Comparison

ZOOKEEPER DX vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

ZOOKEEPER DX

Engage in a classic match-three puzzle game where you swap adjacent panels to line up three or more of the same color. Clear levels by catching a quota of animals, with multiple modes offering different challenges and scoring opportunities.

Highlights
  • Swap adjacent panels
  • Match three or more animals
  • Catch animals to clear levels
  • Normal Mode
  • Tokoton Mode (unlimited time)
  • Score Attack Mode (3-minute challenge)
  • Online multiplayer
Features
Read full description

10 million people are playing! Zoo Keeper, the definitive action puzzle game finally available for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch! Aim for it! The Best Opp Zookeeper! [game description] This is a simple puzzle game with a simple rule: swap two panels next to each other, and line up three or more panels of the same color to make them disappear. Touch the animal you want to move and slide it in the direction of the animal you want to replace. If you line up 3 or more same animals vertically or horizontally, you can catch the animal. The level is cleared when a quota of animals are caught. [mode description] *Normal Mode Catch more than your quota of animals to clear all levels! *Tokoton Mode Level up with 100 animals! This is a challenging mode with unlimited time. *Score Attack Mode Try to score as many points as possible in a 3-minute challenge in Fever mode! You will receive a time extension when you score over 10,000 points and 100,000 points. *Play Zoo Keeper Online Play Zoo Keeper online for free! (Link to App Store "ZOOKEEPER BATTLE".) [ranking description] You can participate in the ranking by logging into Game Center and using Leaderboards. Compete with players around the world for high scores! [System Requirements] iOS 11 or later; iPhone 5s or later, iPad 5th generation or later, iPod touch 6th generation or later

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

ZOOKEEPER DX4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against ZOOKEEPER DX's 3.7. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 60%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). ZOOKEEPER DX's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $1.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.5). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

ZOOKEEPER DX costs $0.99 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 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 43, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of ZOOKEEPER DX's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ZOOKEEPER DX ships an update every 3 months, ArcEmu fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ZOOKEEPER DX versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZOOKEEPER DXArcEmu
Price$0.99 — better$1.99
Rating3.7 (43 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.3% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings431.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKITERETSU INC.Raffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

ZOOKEEPER DX

All ratings43 ratings
Positive58.1%
Neutral18.6%
Negative23.3%
Written reviews262 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral17.9%
Negative21.8%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,295 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews521 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

ZOOKEEPER DX

From 43 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Cute and charming visuals
  • 👍 Great for passing time
  • 👍 Nostalgic for DS players
  • 🚀 Smooth performance on newer devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues on older devices
  • 🐛 Choppy animations and frame rate
  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Difficulty ramps up too quickly
  • 🐛 Partial screen cutoff on iPhone

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

ZOOKEEPER DX

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on launch for some users
  • Leaderboards show impossible high scores
  • Pause function can be exploited
  • Inconsistent performance across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add quest mode from DS version
  • Include time attack and other game modes
  • Allow disabling timer for casual play
  • Implement local high scores with names
  • Add colorblind accessibility options

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

ZOOKEEPER DX

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ZOOKEEPER DX free?
ZOOKEEPER DX costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ZOOKEEPER DX or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. ZOOKEEPER DX averages 3.7 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do ZOOKEEPER DX or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither ZOOKEEPER DX nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ZOOKEEPER DX or ArcEmu?
ZOOKEEPER DX ships an update every 3 months, and ArcEmu fortnightly. Most recently, ZOOKEEPER DX was updated on September 22, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 24, 2026.

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