SameBoy 12+

This is a high-quality accurate emulator! For games that utilize the original Gameboy screen’s slow refresh rate for transparency effects, this emulator handles it flawlessly, a notable improvement over Delta. I also enjoy the LCD shader effect, it recreates a nice retro look and feel. This app also has Super Gameboy support that can colorize many games that only appear in monochrome on the Delta emulator. All functionality is free as well, only some of the custom skins are behind in-app purchases. There are included free skins that work great for both light and dark mode. This is definitely the best Gameboy emulator on the App Store right now, much better user experience than RetroArch and improved functionality over Delta!

If you want the best GameBoy experience it’s here. It’s really just kinda magical, I tried this out a few weeks ago when I was trying a bunch of different emulators before getting busy and when I came back although my phone and been through reboots and updates this automatically pulled up what I’d been playing last!

The only thing I would change would be the swipe to save and load. I just wish they were separated toggles and not all or none. This is because I wiped my screen against my shoulder to clean off smudges(kids) and accidentally loaded my previous save. It wasn’t very far back but enough to want this change just in case 😅

SameBoy is even better than Delta or RetroArch when it comes to GB and GBC. It doesn’t have the annoying ticking sound that Delta has when you use AirPods. It lets you press 🅑 and 🅐 at the same time (although you have to go into the settings to turn it on). The games all run at full speed and even faster with an innovative analog fast forward control. It also supports all four types of palettes: Monochrome, button-combination colorization, SGB palettes, and full-color GBC where applicable. This is a huge improvement over Delta’s all-or-nothing. Not to be too harsh on Delta, it’s still perfect for everything but GB and GBC. SameBoy also lets you select between two d-pad styles.

At the end of the day, I am quite impressed with this and highly recommend it for anyone who wants to play the applicable games on an iOS device.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out the shaders!

Edit: In a previous version of this review, I pointed out that the d-pad didn’t have a “center” spot to rest your thumb. They have since updated so it has one now! Thank you!