Hiya! Nips here, and this is the fourth–can you believe it–fourth installment of Nerd Bacon’s Search for the Best Free Mobile Games! What is that, you ask? I really, really don’t want to have to keep going over this, so why don’t you just look it up, mmkay?

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 a rather exciting genre of mobile entertainment that I like to call silly games!

What are “silly” games, you ask? Well, I’m using this particular name as an umbrella term for any mobile game that is just downright silly in nature. They’re not too difficult, and are more interested in giving the player a good laugh than presenting a veritable challenge. Of course, these rules are bound to be broken from time to time. Work with me here, okay? This is my first time inventing a video game genre!

---

1. Steppy Pants

Developer: Super Entertainment

If you’re familiar with the free mobile game scene, perhaps you’ve noticed this recent trend of mobile game developers adding “-y” to the ends of words to make them scene. I’m talking games like Flappy Bird, Faily Brakes, and so on. For the majority of those games, I wouldn’t say there’s much to write home about, but Steppy Pants is in a completely different ballgame. When I came upon Steppy Pants, I was pleasantly surprised by the goofiness of its theme, but I was even more impressed by the deceptive simplicity of its gameplay.

Have you ever played that silly childhood game “step on a crack, break your momma’s back?” Well, Steppy Pants promises to bring us back to that childhood game of yore, controlling an ever-jolly blue-faced man taking a casual stroll down the street. Simply hold your finger on the screen to begin taking a step, and release your finger to land your foot. But, if your foot lands on a crack, you’re done for! I laughed plenty of times as my character simply gave up on life after merely stepping on a crack, falling to the street in hilarious fashion. Of course, there are other hazards out there, as well, such as cars and even the white stripes of crosswalks.

What makes Steppy Pants interesting–and what kept me coming back for another run–is that the player’s progress gets saved after each stroll. Make it past the next checkpoint and you get to start a little farther ahead the next time you fall. The developers at Super Entertainment clearly put a lot of work into the world of Steppy Pants, giving the player a surprisingly dense and lively atmosphere to move through as they play what would otherwise be a rather monotonous action game. There’s also a minor online component that allows you to see how far fellow players made it through the dangerous streets of Steppy Pants, as their avatars will appear on the side of the street as you walk by. This is enhanced by the ability to use in-game currency to unlock new clothing items and outfits, really decking out your character as you play.

As per usual, Steppy Pants is totally free! That said, an ad will pop up from time to time, and unfortunately, they will appear rather often. Steppy Pants still gets a big thumbs up from me because of how enjoyable the gameplay is.

---

2. Bacon – The Game

Developer: Philipp Stollenmayer

Do I need to say the obvious? This is Nerd Bacon, baby! How could we possibly let a game of this caliber pass by? It is our official duty to cover all things bacon! Have you ever been cooking bacon for breakfast and then had the sudden urge to chuck that puppy onto all the objects in your house? Well, let me introduce you to my good friend, Bacon – The Game.

So, this game is totally bonkers. In Bacon – The Game, you have a single slice of bacon in a skillet, and you have to flip that bacon onto an assortment of different objects. The first couple items, such as a cheeseburger and a stack of pancakes, are innocuous enough, but things start to get a little weird when you’re flipping bacon into a piña colada and the United States of America. From there, things just take off, as Bacon – The Game challenges you to flip bacon onto any and all kinds of items imaginable.

Things start off easily enough, but as the levels go on, the items become more complicated. Some of them are really high up, and thus difficult to get your bacon on top of. Others have a funky shape to ’em, making it hard to find a decent place to stick your bacon. Some levels are relatively easy, while others are ridiculously hard. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since Bacon – The Game is more of a joke project that just wants to make us laugh. And boy, did I.

Of course, Bacon – The Game is free! Some ads will roll at the bottom of the screen while you’re playing–which, as you all know, is not my favorite–but it’s not too hard to overlook since this game lets you move from level to level so quickly.

---

 3. GROW Park

Developer: ON NAKAYAMA

If you made it through the aughts of the 21st century without stumbling across Eyezmaze at one point or another, then consider yourself extremely unfortunate. Just like Nitrome, one of my personal favorites, Eyezmaze was making those silly, inventive, and yes, even somewhat clunky flash games to play on your browser. Their games not being all that complex from a gameplay standpoint, it was only natural that they would eventually find their way into free mobile games, under what I suspect is their real name, On Nakayama.

GROW Park is yet another entry into the well-established GROW series. The rules are simple: Armed with a handful of ingredients, your task is to grow a local park into the best version of itself possible. All you have to do is pick the order of when to implement each item and watch as your park magically grows!

