ARC Squadron

ARC Squadron received "generally favourable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Critics praised the game for its excellent visuals and fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay, with many comparing it favorably to the likes of the Star Fox games. IGNs Cody Musser was critical of the controls, but praised the graphics and the depth of the game, arguing that "ARC Squadrons controls hold it back from true greatness. But Psyonix has still created a compelling and gorgeous 3D space shooter worthy of your time and money. The ridiculous amount of content, large degree of variety and finely-tuned challenge will keep you glued to your mobile device's screen." AppSpy.coms Andrew Nesvadba criticised the lack of story, but, like IGN, praised the graphics and the depth: "ARC Squadron is a solid shoot 'em up in the vein of greats like Star Fox, but streamlined to suit the platform's larger casual audience." Modojos Chris Buffa also criticised the lack of a plot and the implementation of the secondary weapon, but concluded that "these small complaints aside, ARC Squadron satisfies with a combination of gorgeous imagery and intense, arcade-style gameplay." Matt Wales of Pocket Gamer felt that the touch controls were unresponsive at times, but still called the game "a satisfying blast of colourful, creative on-rails shooting that's only slightly let down by an occasional lack of responsiveness in its controls." Blake Grundman of 148Apps was more impressed, saying, "not very often does a newcomer impress quite to the level that ARC Squadron has. The visual polish, overabundance of content, and addictive gameplay all meld together into a product that even Fox McCloud would be happy to have bear his name." Gamezebos Jillian Werner criticised the difficulty, but praised the "gorgeous graphics, upbeat music, and fantastic level design. One-touch controls are executed superbly in both maneuvering and shooting. Tons of upgrades for your ship and weapons, all of which are affordable without shelling out real money. The entire game feels polished and lovingly crafted, from start to finish." TouchGens Nigel Wood said, "ARC Squadron is easily one of the best shooters on the App Store right now. It has a strong Triple-A feel to it that only a few games have so far accomplished [...] The graphics, sound, controls, ramping difficulty, ship and weapons upgrades, and the awesome bosses makes for an addictive mix that's hard to put down." Digital Spys Scott Nichols said, "in many ways, Arc Squadron is a better sequel to Star Fox 64 than the official games that followed it, making it a must-have for mobile space combat fans." Eric Carlson of Slide to Play argued that the game was one of the best games on the App Store: "Arc Squadron is a revelation. It's a game that truly exemplifies what can really be done on iOS if you're willing to push the devices. We didn't even mention the absolutely gorgeous graphics, which are some of the very best we've ever seen on iOS. And if we didn't mention the spectacular visuals, then you know the actual gameplay has got to be amazing. This is one of the best, most refined gaming experiences you'll ever have on your little phone or iPad. Arc Squadron is a Must Have for everyone." G4TV awarded ARC Squadron "Game of the Week" for the week of 9 November, and Kotaku featured the game as its "Gaming App of the Day."