Howdy everybody! Nips here, and this is the third–count ’em–third installment of Nerd Bacon’s Search for the Best Free Mobile Games! What is that, you ask? Are you seriously asking me this? Do we really have to go over this again? Go back and read the title, ya big dummy, and spend a little time in the corner while you’re at it!

In each episode I will be focusing on 5 different mobile games that I think are worth giving a whirl. What’s more, each game is (technically) totally free! Are you a cheapskate like me, but still enjoy playing some fun games on your mobile device? Then boy, do I have your fix! In this episode I will be focusing on one of my favorite genres of mobile device entertainment: Action/arcade games.

One of the beautiful things about the action/arcade genre of mobile games is that it’s really easy to pick up these titles while you’re on the go. Whenever I’m in a waiting room or just idly killing some time, it’s super simple to open up one of these games and have a little bit of instant fun. While racing games, which I covered in Episode 1, offer a similar sort of thrill, these pick-up-and-go titles are a bit more short form and digestible. Let’s dive in!

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1. Break Liner

Developer: Ketchapp

Admittedly, when I began my most recent foray into the best free mobile games (more than a year ago), Break Liner was one of the very first titles that caught my attention. The premise is deceptively simple: You, a lone rocket ship, must bounce off and break your way through a single line that runs down the center of the screen. All you have to do is tap, tap, and tap again to send your ship in a crazy frenzy of motion and excitement!

One of the most stellar things about Break Liner is the simplicity of its control scheme. In Episode 2, I covered a wealth of strategy games, some of which were a little hard to control since so many things were going on at the same time. Break Liner, on the other hand, really carves out its place as a worthy mobile game due to this single fact.

So, in order to keep going and rack up the highest score possible, all you need to do is bounce off the black parts of the line while breaking through the beige parts, all the while avoiding the red sections, which could mean instant death. Stop tapping for too long and your rocket ship will fall below the bottom of the screen, also resulting in an instant death. As the game goes on, it becomes natural to challenge yourself to continually beat your own high score, which, of course, becomes very difficult.

Break Liner is responsive and the physics feel really good. Watching the zigzagging line of your ship’s exhaust bounce back and forth across the screen is very satisfying, almost like watching an engaging tennis match. As I said, the simplicity of the controls are deceptively simple, as Break Liner becomes a constant flurry of movement and split-second decision-making over whether to bounce off a wall, break through a teeny tiny segment in between two red sections, or simply wait for a better opportunity and risk falling below the screen. This game is simply mobile arcade gaming at its finest.

Break Liner is totally free! Of course, a scheduled ad will come up every now and then, and the game will even roll ads while you’re playing, which can severely hamper the game’s responsiveness. Not ideal.

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2. 8bit Doves

Developer: Nitrome

I, like many others in my generation, have spent more than my fair share of time playing flash games on the internet. One of the developers that caught my eye the most was Nitrome. Some of you may remember their early breakout hits, such as Hot Air and Feed Me. Featuring a characteristic, bubbly art style with relatively simple control schemes, these browser games were some of the most well-designed and challenging titles on the flash game market.

Who would’ve thought that Nitrome’s style would lend itself so wonderfully to free mobile games? One of my favorite titles they offer for mobile devices is 8bit Doves. In the wee hours of the night, a man dreams that he can fly. Using the right and left sides of the screen, simply hold the screen to change his direction as he continually flies in a curve. When you release the screen, he will gradually start to do a downward dive. While this premise may sound overly simple, in practice it allows for some very thrilling gameplay, flying gauntlet-style through a series of obstacles while collecting doves and gliding towards the finish line. Things get really challenging towards the end, making this game perfect for casual players as well as devoted gamers.

With an artistic touch, the developers also elected to give this game an intriguing art style that evokes the monochromatic color palette of the old Gameboy. This stylistic choice is nothing short of perfect for a game played on a handheld device, and goes a long way to making this game one of the more memorable mobile gaming experiences I’ve had in a while.

But wait! There’s more! If you really liked the experience offered by 8bit Doves, Nitrome also offers an endless version of the game called Endless Doves!  This title takes the original format of 8bit Doves and procedurally generates never-seen-before combinations of pathways using a handful of archetypes. Granted, after playing this title for a while, its seams start to show, but it is a welcome companion to the experience of the original title.

