Version 1.4 Update

Version 1.4 has been approved and is rolling out. This update brings complete VoiceOver support for multiplayer, along with game controller support and optimizations.

How Multiplayer works

Erwin's multiplayer mode is implemented via Apple's own Game Center framework. If you are logged in to your Game Center profile, you can choose 'Multiplayer' in the Pause menu, and from there you can invite friends or match with random players, and start a 2-4 player game.

Multiplayer is cooperative, not competitive: you all play on one shared cube, taking turns one by one. Rotating and exploring the cube is free, a turn is one slide of the tiles. The rules otherwise are the same: each merge adds the newly merged tile's value to the score, the highest-valued tiles don't merge, the cube slowly fills up, and the game ends when no more moves are possible. The goal is to reach the highest score you can, together.

At the same table

When I designed Erwin's multiplayer my guiding principle was that everyone - sighted players and VoiceOver users - join the same match; there is no separate "accessible mode." There is no countdown timer, and no player is forced to maintain a specific pace. Thinking time is free.

Game controllers

Version 1.4 also brings game controller support - a physical controller is a more tactile way to play than just touch. The game supports the standard extended gamepad layout - I tested with a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller on iPad, iPhone, and Mac, but any two-stick controller in this class is expected to work. The D-pad and the left thumbstick both slide the tiles, the right thumbstick rotates, and the Menu button pauses the game.