Summon Quest

Even though this has the feel of a game originally built for freemium, and later converted to being genuinely free for Apple Arcade, it manages to be reasonably challenging, your upgrades sincerely needed to progress through its levels. It’s also the only game we’ve come across where you can level up the protagonist’s hairstyle. There’s not much punishment for dying, other than having to replay the current map, but its exceptional level of polish and a clearly talented art department make it a tempting distraction.