Each month, we bring you the best new games to play on your iPhone or iPad, and we've got a great selection for July. There's crazy golf, a rockin' rodeo and even a crack-dodging pavement simulator – and best of all, they won't cost you a penny!
Super Stickman Golf 3
Noodlecake Studios Inc
Free
Super Stickman Golf 3 continues the series' fine tradition of taking golf and making it a lot more fun!
As with earlier games in the series, this one is still played in a 2D world, and the stick-man physics and visual style make the game really easy to get into – but as you unlock more and more worlds, things start to get considerably harder.
If you're new to the series, though, don't worry – you'll pick things up in no time. Your little stick-man starts at one end of the level, and there's a series of floating platforms or hazards like water between you and the green.
You simply tap once to start your swing, then again to set the power, and there are also two arrows to determine the angle of the hit as well. Once you get the hang of things you'll be putting like a pro in no time!
New to the series this year is a 'spin control' that lets add some top- or backspin to the ball while in flight, which can give you a little bit more control for tricky shots. Also new are 'card packs' –purchasable packs that can contain power-ups, virtual currency or customisation options for your stick-man. There are some lovely hats which just look great on the course!
The card packs are how the game makes money – if you've played Fallout Shelter, it's a very similar approach. You can either play the game and earn cool things gradually, or pay a small microtransaction and get access to things a bit early. You certainly don't need to pay, though, and can very easily enjoy the game for free.
All in all, Super Stickman Golf 3 is a great upgrade to the series – and even if you haven't played the previous ones, there's no reason not to download it!
Rodeo Stampede
Featherweight Games Pty Limited
Free
Rodeo Stampede is a combination endless-runner and zoo-management game – and surprisingly, it works really well! You start off by learning the basics of riding animals and how to tame them, and each creature you tame will be added to your zoo.
This rodeo part of the game is where you'll spend most of your time, and the controls work really well on mobile. You simply press and hold the screen to grip on to to an animal, and then release your finger to jump between different ones before you get bucked off. When you land on an animal, you'll have to dodge your way around other stampeding ones so as not to crash – as well as avoiding obstacles and smashing crates open to collect coins.
You spend these coins on the other half of the game – the zoo. The animals you've collected all have their own sections, allowing you to admire and look after them, and you can open the zoo up to the public to help you collect income to spend on upgrades. There isn't too much micromanagement here – but it's a very nice way of showing off your progress.
There are plenty of animals to collect in the game, including buffalo, elephants, zebras and more. Each one you collect is also marked with a 'Safari Selfie', where the camera will freeze-frame and pan around, so you can see your blocky face full of glee at managing to tame your next ride. Yee-haw!
Steppy Pants
Super Entertainment
Free
Steppy Pants is a rather silly game with a very simple concept: don't step on the cracks!
Tap once on the screen and your chosen character will take one step forward. Tap again and they'll take another, and another, and another. Essentially, you just need to make the guy walk without stepping on the cracks or getting your legs tangled up.
That's all you need to know to get started – and once you master it, you'll find the game incredibly easy.
OK, that last bit was a little untruthful, as Steppy Pants just keeps on throwing obstacles at you to keep you on your toes – or, in this case, off your feet entirely! You'll have to watch out for reckless drivers who mount the path, while also maintaining your balance and keeping yourself moving forward.
Think of as an odd mix of Flappy Bird and Crossy Road: you need good timing and patience to really get it right. You'll be helped along the way by various power-ups that can accelerate you forward or make you walk faster – though I actually found this even trickier, as it was enough of a struggle to master the normal walking speed!
So, what happens when you misstep or land on a crack? Your character becomes a hilariously limp ragdoll and smashes into the floor to great comedic effect. Sometimes the fall will be so funny, you'd wish you could watch it again – and luckily, Steppy Pants has already thought of this, and easily transforms your blundering inability to walk into a GIF you can instantly share with everyone!
As with most games like this, there's a great degree of customization available here, too. You can unlock and choose from hundreds of combinations of headgear and outfits to truly make your character unique. Overall, I think Steppy Pants definitely takes the crown in the highly competitive 'walking simulation' genre.
Dash Quest
Tiny Titan Studios
Free
What's this you say? "Another endless-runner game? Daniel, you magnificent game reviewer, can't we have something different?"
Good point, but this sort of game do tend to dominate the free game world – and this one is actually really good.
Dash Quest takes the the endless-running mechanic and adds a large number of RPG elements. Fighting, blocking, bosses – it's full of these kind of things, which sets it apart from similar games.
The gameplay is nice and simple, and works great with the touchscreen. You are running through the land and enemies are coming at you, and you simply tap right to attack or left to block. These are the essentials – but there are other controls too, such as pressing and holding to fire magic spells and projectiles.
You'll earn points as you move through the world, which increase your character's level. As you level up, you'll also unlock different outfits, weapons, various magic attacks and other skills to help you defeat the enemies in each level – and, more importantly, to help you to win the boss fights.
Here, you'll need to keep an eye on the health bar at the bottom of the screen, and learn to time your blocking. I was a bit rubbish at first, and lost my first boss fight, but quickly got the timing right to defeat him.
In addition to these boss fights, there are plenty of other minigames and daily challenges for you to try and finish off. There are also a lot of hidden things to find in the world map – none are essential to the gameplay, but they do add to the awesome overall game design.
Speaking of which, the graphics have a great retro feel to them and take me back to games like the Zelda series on the NES and SNES. Personally, I'm a massive fan of that era – so any game that sparks those feelings of nostalgia is always going to get bonus points in my book.
Overall, Dash Quest is a fantastic RPG. It has so many good elements all working together, and the 'endless-runner' aspect just means you can focus on having fun, rather than trying to deal with fiddly controls. This is definitely worth a download and will keep you coming back for more!
Thumb Drift
SMG Studio
Free
Finishing off our list this month is Thumb Drift – a driving game where the emphasis is on drifting around corners and not blowing up your car.
There controls are simple: you just slide your thumb on the screen to control the intensity of your drift and simply try to stay on the track, collecting coins and not smashing your car to pieces, sending your poor crash-test dummy flying!
The graphics look great: there are over 60 licensed cars for you to drive, while the art style keeps things looking simple yet detailed. The driving is backed by a pretty awesome soundtrack that keeps up the intensity and makes you want to keep on playing.
The gameplay itself is also pretty addictive, and you just want to keep going and getting better. You'll need some practice to get good , but once you learn it and start unlocking more cars you'll not want to stop playing.
If you enjoy fun racing games. then you'll definitely enjoy Thumb Drift: it's easy to pick up and makes those few minutes where you have nothing to do a lot more fun! And if you don't believe me, just see what this popular motorhead has to say about it:
“I want nothing to do with this game. Stop contacting me” – Jeremy Clarkson
Fantastic.
That's it for July's round-up of the very best iPhone and iPad games – but for more great articles from our Agents straight to your inbox each month, why not get your name down below for the Geek Squad newsletter?