Disney Melee Mania brings fan-favorite characters into the battle arena on Apple Arcade

Disney Melee Mania — a new multiplayer game from Mighty Bear Studios, creators of Apple Arcade’s Butter Royale — on Friday joined Apple Arcade‘s catalog of over 225 games. Your favorite Disney and Pixar characters will battle it out in colorful three-versus-three arena matches to become the champion. 

Disney Melee Mania launched with 12 characters, including Buzz Lightyear, Moana and Elsa, each equipped with three specific abilities that relate to their character’s personality. The game has two modes — Team Rumble and Spotlight Dash. Team Rumble’s simple goal is to knock down your opponents and earn points. Spotlight Dash is a bit more complicated. To earn points, you must stand on various spotlights on the map, some of which move around, making them worth more. 

Ben Chevalier, art director at Mighty Bear Games, noted that the latest Apple tech, like iOS 15, as well as the A15 Bionic chip will provide an ultrasmooth and responsive gaming experience. During a recent demo session, developers Mihoyo and 2K Games demonstrated how the new technology elevates Genshin Impact and NBA 2K Mobile, respectively.  

Disney Melee Mania is reminiscent of League of Legends, with multiple characters fighting over objectives in an enclosed setting. The view is top-down, rather than side on like Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros., another brawler with a diverse cast of characters. Unlike Legends, which is a serious esport, Melee Mania was designed to be be a fun experience that everyone in the family can enjoy together. The developers wanted to make the experience as approachable as possible, according to Mighty Bear Games. Shorter battle sessions (each one is about five minutes) and the character’s limited abilities offers a more simplified experience than other multiplayer online battle arena games. 

Mighty Bear Games included a social aspect to the game without compromising safety. To rally your team or interact with other players, the characters can emote to signal what they need during battle, without any other chat function. This way, parents don’t have to worry if kids are playing alone.

“We want to avoid toxicity as much as we can when making games,” Chevalier said.

Disney Melee Mania supports third-party controllers and up to six players. The game features special in-app events attached to specific characters, where players can earn extra rewards, according to Chevalier. In addition, he said that the game focuses on fun Disney and Pixar characters that don’t always get to be in the spotlight. 

If you’re interested in checking out Disney Melee Mania, you can subscribe to Apple Arcade through the App Store for $5 (£5, AU$8) per month.