From the beginning I loved the fact that this is not a streaming-based service, which I really don't like at all. It makes so much sense to simply allow customers to download and play the games without worries of internet connection.
Being able to connect my DualShock 4 so easily is huge. And lots of game actually show the correct buttons (cross, circle, square) in their UI which is neat. It makes so much sense for Apple to allow DS4 and Xbox One controllers; if you have a PS4 or an XB1, Arcade becomes much more attractive from the start.
I just wished it was easier to disconnect the DualShock when I'm done.
It's not very clear to me how the cloud saves / progress sync works. Is it based on Game Center? AppleID?
It would be nice if there was a hub for managing save states. Or that games themselves confirmed in their own UIs about cloud syncing, otherwise.
Games like Rayman Mini send an interesting message to me about Arcade: the service could easily host a full-fledge game like Rayman Origins/Legends, but because of the "mobile-gaming" constraints - like no garantee of a gamepad - they have to be shrinked into smaller-scale experiences. But maybe that's a good thing.
The service is only going to get better when it's available on macOS and specially tvOS. But maybe then the games will feel too "small".
The sweet selling-point of Arcade is that all its games (going to be) playable on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs. But would it make sense at some point to have "big scale" games only for Macs or TVs?
I'm curious how often will Apple introduce new games into the service. The launch roster is excellent and very long already!
Maybe this information is available somewhere that I missed, but it would be nice to know how are developers being compesated for having their games in the service. Hopefully it's not based on time spent on a particular game!
Rayman Mini: the style of Rayman Origins/Legends is gorgeous, and the auto-running mechanics feel quite flexible, and allow for a lot of puzzle-platforming.
Bleak Sword: simple and straighforward combat design, but with a nice challenging curve, and with lots of enemy variety. I don't think I could enjoy it without the DualShock, however; the touch controls are a bit quirky, I thought.
Sayonara Wild Hearts: the presentation and aesthetics and stunning. And the sheer amount of gameplay variety across stages (and even during the same stage) is quite impressive. Unfortunately my progress hasn't been saved in the first 2 ocassions, "forcing" me to start all over. Still, it's so enjoyable I have no problem going back!