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Halloween is just around the corner. A classic scary movie or spooky game can be a satisfying October staple. Not everyone is a fan of the horror genre though, and that’s OK. Apple Arcade — Apple’s $5 (£5, AU$8)-a-month mobile gaming subscription service — has multiple titles to check out that pair well with spooky season.
Apple Arcade
See at Apple
Here’s what to play this month.
Bleak Sword
Developer: Devolver Digital
Devolver
Bleak Sword is a dark retro fantasy action game full of evil creatures you must slay in order to break a legendary curse. Dodge, roll and parry against randomly generated enemies across nine chapters of swamps, forests and castles.
See at Apple Arcade
The Bradwell Conspiracy
Developer: Bossa Studios and A Brave Plan
Bossa Studios
The Bradwell Conspiracy is a narrative-driven first-person game where you have to uncover the truth behind the explosion that destroyed the Bradwell Electronics facility. At the start of the game, you wake up in the rubble with only a computerized voice in your “smart glasses” to guide you. The glasses guide eventually connects you to another person trapped inside the facility, and you must try to escape together.
See at Apple Arcade
Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Apple
Dracula is quintessentially Halloween. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls is a side-scrolling action game that features a number of characters from the original gothic fantasy series and its creators, Ayami Kojima and Michiru Yamane. The game is set after Dracula has been sealed away, and you can play as Alucard, Charlotte, Maria, Simon Belmont and more as you battle your way through Dracula’s army.
See at Apple Arcade
Cozy Grove
Developer: Spry Fox
Apple
Cozy Grove is like a haunted version of Animal Crossing, and it’s adorable. You’re a Spirit Scout tasked with bringing peace to the adorably haunted island of Cozy Grove. Explore the island, collect resources and craft items to survive, tend your fire — Flamey — and try to help the lost forest ghosts. The more you help, the more the island heals — the environment becomes colorized and flowers grow.
See at Apple Arcade
Creaks
Developer: Amanita Design
Apple
Creaks is an intricate puzzle platformer game that seeks to solve the mystery of what exactly goes bump in the night. In the game, you’re spending a quiet evening in your room when the light starts flickering and the ground trembles. The wallpaper pulls back to reveal a secret door, and someone, or something, is making noise in there. Grab your flashlight and explore a mysterious subterranean world of bird people. Lurking in the shadows are deadly, shape-shifting monsters. But don’t worry — when you shine a light on them, they transform into harmless furniture.
See at Apple Arcade
Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition
Developer: Klei
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition puts you in the role of Wilson, a scientist, transported to a mysterious, unexplored wilderness full of unidentified creatures, dangers and surprises. You must help Wilson fight off enemies, research, navigate the environment, craft resources, gather items, solve the mystery of the strange land and ultimately survive.
See at Apple Arcade
The Get Out Kids
Developer: Frosty Pop
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
The Get Out Kids mixes mystery with nostalgia, taking players back to 1984. Molly, Salim and Molly’s dog Moses sneak out one night to catch a late showing of the Ghostblasters movie at the local drive-in. Along the way, they have to navigate creepy woods and sneak past the surly cemetery groundskeeper. When Moses goes missing suddenly and suspiciously, Molly and Salim begin an adventure to find out what happened to their canine friend. This narrative-driven game includes puzzles, hidden object searches and more.
See at Apple Arcade
Hitchhiker
Developer: Versus Evil and Mad About Pandas
Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
Hitchhiker is a mystery game where you play as a hitchhiker with no memory of your past or destination. By catching rides with five strangers across a landscape of rolling hills, you must try and figure out who you are as well as find a mysterious missing friend. Everyone has a story to tell, but not everything is what it seems. Search the vehicles for clues and choose your words carefully to bring hidden parts of your identity to light — and prepare for the dangers ahead. The longer you’re on the road, the more your grasp on reality loosens.
See at Apple Arcade
Inmost
Developer: Hidden Layer Games and Chucklefish Games
Hidden Layer Games
Inmost, a hidden-object platformer, immediately drops players into a creepy world inside a mysterious house. You’ll play as multiple characters whose storylines are more connected than they might seem at first. Navigate a strange castle and dodge menacing shadows on your path to find answers.
See at Apple Arcade
Jenny LeClue
Developer: Joe Russ and Ben Tillet
Joe Russ and Ben Tillet
Jenny LeClue envelops players in a mystery-adventure-thriller narrative, guided by choices you make. The game is set in the seemingly idyllic town of Arthurton, where you play as Jenny, a kid sleuth who is eager to prove her worth as a detective. When your mother is accused of murder, you set out to prove the truth. As you seek out answers, you quickly realize that nothing and no one in Arthurton are what they seem.
