Flower vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Control the wind with motion controls
- Explore beautiful, lush environments
- Interact with and change the environment
- Simple tilt-based gameplay
- Immersive and emotional experience
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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.
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.
- Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
- Multiplayer support
- Cheat codes
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Save State sharing
- iCloud support
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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
Verdict
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
Flower costs $4.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Flower | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.1 (336 ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.8% of reviews | 94.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 336 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #49 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.1 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 900 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Annapurna Games, LLC | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
Flower
ArcEmu
User reviews
Flower
From 336 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
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- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
In-app purchases
Flower
No in-app purchases
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases









