Okay, so it’s been a while, but we’re finally back with more Free Games What Need Playing. This time we’ve got a couple of oddball games for you: you can defend the tranquility of a serene pond from a vicious onslaught of leaves, or you can use every free moment of computer time you have to uber-grind your RPG character and claw your way towards untold riches. Or you can do both, since neither one will cost you anything. Either way you’re bound to have a good time.
We here at CFD! (namely Rob R.) are beginning to run into a little snag: we’re running out of free game ideas. Maybe we just don’t know where to look, or maybe we’re too picky. No matter the reason, we’re willing to admit our lack of perfection and reach out to our readers for help. So if any of you know about some sweet-ass free games, feel free to let us know. You can mention your favorite freebies in the comments or email Rob R. directly at: r.rich@crushfragdestroy.com. We can’t promise you fame and fortune if your suggestion is chosen, but we can promise you attention.
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Still Pond
(http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/still-pond/id390442826?mt=8)
“A leaf falls on a still pond.”
It’s so simple: you have to stop the leaf from reaching the surface of the pond and disrupting its pristine stillness. All you have to do is give the gently floating dead piece of tree a tap. Once you’ve averted that particular crisis, you’ll have to stop two leaves as they simultaneously bear down on your charge. And so on.
As with just about any “simple” game, things get a lot more complicated the longer you last.
You see, leaves aren’t the only objects threatening the serene puddle. Without spoiling anything, suffice it to say that once you get past leaves you’ll probably have a tough time of it. If for no other reason than because you’re laughing so hard. But humor isn’t the only reason Still Pond is sitting on this webpage, although that’s a pretty big part of it. What also keeps the game interesting is the way everything becomes more and more manic the farther you make it. Different objects will behave differently, with some floating in the breeze and others dropping like stones.
When compared to a lot of other games on the platform, Still Pond doesn’t exactly have the same level of staying power. Then again, depending on where you look, it might actually be leaps and bounds better than the competition. And it’s also free. Heck, even if it did cost a dollar or two it’d be worth it just to be able to start it up and show your friends.
Adventure Quest
It’s probably a little weird to bring up Adventure Quest at this point. It’s been around for years, has seen an incredible amount of content updates, has spawned several spin-off games and still receives updates to this very day. We’ll get to those spin-offs eventually in later posts, but for now we’re starting from the beginning.
Adventure Quest is specifically designed to be a “lunch break” rpg. It’s played in a web browser, you can play for minutes or hours at a time, tons of quests are available, with more being added all the time and you can even use the “Battle Monsters” button to crank out a quick fight or two between whatever else you may be doing on your computer when you’re supposed to be working. There are lots of armor sets, weapons, spells and pets to earn through questing or purchase. And, of course, more are added all the time.
The core gameplay is about as straight-forward as it gets. You square off against an enemy and take turns chucking pain at each other. What keeps it from getting stale, aside from the constant draw of better and better gear, is the focus on elemental weaknesses. Both you and your enemies are susceptible to fire, water, earth, light, darkness, ice, wind and electrical attacks, depending on your gear. So it’s important to keep a decent variety or else you may find yourself very, very screwed. Fortunately, a was mentioned previously, there are a ton of options available to you.
As with most “free-to-play” online games, a good deal of content is only available for subscribers (Guardians in this case). However, unlike most games if this ilk, you can still get a very full and robust experience without coughing up a dime and if you do decide to pay, it’s a one-time fee. A one-time fee that will keep you rolling in special content well into the distant future, no less.
