Comparison

Flower vs ArcEmu

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Flower

Control the wind and explore beautiful, interactive environments. This award-winning game offers a unique and emotional journey, accessible to all players. Experience a peaceful escape and find harmony.

Highlights
  • Control the wind with motion controls
  • Explore beautiful, lush environments
  • Interact with and change the environment
  • Simple tilt-based gameplay
  • Immersive and emotional experience
Features
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"It's an experience that anybody can appreciate and one that offers hope for video games' potential to stir the soul." - TIME "Flower represents an important moment in the development of interactivity and art." - The Smithsonian American Art Museum "An experience that is unique and enthralling." - Wired "Flower is a remarkable and exquisitely crafted piece of work that transcends the medium effortlessly." - The Telegraph Experience award-winning Flower, now available on the App Store. Originally developed by thatgamecompany, Flower lets you take control of the wind as you explore and navigate beautiful, lush environments using motion controls. Journey through varied landscapes at your own pace, interacting with and changing the environment as you go, and find balance and harmony in your surroundings. This is an interactive escape that takes you on an emotional journey like no other game you've ever experienced. Key Features: • Simple Gameplay Controls – Controlling the game is as simple as tilting your device in the direction you want to go. • Lush and Interactive Environments – Vast grassy fields, blowing in the breeze, create a lush, immersive environment. • Immersive and Emotional – Accessible to gamers and non-gamers alike, the game takes players on an incredibly personal and emotional experience.

About

ArcEmu

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
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ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search Apple Watch Compatibility - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Screenshots

Flower4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against Flower's 4.1. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 55%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). Flower's advantage is chart position (#49 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.1 vs 15.5). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Flower costs $4.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 336 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Flower's written reviews are positive against 94% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flower ships an update every 3 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Flower versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowerArcEmu
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.1 (336 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.8% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3361.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#49 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS13.1 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size900 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnnapurna Games, LLCRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Flower

All ratings336 ratings
Positive73.2%
Neutral9.8%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral17.8%
Negative27.4%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews525 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

Flower

From 336 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌼 Beautiful graphics and visuals
  • 🎶 Relaxing and calming music
  • 🌳 Immersive nature-inspired experience
  • 💤 Helps with stress and relaxation

Room to improve

  • 🎢 Frustrating or unintuitive controls
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤯 Causes motion sickness for some
  • 💤 Gets repetitive or boring after a while

ArcEmu

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fully functional
  • 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
  • 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
  • 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
  • 👍 Customizable controls and layout

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
  • 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
  • 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
  • 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch

Bugs and requests

Flower

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes or crashes, especially on certain levels
  • Graphical glitches or visual issues
  • Controls become desynchronized

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more levels or content
  • Improve control options (e.g. joystick)
  • Implement a save/progress system
  • Allow listening to own music

ArcEmu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
  • Save data not transferring properly between devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cheat/GameShark support
  • Improve volume controls
  • Implement fast forward/slow motion options
  • Allow multiple save slots per game
  • Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

None

Flower

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flower free?
Flower costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flower or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Flower averages 4.1 out of 5 from 336 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Flower or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Flower nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flower or ArcEmu?
Flower ships an update every 3 months, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Flower was updated on September 26, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 27, 2026.

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