ArcEmu vs JavaSquirrel
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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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.
JavaSquirrel
Embark on a peaceful, procedurally generated adventure collecting acorns in a forest before winter. Sip espresso for a speed boost and earn free shots for your efforts. A simple, soothing, and caffeinated experience awaits.
- Procedurally generated forest paths
- Acorn collection gameplay
- Espresso speed boosts
- No enemies or hazards
- Winter survival theme
- Home tree nut deposit
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A peaceful forest. A determined squirrel. A whole lot of nuts. In this cozy, procedurally generated adventure, every run is a new path through the trees. Your mission? Collect as many acorns as you can before winter arrives. No enemies. No hazards. Just you, your fluffy tail, and the open woods. Need a boost? Sip espresso to zoom through the forest, and earn a free shot for every 100 nuts you return to your home tree. It’s simple. It’s soothing. It’s highly caffeinated. Can you collect 1000 nuts before the snow falls?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: JavaSquirrel at none against ArcEmu's 10. JavaSquirrel also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). ArcEmu's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 3) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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
Both are free to download. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. JavaSquirrel asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ArcEmu against 5.0 for JavaSquirrel. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 3, 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 JavaSquirrel's.
| Parameter | ArcEmu | JavaSquirrel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raffaele D'Amato | Eric Garside |
Customer experience
ArcEmu
JavaSquirrel
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
JavaSquirrel
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ArcEmu
- Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
- Game Boy Advance$0.99
- SNES$0.99
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- 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
JavaSquirrel
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ArcEmu free?
Is JavaSquirrel free?
Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or JavaSquirrel?
Do ArcEmu or JavaSquirrel have ads?
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