On seeing the above information for Cat Quest II in the Apple Arcade section of the App Store, I felt two things – disappointment, and confusion.

Disappointment because I’d really been looking forward to this isometric action-RPG from The Gentlebros. on the big screen of Apple TV, with a controller in-hand for the full console experience. But as you can see, controller-compatibility is not listed.

Controller-compatibility, when listed, looks like this:

The confusion came due to a lack of controller support simply not making sense for Cat Quest II. Given that all Apple Arcade games are playable on iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs (when macOS Catalina arrives in October), I couldn’t see how a complex console-style action-RPG could possibly have controls shoehorned into the Siri Remote.

Okay I thought, I’ll download it to Apple TV and see for myself.

I’m glad I did.

 

Pictured above is another example listing no controller support for Speed Demons (a fantastic game by the way).

On loading up Cat Quest II on Apple TV however, I was very happy (and not all that surprised) to find controller support implemented not just in some accidental, kind-of-works way, but very thoughtfully with great button-layout.

Cat Quest II’s dialogue even identifies which buttons you should push for the corresponding actions in the opening tutorial section. So it’s clear that controller-compatibility was always planned, and the App Store description not mentioning it is simply an oversight.

After a very brief taste of Cat Quest II on Apple TV, through the tutorial level and out into the world map, I left it that, adding it to my extensive list of games to come back to and focus on properly (but where will I find the time?).

I’ve long been a fan of Radiangames’ neon-soaked shooters, and Speed Demons is a great addition to the studio’s catalogue. While offering an excellent arcade racing experience on iPad, I really wish it would support landscape mode. Opening Speed Demons on Apple TV changes the view entirely from the bottom-to-top racing view of the iPad, to left-to-right in landscape on TVs. And funnily enough, controllers are fully supported.

Good times.

The moral of this story is of course not to take the description in the Apple Arcade listing as gospel. If you’ve got your eye on one of the subscription service’s games, but wished it had controller support, download it anyway and try your luck.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

For more Apple TV controller-related information, ATVG recently had a look at just how many controllers you can connect to your Apple TV at one time, and which controllers are supported.

If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games of 2019 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.