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

Turn your Apple Watch into a retro game console. Play Game Boy, NES, SNES, Genesis, and more on your wrist, with multi-touch controls and the Digital Crown. ArcEmu also runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ▸ SUPPORTED CONSOLES Included for free: - Game Boy - Game Boy Color - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Available through in-app purchases: - Game Boy Advance - Pokémon Mini - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - Atari 2600 - Sega Mega Drive / Genesis - Sega Master System - Sega Game Gear - Sega SG-1000 ▸ MULTIPLAYER AND LINK CABLE Play home-console games online and locally with friends, or link Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games over the internet. Game Link Cable supports up to four players in compatible games. Online play requires a Game Center account. ▸ SHARE ROMs WITH A CODE Import your ROMs on iPhone, keep them in iCloud, and download them directly to Apple Watch or Apple TV. Share them through iCloud using a code, including with an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup. ▸ SCREEN AND CONTROLS Move and resize the game screen, choose an LCD or CRT filter, and set up the controls the way you like them. On Apple Watch, use multi-touch controls, customize the control layout, and assign actions to the Digital Crown. On iPhone and iPad, adjust button positions and transparency, and play in any orientation. Connect a controller and customize its button mappings, or use a second controller on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ArcEmu also supports iPhone Duo. ▸ MORE FEATURES - Accurate, high-performance emulation - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Cheat codes with a built-in database of popular codes - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom Game Boy color palettes - Button hold/sustain - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone ▸ YOUR ROMs AND SAVES Keep your collection organized with per-console folders, sorting, and search. Import ROMs from ZIP and 7-Zip archives, use automatic saving, and share save states between devices. Both ROMs and save states can be stored in iCloud. ▸ 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. ▸ GAMES FEATURED IN THE SCREENSHOTS - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Big2Small: https://mdsteele.itch.io/big2small - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo, Sega, or Atari. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Screenshots

Jinks!4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Jinks!'s $1.99. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 25). Jinks!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On review sentiment, ads and iOS requirement 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

ArcEmu is free to download; Jinks! costs $1.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Jinks! asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 1.4K ratings behind it against 25, 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 November 3, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Jinks! versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJinks!ArcEmu
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (25 ratings)4.9 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better94.6% of reviews
Number of ratings251.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB234 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 ratings1,333 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

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

10 purchases

ArcEmu

One-time10
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
  • Game Boy Advance$0.99
  • SNES$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Pokémon Mini$0.99
  • Atari 2600$0.99
  • Mega Drive / Genesis$0.99
  • Game Gear$0.99
  • Master System$0.99
  • SG-1000$0.99
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 3)$1.99

Questions

Is Jinks! free?
Jinks! costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Jinks! or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Jinks! averages 4.2 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.4K 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 November 3, 2026 and ArcEmu on November 12, 2026.

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