And, would ya believe it, 8bit Doves is 100% free! In fact, there aren’t any ads at all! This game is just free, point blank. As my precious readers already know, this is an exceedingly rare feature for a mobile game, so I’m just floored.

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3. Toppluva

Developer: Nitrome

Toppluva has to go down as one of the more unique and precise free mobile games I’ve ever played. Have you ever watched the Olympics and seen those people skiing back and forth between flags in the snow? That is Toppluva. Just like the previous two games in this episode, Toppluva features surprisingly simple controls; tapping the screen will switch directions, and holding your finger down longer will tighten the arc of your turn. Finally, swiping downward will make your character zip straight down towards the bottom of the screen!

What makes Toppluva so special is its command over the the game feel. Letting your character travel for a long period of time will give your turns a majestic arc, while switching directions back and forth really quickly will result in a series of tight zigzags. This mechanic gives Toppluva a real feeling of momentum, as if you are an actual skier zipping down the slopes.

Like many of these action titles, Toppluva features a series of levels on an increasing difficulty ramp. By the time you get to the final few levels, you’ll be dashing between those flags like an expert. This feeling of superiority is enhanced by the trail you leave behind as you ski, emphasizing the tight curves and dashes that you pulled off.

And Toppluva is totally free! Every now and then, a video ad will play in between your turns, but I have to give Toppluva a lot of credit for not rolling ads while the game is playing. You know I hate that.

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4. Flip Trickster

Developer: Lion Studios

This game is so goofy that it almost made it into my “silly” episode. Nevertheless, Flip Trickster is one of those rare free mobile games that rides a fine line between impressive mechanics and absolute hilarity. Controlling a vague, faceless bald dude, your goal is to jump from ledges of ever-increasing height and ridiculous scope, performing some sick flips along the way.

As always, the controls for Flip Trickster are rather simple, yet no less fun to execute. Hold your finger down on the screen to wind up your jump and release to send yourself hurdling into the air. Once airborne, hold your finer on the screen again to tuck and start performing some flips. Release your finger to straighten your body out stiff as a board and catch the landing. That is, if you can manage it.

Divided into levels of increasing difficulty, Flip Trickster has a pretty simple, but rather satisfying and challenging setup. Each level features a series of challenges, highlighting the levels’ unique components and architecture while also encouraging you to really experiment with the things you can do in this game. See a car driving down the street? Try to land on it! Or that barrel way over there? Flip your way on in!

Flip Trickster! is totally free! Of course, there are some annoying ads that will play during the game, which unfortunately can slow down the game’s frame rate. For other types of mobile games, this usually isn’t that big of an issue, but it can make this game extremely hard to play from time to time. That said, you can always buy it, but if you don’t this game will roll hella ads while you’re playing. It’s extremely annoying, and detracts significantly from the gameplay. Just to show you these ad-free screenshots, I had to juke out my own wifi connection. Seriously, you’re gonna make it that hard to even market your own game?

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5. Vault!

Developer: Nitrome

Y’all just knew I couldn’t resist including Nitrome at least one more time in this episode. True to their form, Nitrome came out with yet another impressive free mobile game: Vault! Playing as a…bean–no wait, it must be an eggplant, your only goal is to use your pole to vault over pits and ledges while grabbing coins.

And would ya believe it! The controls for this game are so simple, yet so full of depth! Simply tap the screen to lay down your pole and hold it to watch the little guy lift off into the air. Simply release, and momentum will take care of the rest. This allows for some pretty interesting gameplay, since there are very few scenarios where you want to travel the full length of the pole, and there are even times when the pole can slip against an object that is too thin if you hold it for too long. This gives Vault! a really nice sense of momentum and precision.

Use your coins to buy in-game cosmetic upgrades, but aside from that, this game will play just about the same every time you boot it up, making it a lot more of an arcade title than some of the others. Of course, while this game is technically free, an occasional ad will play in between your rounds. Again, this isn’t that bad of an issue, since at the very least the developers opted for ads that don’t lag the actual game.

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And that does it for the third episode of Nerd Bacon’s Search for the Best Free Mobile Games! Have you tried any of these games? What do you think about them? What games should I play next? Catch y’all next time!