Comparison

Rules! vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Rules!

Engage in a fast-paced, challenging, and fun puzzle game with a hundred levels. Features a daily brain workout for Apple Watch and animated stickers. Offers multiple game modes and unique mechanics.

Highlights
  • Daily Apple Watch brain workout
  • Animated sticker pack
  • Beginner, Expert, or Timeless game modes
  • Multi-touch interface
  • Color perception assistance
  • Surprising new game mechanics
Features
Read full description

• Includes a daily brain workout mini-game for Apple Watch • Includes animated sticker pack • App Store – Best Apple Watch Game of 2015 • App Store – Best of 2014 • German Developer Award 2014 – Best mobile Game • German Video Game Award 2015 – Best mobile Game • Pocket Gamer Awards 2015 Finalist Best Casual/Puzzle Game & Most Innovative Game RULES! is a cute puzzle game that's challenging, fast-paced and fun. • Choose your preferred type of game: Beginner, Expert or Timeless • “What’s presented here is a stylish, original, clever puzzle game that I’m having trouble putting down long enough to write this review.” ~ Gamezebo “A delightfully constructed memory test that grows in complexity and appeal the deeper in you go.” ~ Pocket Gamer “The Coding Monkeys have never released anything that wasn’t utterly brilliant, therefore Rules shall almost certainly be brilliant.” ~ Pocket Tactics Follow RULES! into a hundred level-deep maze of cuteness and order: • Multi-touch interface at its finest • Color perception assistance mode • Whales, Unicorns, Robots and Squirrels! • A plethora of surprising new game mechanics

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

Rules!4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against Rules!'s 4.2. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 69%) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 67). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Rules! costs $2.99 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 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Rules!'s written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rules! ships an update monthly, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Rules! versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRules!ArcEmu
Price$2.99$1.99 — better
Rating4.2 (67 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings671.3K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#131 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.2 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer137bRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Rules!

All ratings67 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral14.9%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews181 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral14.9%
Negative16.6%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

Rules!

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Challenging and fun game
  • 👍 Gorgeous design and smooth UI
  • 👍 Great brain workout
  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Fair monetization with no ads or IAPs

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Very short time limit
  • 🔁 Having to restart from level 1 after losing
  • 🎨 Colorblind-unfriendly
  • 🤔 Repetitive gameplay with same rule order

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

Rules!

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues, especially on Apple Watch
  • Unresponsive tapping on certain tiles

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to save progress and continue from last level
  • Randomized rule order
  • Difficulty settings with longer time limits
  • Colorblind accessibility options
  • More game modes and challenges

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

Rules!

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Rules! free?
Rules! costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Rules! or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Rules! averages 4.2 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Rules! or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Rules! nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Rules! or ArcEmu?
Rules! ships an update monthly, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Rules! was updated on October 1, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 3, 2026.

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