See at Apple Arcade
Layton’s Mystery Journey
Developer: Level 5
Apple/Screenshot by CNET
Layton’s Mystery Journey sets up a Sherlock Holmes-meets-Studio Ghibli environment to tell the story of Katrielle Layton — a young detective out to unravel the mystery of her father’s disappearance. Visit the crime scene, investigate with your magnifying glass, interview witnesses and suspects, collect clues and solve puzzles to crack the case. The puzzles in the game start off simple, and you can use coins to get clues if you get stuck. The more difficult a puzzle is, the higher its coin value. Earning coins also grants you access to end-game bonuses that help you solve your case.
See at Apple Arcade
Murder Mystery Machine
Developer: Blazing Griffin
Apple Arcade
In Murder Mystery Machine, you’re a detective out to prove yourself when a murder case comes across your desk. Explore the crime scene, collect evidence, interview suspects and make deductions to solve the case. You can get hints from your partner if you get stuck, but he’s a bit surly. The game releases mysteries in episodes, and the first one is about a murdered politician. Fans of detective procedurals like Law & Order might like this game.
See at Apple Arcade
Necrobarista
Developer: Route 59
Apple/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
Anime-style supernatural game Necrobarista tells the story of Maddy Xiao — a barista and amateur necromancer — is the new owner of the Terminal, a coffee shop that welcomes the dead to walk among the living for one night. Under the tutelage of coffee expert and necromancer Chay Wu, Maddy must navigate the Council of Death’s rules, the ethics of life and death, and what it means to let go.
See at Apple Arcade
Neo Cab
Developer: Chance Agency
Apple/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
Neo Cab is a survival game for the digital age embroiled in a mystery. You play as Lina, the last human taxi driver in a world overcome by automation. When you move to Los Ojos to reconnect with your best friend, Savy, she vanishes. With no other options, you must keep taking passengers to earn money and get information about Savy’s disappearance. This becomes increasingly difficult as you progress. Keep an eye on your Feelgrid bracelet to stay in tune with your emotions and ultimately remain human in this tech-noir game.
See at Apple Arcade
Neversong
Developer: Serenity Forge
Apple/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
Neversong is a side-scrolling puzzle game where you play as young Peet, who, upon waking from a coma, finds himself in a nightmare. With his girlfriend nowhere to be found, Peet must navigate the frightening halls of Blackfork Asylum and try to understand the sometimes-violent behavior of adults. The more he explores, the more the secrets of his past unfurl. Neversong has six levels to explore, including Red Wind Field and Blackfork Asylum, which are all packed with bosses to defeat. Armed with a baseball bat, his childhood friends and his pet bird, Peet will set out to learn the truth about his coma.
See at Apple Arcade
Nuts
Developer: Noodlecake
Apple
Nuts is a surveillance mystery game that’s lightheartedly reminiscent of Firewatch. The squirrel population in Melmoth Forest is acting suspiciously and it’s up to you, as a field researcher, to get to the bottom of it. Pack up your map, cameras, motion sensors, thermal imaging tech and GPS for the weirdest surveillance mission ever. Along the way, you’ll be tasked with missions: Placing cameras, observing footage, tracking the squirrels’ movements and more. The whole time, you’re in communication with Professor Nina Scholz. With all that gear, plus your logic and wit, will you be able to uncover a bigger conspiracy?
See at Apple Arcade
The Room Two
Developer: Fireproof Games
Fireproof/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
The Room Two is a gorgeous 3D mystery puzzle game. You must follow a trail of letters left behind by a mysterious scientist with the initials A.S. The game is intricate and requires a tactile approach to solving in-depth, multistep puzzles.
See at Apple Arcade
Survival Z
Developer: Ember Entertainment
Apple
Survival Z is a fun tower-defense-style strategy game that drops you into a world crippled by a zombie outbreak. You play as Megan, a loner mechanic who’s savvy with a crossbow. When she meets Marcus, another survivor with intel on a diner potentially stocked with supplies, the pair head off on a journey, salvaging and upgrading equipment and battling waves of zombies along the way.
See at Apple Arcade
World’s End Club
Developer: IzanagiGames
Apple
World’s End Club is perhaps the darkest game on Apple Arcade so far. In the game, a busload of ragtag students known as the Go-Getters Club are on a field trip when a mysterious meteor causes the bus to crash. The kids awaken in a creepy theme park under the sea called World’s End Land, and try to regroup. Suddenly, a floating harlequin named Pielope appears, and commands them to play a Game of Fate. As the stakes get higher, friendships are put to the test. Pielope’s psychotic game sends the Go-Getter’s Club on a dangerous adventure.
See at Apple Arcade
