Comparison

Mangavania Action Platformer vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Mangavania Action Platformer

Embark on an underworld adventure as a young ninja seeking a cure for your brother. Explore dungeons, battle monsters, and discover new abilities in this retro-style action platformer. Enjoy a nostalgic experience with pixel art and 8-bit music.

Highlights
  • Metroidvania level design
  • Unlockable abilities (sword, bow, double jump)
  • Boss battles
  • Retro pixel art and 8-bit music
  • Time challenges with speedrun ranks
  • Offline play
  • Gamepad and keyboard support
Features
Read full description

Mangavania is an action platformer game with pixel art graphics. Join the adventure as Yuhiko, a young ninja who has gone to the underworld to find a cure for his brother. Fight monsters and meet new friends in one of the best platformer games. - Explore dungeons! - Every level is a metroidvania - Find and use new abilities like sword, bow, double jump, wall climbing, dashing, ledge hanging etc. - Slash many dangerous monsters! - Defeat the bosses! - Free the lost souls! - Find Spirits in secret areas. They will tell you a story or give you an advice. Features: - Retro pixel art and 8-bit music - Responsive and adjustable controls - Time challenges with rank system for speedruns - Updates with new levels, mechanics, enemies and bosses - Gamepad and keyboard support - It is offline game and you can play it wherever you want. "The main appeal of the game, obviously, is the aesthetics. It has this overall nostalgic vibe to it, with funky 8-bit music that’s reminiscent of old-school games like the original versions of Metroid and Castlevania." - PocketGamer.

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

Mangavania Action Platformer4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArcEmu at 95% against Mangavania Action Platformer's 0%. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 26 months). Mangavania Action Platformer's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Both are free to download. Mangavania Action Platformer sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Mangavania Action Platformer's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mangavania Action Platformer ships an update every 26 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Mangavania Action Platformer versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMangavania Action PlatformerArcEmu
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (6 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings61.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 26 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAPPWILL COMPANY LTDRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Mangavania Action Platformer

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,333 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

Bugs and requests

Mangavania Action Platformer

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

3 purchases

Mangavania Action Platformer

One-time3
  • 250 Gems$0.99
  • 1000 Gems$0.99
  • 500 Gems$1.99
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 Mangavania Action Platformer free?
Mangavania Action Platformer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mangavania Action Platformer or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Mangavania Action Platformer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Mangavania Action Platformer or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Mangavania Action Platformer nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mangavania Action Platformer or ArcEmu?
Mangavania Action Platformer ships an update every 26 months, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Mangavania Action Platformer was updated on October 20, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 30, 2026.

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