Apple Arcade expanded its offerings this month in a big way. The evolving service added more than 30 games at the beginning of April, and the offerings feature heavy hitters that will make core gamers take notice.

It’s a notable mix of mobile classics such as “Monument Valley” and established blockbusters like “NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition.” The company even added titles based on timeless pastimes such as chess and crossword puzzles. The diverse portfolio caters to a broad audience and makes the $4.99-per-month subscription service an enticing offer. It also brings up the question: If Apple builds it, will gamers come?

A BROAD REACHThe new additions are a sign that Apple is casting a wider net for the service. An older generation may like the idea of the Timeless Classics category. Think of it as the service’s version of Nintendo’s surprisingly great “Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.” It creates virtual versions of backgammon, crossword puzzles and solitaire.

The versions of these games are made by third-party developers, but some offerings have twists on the classics. For example, “Really Bad Chess” by Zach Gage upends the concept of rooks, knights and queens by creating imbalance.

“People are fascinated by chess but the pristine fairness turns people off,” Gage said. “It’s the idea of fairness. We want the rules of the game to be fair.”

But what gives the games drama is unfairness. He mentioned the idea of underdogs and David and Goliath. “We like it better when there’s unfairness.”

To create more interesting scenarios in “Really Bad Chess,” Gage creates boards where you have four queens and four knights and your opponent has a bunch of pawns. He mixes the pieces up. At the beginning, players have an overpowered hand, but as players improve at the game, it becomes more challenging as the board tilts against them.

“It’s sacrilegious but faithful to the feel of playing it,” he said.

OLD FAVORITES RETURNA second group of people targeted by the service may have been raised on mobile games or have turned into gaming fans since the App Store opened back in 2008. These are people who love “Angry Birds” or “Crossy Road.” For this audience, Apple Arcade created another category called App Store Greats.

The offerings here have a distinct feel. These are games built for mobile and take advantage of iPhone and iPad touch screens. That means they’re easy to pick up and play while being great for bite-size fun. Players don’t need to block out an afternoon to play them. The levels are short and the experience is good enough to make that commute home on the train go by quickly.

“Monument Valley” is one of the headliner additions to Apple Arcade. It’s part of the App Store Greats category. (Apple)

App Store Greats include the likes of “Threes!” The original number slider game is addictive and the type of puzzle game that players can spend hours mastering. Meanwhile, “Fruit Ninja Classic” was one of the games that showed off the potential of the iPhone’s touch-screen interface, making a game that’s easy to learn by using your finger to cut melons like a ninja.

Although these games have been hits, “Monument Valley” is the title that’s instantly recognizable and is one of the defining projects on the platform. It’s been downloaded 73 million times and comes to Apple Arcade with all the bells and whistles.

It’s one of the advantages of the subscription services. It has no ads or additional add-on expenses. What players get is a complete experience with no other strings attached. What this means for “Monument Valley” is that on Apple Arcade it includes downloadable content such as Ida’s Dream and Forgotten Shores.

That approach to gaming is almost a throwback to the old console days. Before titles could be patched if there was something wrong with them, they came out complete on disc and cartridges. Players didn’t have to worry about buying expansion packs to play with their friends or continue the story. The game came in a box, it worked and players enjoyed a finished experience.

“World of Demons” on Apple Arcade has a visual style that’s reminiscent of cult favorite “Okami.” (Apple)

A BIG SHOUTOUT TO CORE GAMERSThat kind of approach will appeal to core and longtime gamers, which Apple Arcade is courting with its Apple Originals. It’s not a new category on the service per se but it is reloaded with a number of titles that will appeal to this crowd.

Platinum Games, the makers of hits such as “Bayonetta” and “NieR: Automata,” released “World of Demons.” It looks like the cult favorite “Okami” and that shouldn’t be a surprise seeing as the game’s director Hideki Kamiya was a studio co-founder. “Demons” brings a console feel with its quick-twitch button-mashing swordplay but it does have mobile elements such as the bite-size confrontations and levels. Best of all it works with a controller, for that console feel on mobile.

For older gamers, “The Oregon Trail” may be a good afternoon diversion. The visuals and a few gameplay mechanics have been revamped, but it’s essentially the same game that fans played on the Apple II computer. Players will appreciate the beautiful graphics that are light years ahead of the green-and-black images they saw in their childhood.

Fans of “Final Fantasy” should check out Mistwalker’s “Fantasian.” It’s a role-playing game that reunites series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu. What’s notable about this RPG is that the scenery is made via real-life dioramas, over which the characters are placed. It’s an unusual blending of practical and computer-generated effects that combine to tell a spellbinding story mixed with combat mechanics.

“Fantasian” blends real-life dioramas with computer-generated visuals for a one-of-a-kind experience. (Apple)

While all those games will pique core gamers’ interest, the one that may find the biggest audience is “NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition.” This is by all accounts a full version of the core game. It has all the NBA teams, multiplayer and MyCareer. It works with a controller or touch-screen controls.

Parts of the game such as MyCareer are stripped down a bit. It still has the basketball RPG feel but the story is told through voice narration instead of cutscenes.

What’s notable is that being an Apple Arcade game, there are no microtransactions. That’s something that the console versions are packed with. That makes the Apple Arcade game feel like a purer version of the experience. Players just tap on the game’s icon and play without worrying about spending additional money. VC is still in the game but it’s awarded like normal points that go toward improving a character. Players won’t pay more money to power up their avatar; instead, that occurs through normal campaign play.

“NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition” brings console-quality visuals without the headache of microtransactions on Apple Arcade. (Apple)

As for online modes, Tyler Nation, vice president and head of mobile at 2K, said that Visual Concepts tried to make matchmaking fair by pitting players on controllers against players on controllers and players using Macs going up against players on Macs. Online play is a big draw of the franchise.

All of these additions gives Apple Arcade a roster of more than 180 games. It’s a catalog that’s more attractive than before and is part of a bigger trend. Gaming companies such as Microsoft are investing in subscription services of their own and buying studios and making deals for that content. It’s part of a process that will make the gaming scene five years from now look more like Netflix.