Comparison

ArcEmu vs Paper Kites

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

Head to head
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.

About

Paper Kites

Experience a serene, endless flight by folding paper kites and navigating them through dynamic landscapes. Gather stars to unlock new kites and enjoy a peaceful, ad-free journey with a day-night cycle and various flight modes.

Highlights
  • Fold and fly unique paper kites
  • Endless flight through dynamic landscapes
  • Day-night cycle with changing skies
  • Unlockable kites and star gathering
  • Multiple flight modes (Normal, Hard, Free Float)
  • Ad-free and no in-app purchases
Read full description

Fold a kite from paper and wind, and see how far the sky will carry you. Paper Kites is a quiet, endless flight. Thread the gaps between towers and windmills, ride the wind, and gather stars as day slides into dusk and the moon takes over the sky. Breathe in. Let go. Fly. FIVE KITES, FIVE WAYS TO FLY Every kite is folded from a different kind of wind and each one answers your touch in its own way. ◇ Zephyr - The one that teaches you the sky. ◇ Tailwind - The kite that rewards patience. Heavy and unhurried. ◇ Cirrus - Featherlight, carried by every current. ◇ Ember - Quick, restless, alive. ◇ Peregrine - The kite for the practiced hand. It answers mastery, and nothing less. Unlock each one with the stars you gather along the way. IN EVERY FLIGHT • A living day-night cycle — sunrises, golden hours, moonlit villages. • Five unique kite themes — every kite scores the sky with its own music • Five landscapes drifting past — villages, pine forests, city rooftops, autumn groves, birch stands • Watch out for birds — Robins, swifts, pigeons, crows, and hawks sharing your sky • Star trails and formations to gather — every kite unlocks through flight • Three ways to fly — Normal, Hard, and Free Float NOTHING IN YOUR WAY No ads. No accounts. No in-app purchases — nothing to buy, ever. Just you, the wind, and the horizon.

Screenshots

ArcEmu4 screens
Paper Kites4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Paper Kites's $2.99. ArcEmu also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Paper Kites's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On review sentiment, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

ArcEmu is free to download; Paper Kites costs $2.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Paper Kites asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, Paper Kites weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ArcEmu versus Paper Kites: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcEmuPaper Kites
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaffaele D'AmatoTailwind Studio Inc

Customer experience

ArcEmu

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

Paper Kites

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

Paper Kites

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Paper Kites

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paper Kites free?
Paper Kites costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ArcEmu or Paper Kites have ads?
Neither ArcEmu nor Paper Kites shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or Paper Kites?
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Paper Kites weekly. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 30, 2026 and Paper Kites on October 5, 2026.

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