Apple Arcade: 10 great games you need to play right now

Clap Hanz Golf

Developed by Clap Hanz

I was beyond excited to find this in the catalog of games in the Apple Arcade. Clap Hanz is the legendary developer who, normally for Sony, makes a line of excellent golf games called Everybody’s Golf. Formerly they used to be called Hot Shots Golf in the states as well. They’ve made golf games for decades and their work is always quality, even if you don’t understand the game.

At first, I was worried that the switch from Console to Apple products was going to turn this game into a watered-down mobile version but, luckily, that is absolutely not the case. The only change they’ve made is to the game length and to the swing mechanics.

The game itself is played three holes at a time, great for pick-up-and-play moments. You pick three players from a slowly growing list of golfers that you unlock as play. Unlocking them was so nice and took me back to a time before gacha mechanics and microtransactions. As I’m old, I loved it. Unlocking characters as you go is a great way to stay invested in the game.

When you pick the three characters they each play one hole tagging out before the next, this way you have to plan out your players based on who might be better for each hole.

As for the swing mechanic, they’ve done away with their traditional three-click method in exchange for something more touch screen friendly. Pulling down fills a power meter, sliding up towards the dot hits, moving left or right alters the path, and doing things like sliding up past the dot allows you to add spin. It takes about one or two rounds before you feel like a pro.

I like it though it does suffer a bit playing on the Mac. You have to click and drag with a mouse, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really nice. Ultimately this game is a killer addition to the Apple Arcade with a ridiculous wealth of unlockable stages, characters, and outfits.