So the premise is a little contrived, but that doesn't stop this trifecta of free games from being any less awesome. Come with me, readers, as we dash from monkey spirits in Temple Run, play deadly bumper cars in VS. Racing, and create a fantasy village in DragonVale.
Free
Imangi Studios, LLC
Temple Run is a "run game" that takes more than a few cues from Indiana Jones. Instead of tap to jump controls, Temple Run supports a variety of swiping gestures. Fauxdiana Jones will jump and slide as you swipe up or down, but the real difference between TR and most run games is the fact that you have to swipe left or right to turn. This keeps the game fast and unpredictable, and a nifty little leveling up system rewards players for picking up coins on their run.
Free
Maciek Drejak Labs
If Temple Running just isn't fast enough for you, check out VS. Racing, a free game by Maciek Drejak Labs. Despite having the most blurry icon of all time, the graphics are surprisingly clear, and the tilt controls make it much more fun than the generic name implies.
There are three modes to keep the iOS Dale Earnhardt Jr's interested, including Race Against Friends (local multiplayer), a campaign, and Time Attack (which connects to Facebook for ghost races). Each are fun, but local multiplayer is the hands down favorite. If you don't have time for friends (who does?) there are 44 challenges available in single player, which should keep even the fastest iOS racers busy.
There's probably an explanation. Or something.
Free
Backflip Studios
DragonVale looks and feels like We Rule, which is awesome and a little dangerous because I unabashedly drained about four hundred hours making a kingdom a year and a half ago. At one point I had to choose between failing out of college or letting my corn stalks whither. I didn't fail out, but I've never really been able to let go of what could have been. So here we are, a year and a few months later. But does DragonVale have what it takes to keep freemium gamers interested?
Yes and no. Everything feels slower in DragonVale, from hatching your dragons to selecting items through menus. Fortunately, push notifications work without hiccups, so you can easily put your phone down while the game builds habitats for you. As you progress through the game, your dragons will become higher levels, which attracts more people (which makes you more money to spend on making your dragons higher levels). In a way it's a bit like running a digital dragon zoo, which is good enough for me.
