ArcEmu vs DNA Altering
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.
DNA Altering
Transform into various alien heroes using your Apple Watch. Control your transformations and activate special modes through intuitive watch wheel rotations and screen taps. Explore unique gameplay mechanics like Master Control and a self-destruction mode with customizable cancellation sequences.
- Transform into alien heroes
- Control via watch wheel and screen taps
- Master Control mode with evolved forms
- Self-Destruction mode with levels
- Recalibration function for advanced play
- Hero selection via physical wheel or screen taps
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• Turn into an Alien using your Apple Watch! Open the application and become your favourite Hero! [ ! ] It is highly recommended to download the smartphone version of the app. Through it, you will find all the available instructions and functions. Only a few of them are listed below: • General information: - You can select the Hero either by turning the physical wheel of your watch, or by tapping on the screen on the left or right side. - When it is discharged, having a red screen, it will also show you the current time if that setting is activated in app's settings. - You can open the Hero selection by tapping on the middle of the screen. • Watch Wheel Rotations / Touch sequences: - To activate / deactivate some features, you will need to either perform a clockwise / counterclockwise sequence of watch wheel rotations, OR a sequence of taps on the left / right side of the screen. - "Left" means you have to turn your watch wheel down, or touch the screen on the left side. You have to do the opposite for "Right". - These sequences can be used only in the main screen of the app (the one before opening the Hero selection). • Master Control: - In Original / Classic style: You will have no cooldowns, no waiting times and you will have access to all 25 Heroes. - In Recalibrated style: when Master Control is activated, you will be able to use the ultimate evolved forms of the Aliens. - Activating sequence: Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left - Deactivating sequence: Left-Left-Left-Right-Right-Right-Left • Self-Destruction mode: - When self-destruction mode is activated, orange circular lines begin to appear on the screen. - Each circular line represents a level of self-destruction. - A total of 5 circular lines can be loaded in total (so there are 5 levels of self-destruction). - One level of self-destruction will advance every 30 seconds. - Once the maximum level of self-destruction has been reached (level 5), the watch will self-destruct. - Activation sequence: randomly perform 15 watch wheel rotations or 15 taps on the screen, regardless of direction (left / right). - Each level of self-destruction has its own cancellation sequence, so you need to know what level of self-destruction the watch is in, depending on the number of circular lines that appear on the screen (example: 2 circular lines means level 2 of self-destruction). - To cancel a self-destruction level, the required sequence is: "Right" as many times as levels of self-destruction you have, and then continuously "Left" until the level of self-destruction is removed. • Recalibration: - This function is activated by tapping the main screen, but only if the user meets all the conditions below: 1. Master Control is activated. 2. The user turned into an alien at least 10 times. 3. The user has reached at least level 2 of self-destruction in the past and then canceled the self-destruct sequence. [ ! ] More features are available, you can read detailed information about them in the User Guide on the Phone App: • DNA Scanner ... • Repair Genetic DNA ... • OMV (4th Gen) ... • Settings Menu ... • Custom Playlist ... • Gesture Controls ... • Assistant Hologram ... • Faceplate Removal ... • EON ... • GAX ... [ ! ] Read the rest of the information on the smartphone application version. [ ! ] The Apple Watch application is a game made for fun. Unfortunately, it can't turn you into an Alien. [ ! ] This iOS (Phone) application does not contain the game itself. This app contains only the information / user guide to learn how to play the game on your Apple Watch.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against DNA Altering's $3.99. ArcEmu also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 35) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). DNA Altering's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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 is free to download; DNA Altering costs $3.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. DNA Altering asks for nothing beyond the download.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 35, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 100% of DNA Altering's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, DNA Altering every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ArcEmu | DNA Altering |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better | 4.7 (35 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 35 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #81 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 234 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raffaele D'Amato | Adi007 |
Customer experience
ArcEmu
DNA Altering
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
DNA Altering
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
DNA Altering
No in-app purchases









