is no easy task for video games with long development cycles.

In fact, Apple's ability to release so many high-quality works at once is not only due to Apple's hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, but also has a lot to do with the fact that many games have been developed for a long time.

▲"Where Cards Fall" is a space puzzle game with cards as the core props. The development process was supported by , whose famous work is the ski game "Alto's Adventure"

For example, "Where Cards Fall" launched by The Game Band Studio, which released its first game prototype as early as 2016; and "Wild" also took 4 years to develop, which may be earlier than Apple's project establishment time .

▲《》The division of the game screen for single-finger operation can be described as easy and crude.

As for those games made with a "give it a try" mentality, they are not so sincere. For example, "" from the "Octopath Traveler" development team has cut off too many elements that should be retained in a Japanese RPG game, and the awkward control method is also very confusing.

At present, what Apple wants to attract is not those large game developers, but smaller but more extensive independent games. Their development cycles are shorter and their forms can be very simple, but they often have impressive creative points.

As long as Apple is willing to spend the money, ensuring that the content library is regularly updated is fine.

But independent games don’t have much replayability. We can see from Xbox Game Pass, which has been online for three years, that Microsoft’s strategy is not to use subscriptions as a distribution channel for buyout games, but to retain them with the help of popular service-based games that emphasize multiplayer confrontation. user.

This type of game does not have a strict concept of clearance, and you will not give up after finishing it. You may play two games every day, just like we play "Honor of Kings" and "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" on our mobile phones.

From a long-term perspective, if Apple wants to gain higher user stickiness, sooner or later it will need such a hit game. This game will not appear in a third party, but will only be born in Apple's own hands.

Maybe it won't be long before we see Apple's own game development team.

Some issues that you may be concerned about

Apple's subscription price is US$4.99/month (approximately RMB 35). You can try it for free in the first month after activation, and it also supports family sharing of up to 6 people.

Currently, the App Store in China is not yet available on Apple. If you want to activate this service, you can only use region transfer (mainstream regions such as the United States and Japan are available, and the content is the same), but the account balance must be greater than $4.99.

▲Introduction to Taiwanese server Apple

An iPad or iPad updated to iOS 13, or a Mac with macOS 10.15, and an Apple TV with tvOS 13. Basically all games will be available on the iOS platform, but there may not necessarily be Mac and Apple TV versions.

Considering that Apple's games support cloud archiving, if you have multiple Apple devices, you can experience the experience of playing the same game at work during the day, and then switch to iPad, Mac or Apple TV to play the same game when you go home at night. After logging in with a unified Game account, the archive will be automatically synchronized to all platforms.

To put it bluntly, this service will be more friendly to users of “Apple Family Bucket”.

Although the foreign App Store does not have Chinese descriptions, judging from the experience, most Apple games come with Simplified/Traditional Chinese, and some can even see Chinese names after downloading. Currently, only a few games do not support it. Chinese.

Throughout October, Apple will update once a week, with 4-5 games updated each time. After the number of game libraries stabilizes, it is not ruled out that it will become monthly updates in the future. It is unknown whether old games will be removed from the shelves.

All Apple games support offline play (some games that focus on multiplayer online play can also be played in human-computer mode).