The truly creative part about GROW Park, much like its predecessors, is that each of the ingredients at your disposal are capable of interacting with one another, depending on what order you placed them in. Place your water at the right time, and marvel as it becomes a beautiful lake with a lazy river. Place it too soon or too late, however, and it will stunt the growth of your trenches. It works like this for all of your ingredients; place any of your elements in the wrong order and you’ll either get a slightly different, yet slightly worse outcome, or your park may not grow to fruition at all.

This type of programming is impressive for obvious reasons. In order to achieve a game like this, On Nakayama really needed to consider the implications of adding each item at different points, and how introducing an element at specific points along another element’s life cycle will affect it differently at those points. At the end of each run, a bunch of children will populate your park depending on which features you managed to upgrade all the way. This is another neat addition to the GROW series, adding to this game’s replayability. I’ve always been super impressed by these games, and GROW Park is a great blast from the past that I can easily enjoy on my mobile phone.

On top of that, GROW Park showcases an absolutely stellar atmosphere. On Nakayama has always been exceptional at showcasing good sound effects and catchy music. Making the right decision in this game feels that much more satisfying when you get to hear the chugging away of your trench getting bigger or bits of grass popping into the soil. The art, as well, is wonderful, exhibiting Nakayama’s characteristic cartoony style in all its glory.

Oh yeah, did I mention that GROW Park is totally free? Some ads will roll at the bottom, but they’re not nearly as intrusive as they can be in some of these other titles.

---

4. Unicycle Hero

Developer: Unept

Oh, what can I even say about Unicycle Hero? This games is one of those near-perfect blends of comedy and action, asking the player to perform Olympic-level stunts of ever-increasing difficulty–all while riding a unicycle! From shotputting to jai alai and even table flipping, Unicycle Hero has it all. Simply use the buttons on the left to pedal backward and forward, and tap the button on the right when you’re ready to throw your item as hard as you can!

And, well, this game is hard. Pedal a little too much in any direction, and your athlete will begin to fall beyond the point of no return. That means trying to calculate the perfect balance between your pedals, as well as knowing the right time to throw your item. Every item has a different weight and feeling of aerodynamics, meaning that you essentially need to use a different technique for each one. Some items can’t be thrown very far in the first place and are only good for picking up a few extra points, but each one is important to improving your high score.

One of the most interesting things about Unicycle Hero is the way its “career mode” works. Basically, in order to improve your high score, you have to play through each sport, summing up the distance you threw each item to come up with your total score. That means that you have to be skilled in each sport to reach the highest score possible. Hilariously, the announcers will hurl insults at you when you fail to beat your personal bests.

What really kept me coming back to Unicycle Hero was its level-up system. Through this system, you can use in-game currency (which is not purchasable with real world currency, by the way) to improve your cycling speed, throwing strength, and agility in order to improve your performance. This sets up a very satisfying gameplay loop, as you slowly improve your high score through a combination of your steroid-fueled muscle and raw skill acquired through a handful of hours of engaging playtime.

Unicycle Hero is completely free, of course. Some ads will play every now and then, but it doesn’t really hinder the gameplay. However, there is an ad-free version of this game that you can grab for a couple bucks.

---

5. Hidden my game by mom (Series)

Developer: hap Inc.

For those of you that were hip on my hap Inc.: Humor in Mobile Games article, you may already know about Hidden my game by mom. Guised as one of those escape-the-room puzzle games, Hidden my game by mom is a game that is full of hilarity and unexpected situations designed to make you crack up. On top of that, a rather intriguing narrative was built into it that legitimately left me thinking afterward, feeling a sense of satisfaction and closure. I know that’s weird to say, especially for a puzzle game, but by golly, hap Inc. sure achieved something with this hidden gem.

Playing as a young slacker boy whose only desire is to kick back and play his handheld (dare I say mobile) gaming console, the player must find their game that their mom hid from them. Each level presents the player with a new and often bizarre situation. Is the game under the couch, behind the curtain, or even under grandpa? Much like an escape-the-room game, you can interact with objects and even store key items in your inventory. Each level is extremely short, and every single one of them is designed to get a rise out of the player.

By the time you’re getting arrested by the police for picking up a stray wallet or tussling with a magician, you won’t even remember how you got into Crazyville. Hidden my game by mom operates according to its own rules, inviting the player to hop aboard for quite a bizarre ride. When it’s over, you’ll be wondering how such a meaningful story found its way into a free mobile game.

Hidden my game by mom was so popular, it seems, that the developer saw fit to create two sequels! These games are just as quirky as the original, building upon themes and ideas that their predecessor introduced.

And, would ya believe it, Hidden my game by mom is free! Some ads will roll while you play, but they’re pretty unintrusive, especially considering the fact that Hidden my game by mom is not a very CPU-intensive game.

---

And that does it for the fourth 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!