ArcEmu vs melotap
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
melotap
A serene musical rhythm game focused on melody and relaxation. Enjoy over 80 handcrafted tracks with new tunes added weekly. Its simple gameplay, soft visuals, and satisfying taps create a meditative yet engaging experience.
- Handcrafted rhythm levels
- Classical and folk tunes
- Over 80 tracks
- New tunes added weekly
- Clean, minimal design
- Hand-drawn illustrations
- Satisfying taps with haptics
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Melotap is a calm rhythm game built around beautiful melodies instead of fast reflexes. Play through a collection of more than 80 carefully arranged classical and folk pieces, with new tracks added regularly. Every level is handcrafted so the notes feel natural under your fingers, making it feel a little like you’re actually playing the music. The game keeps things simple. Clean visuals, hand-drawn artwork, and no unnecessary distractions. It’s something you can pick up for a few minutes to relax, or spend longer trying to perfect a piece. Melotap isn’t about chasing high scores as much as getting into the music. It’s calm, a little meditative, and just challenging enough to keep you focused. Features • Over 80 handcrafted rhythm levels inspired by classical and folk music • New tracks added regularly • Hand-drawn artwork with a clean, minimalist look • Smooth and satisfying gameplay with subtle haptic feedback • Relaxing, rewarding gameplay that’s easy to learn and enjoyable to master If you’re looking for a rhythm game that’s peaceful, musical, and made with care, give Melotap a try.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: ArcEmu at 1.3K against melotap's 2. ArcEmu also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). melotap's advantage is chart position (#129 vs unranked). On rating, 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
ArcEmu costs $1.99 and melotap $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ArcEmu against 5.0 for melotap. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 100% of melotap's.
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, melotap every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArcEmu | melotap |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #129 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 172 MB | 225 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raffaele D'Amato | Nastaran Khanbabaei |
Customer experience
ArcEmu
melotap
Bugs and 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
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- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
melotap
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases
melotap
No in-app purchases









