Comparison

Jinks! vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Jinks!

A highly addictive, fast-paced arcade game with simple one-touch controls. Dodge incoming objects and strategically use shields to survive as long as possible. Offers unlimited playtime with various themes.

Highlights
  • One-touch gameplay
  • Unlimited playtime
  • Fast-paced action
  • Strategic movement
  • Collectible shields
  • Variety of themes
Features
Read full description

Jinks! - A highly addictive game. Simple one touch game play with unlimited playing time. * Fast paced game play, can you keep up? * Develop strategies to stay in control! * Predict movement to plan your next step! No levels, no limits, keeps you entertained for hours. Jinks! comes in a variety of beautiful and fun themes. Contact: hello@jinks.app --- Leahland: "This game re­minds me of so many oth­er clas­sic games, but with its own unique style. It’s easy to pick up and play, but gets chal­leng­ing pret­ty quick­ly." walkernyranger: "First game I’ve found in a while that’s su­per sim­ple, yet ad­dic­tive. Great if you need to burn just a minute or two!" rminerick: "Ad­dic­tive and easy to pick up when you have a few idle min­utes." --- How to play: Dodge objects to stay alive. Just tap to move to a new position. A new object is generated every few seconds when staying in place. But every time you move, a new one is created immediately! Moving creates a black hole, absorbing everything it touches. Time your movement wisely! Collect shield items to gain extra protection. When you get hit, your shield gets destroyed in an explosion. This explosion will destroy every object it reaches. Maintain control over the board by timing your movement and using your shields. Have fun!

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
Read full description

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

Jinks!4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against Jinks!'s 4.2. ArcEmu also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 26). Jinks!'s advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, review sentiment, 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

Jinks! costs $1.99 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Jinks!'s written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jinks! ships an update every 5 days, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Jinks! versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJinks!ArcEmu
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.2 (26 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better94.5% of reviews
Number of ratings261.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimon NickelRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Jinks!

All ratings26 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative19.2%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%

Bugs and requests

Jinks!

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

Jinks!

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jinks! free?
Jinks! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jinks! or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Jinks! averages 4.2 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Jinks! or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Jinks! nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jinks! or ArcEmu?
Jinks! ships an update every 5 days, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Jinks! was updated on October 12, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 19, 2026.

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