The Trawler Report: The best free iPhone games on the App Store (Feb 23 2009)

The boys are back in town this week, with a couple of big hitters gracing us with long-awaited Lite versions.

You'll already have noticed I Love Katamari, the brilliant - if flawed - iPhone conversion of the cult classic. Puzzle Quest comes farther down, and we like to think its inclusion in this week's list is due in no small part to our taking the game to task for costing too much.

That's not to say we don't have a fresh selection of more underground titles on offer too. Maze games are the order of the day apparently, while the omnipresent puzzler genre is bringing up the rear to complete another tasty selection box of freebies.

The best free iPhone games on the App Store

I Love Katamari
By Namco
What is it? It's the latest instalment of the kooky roll-a-thon series
Type Demo

When originally released, many users were left complaining about annoying slowdowns and a too-slow pace with I Love Katamari. The pace issue may not have changed much, but now that a few updates have been applied, most of the technical issues should hopefully have been fixed.

This Lite version only gets you a single level of the Time Attack mode, equating to just a couple of minutes of gameplay. However, since the full I Love Katamari is both a relatively pricey title and something of a unique experience, we recommend you give it a shot. For more commentary on the game, why not check out our review.

BiiBall Lite
By Bootant
What is it? It's a 3D tilt maze game
Type Demo

BiiBall is a tilt-controlled linear maze game where you have to collect objects while avoiding hitting any of the maze's walls. From the screenshots it may look like quite a vanilla game, but some cute sound effects give it a garnish of charm. The 3D looks great too, with clean textures and super-smooth movement.

It's not that clear exactly what you're missing out on in the lite version, but it's most likely more levels. The full version is only 59p at the moment, so if the Lite version does take your fancy, it's priced for an impulse buy.

BubbleHead Free
By Crowdcafe
What is it? It's a 2D tilt maze game
Type Demo

BubbleHead may sound a lot like BiiBall from our tagline description, but it has got quite a different oddball vibe. You control a cute little floating head, tilting to set the direction, and you press the screen to get the little guy moving. You need to avoid hitting any objects while collecting the stars that litter each of the levels.

You get three levels to play through in this version, compared to the 25 of the full version. It's probably this week's cutest game, so if you're into weird little floating aliens with David Bowie eyes, BubbleHead Free could be right up your street.

Arcade Maniak Lite
By Alexandre Miland
What is it? It's a confusingly-titled 9-in-1 puzzler
Type Demo

In spite of the 'arcade' of the title, none of the nine games in Arcade Maniak are particularly arcadey. Really, it's a puzzle collection. That's not to say it's bad - far from it in fact - but presumably the chess club associations of a more accurate title put off Alexandre Miland from giving it a name adorned with its significant geek cred.

You get to play all nine games in this Lite version, so there's actually a lot of puzzle fun to be had here. The full version gets you six difficulty levels for each game, which should be enough to keep even puzzle veterans going for, well, ages. If you're willing to engage your brain, Arcade Maniak is this week's most content-rich title.

Oort Storm Lite
By Flipside5
What is it? It's a space-based asteroid blaster
Type Demo

The App Store already has a few galaxies worth of space shooters, but Oort Storm's controls work well enough to deserve a mention. You control the direction of your craft by tilting your device, and touch panels at each side of the screen are used to set off the ship's thrusters and cannons.

In the free version you get just one level of the full game's nine. A few other features are cut out, leaving the free version as a fairly simple asteroid-blasting exercise. However, your ship still feels good enough to control to make Oort Storm worthy of the Trawler's attention.

Pick of the Week

Puzzle Quest
By Transgaming Inc.
What is it? It's the iPhone version of the RPG-puzzle hybrid classic
Type Demo

Puzzle Quest has been around a bit. It has made its way onto a handful of formats, and almost to universal acclaim. When it first landed on iPhone though, there were many complaints about the readability of the text and some mumbles about the visuals.

Since then, the text has been sharpened up, although it's still not the most comfortable of reads at times. Thankfully, the gameplay remains intact. You get to play the first few quests of the full game here, which should be enough to see whether you like it enough to fork out the fiver for the paid version.

Crap Apps Box of Shame Award

Rubberduck
By AAApplications
What is it? It's a rubbish rubber duck simulator
Type Full

We've seen a lot of sound effects applications in the search for the App Store's free treats, but Rubberduck takes the biscuit - or should that be sponge? We can imagine a fluffy little rubberduck application being cute, perhaps with a nice little 3D mesh duckie that flexes and squeaks under your touch.

Unfortunately, this rubber duck looks like it was scrawled out in three minutes using MS Paint. You do get a squeak when you press the screen, but it's just a single bleat that's the same how ever and wherever you touch the screen. Must try harder.