Castle Crumble

As puzzlers go, this game delivers a thrilling spin on physics-based "destruction" games, at least for a short while. It's fun to study the castle layout and strategize a plan to take down the structures in Castle Crumble with the limited weapons you've got available to you. And it's cool to watch the various castles blow up and topple down, seemingly obeying laws of gravity. But while the game should keep you engaged for a while, the charm wears off in due time. What Castle Crumble lacks in depth and replayability it makes up for in accessibility, authentic physics, and great-looking effects. There's something inherently satisfying to watch part of a tower blow up because of a timed bomb you tossed at it, witnessing the bricks break apart and the entire building begin to crumble and fall. It's equally as fun to take out a castle's color-coded force field.

Since there are no in-app purchases allowed on an Apple Arcade game (nor are there in-game ads), the coins you earn by destroying castles can be redeemed in the Shop to purchase additional weapons, many of which need to be unlocked after a certain level. There isn't much difference to the gameplay as you reach new stages. The architecture changes, and some of the weapons (and thus, tactics) grow, but alas, it's more of the same. Perhaps not a bad thing if you're enjoying the explosive experience. Castle Crumble is fun while it lasts, and you'll likely go back to it after spending time on other games, but doesn't have the stickiness or staying power as many other Apple Arcade games. The global leaderboard is a nice touch but even better would be a multiplayer component (with team mode) to spice things up, or perhaps a few mini-games. As a result, Castle Crumble is a good, but not great, puzzle game.