If you don't know Whitaker Trebella by name, you'd probably know him by his work. Aside from designing Polymer [$2.99] he's also composed themes for fantastic games like Tilt to Live [$2.99 / Free / Free (HD)], Super Stickman Golf [$2.99] and more. We haven't done a Free Play for a while, and a super clever puzzle game seemed to be the perfect fit following our previous offerings in both the action and RPG space.

We explained how Polymer works in our preview, which also provides the origin story for the game if you're curious about that:

A polymer, in the parlance of the game, is a complete shape, one with no unfinished edges. You achieve this by sliding rows and columns back and forth to move pieces into place. A skilled player might be able to use every piece on the board, but each piece you move takes six or nine others with it. Larger creations become exponentially more difficult to make without disruption, but they're oh so satisfying to reach for. It's almost a shame to destroy them, but that's where the points come in.

We liked it a lot in our review, and since then the game has been updated with universal support, iCloud syncing, multiplayer, and more- Turning a great game into an even better one. Whether you're a iOS puzzle veteran or don't play too many games like this, Polymer is worth a look.

We hope you enjoy taking Polymer for a spin during this TouchArcade Free Play promotion, and feel free to visit our forums to leave your thoughts or questions about the game and join in on the community discussion. We'll be on the lookout for more games to feature in the Free Play program, so keep your eyes glued to TouchArcade for all the best news, reviews and deals in the world of iOS gaming.

To read more about the TouchArcade Free Play program, check out our introductory post: Introducing TouchArcade Free Play - Get Amazing Games for Free where we lay out what it takes to be a Free Play game, and how often you should expect to see awesome freebies. To stay on top of future TouchArcade Free Play titles, bookmark http://toucharcade.com/freeplay and download the TouchArcade app [Free] to get push notifications of when they go live!

After an incredibly positive response from our new TouchArcade Free Play feature last week, we've already nailed down another fantastic title for you to grab for free. Arc Squadron [$2.99] from developer Psyonix is an arcade-style space combat game built using the Unreal Engine, so it's definitely a visual showpiece title.

Beyond its great looks, though, lies a visceral behind-the-back rail shooter with a heavy influence from the classic Star Fox series. An intuitive touch control scheme translates your taps, drags and swipes into firepower, barrel rolls, and deft ship maneuvers. The controls are what really appeal to me about Arc Squadron, as it feels like you have real hands-on control over your spacecraft, almost like it's an extension of your finger, and it's much more satisfying pulling off cool moves using a scheme like this as opposed to some plain old virtual buttons.

If you're still waffling on whether or not to take advantage of this freebie promotion, you can check out our TA Plays video of Arc Squadron from before its release or read our full 5 star review from when the game launched back in October. Here's an excerpt from that review:

When it comes to a game focused on accuracy and precision, pin-point controls are an absolute must. This is an aspect that ARC Squadron nails, and I think puts it above any other similar games. Rather than focuses on virtual joysticks or buttons, ARC utilizes a simpler control scheme that allows you to move your ship with a simple touch-and-drag.

I'm a huge fan of the control scheme in ARC Squadron. Movement feels so intuitive, and the auto-fire is an excellent move, letting players focus on other aspects. Maneuvering your ship simply feels natural, which is a rarity for me.

One other thing worth mentioning about Arc Squadron is that it's a lengthy game with tons of levels to play through, and should last you a good long while. This is especially true if you buckle down and go for full 3-star completion of every level, which is no easy feat. Though it does recycle environments to fill out its sheer number of levels, Arc Squadron somehow manages to still feel fresh throughout, and it's an exciting ride. Oh, and since its release Arc Squadron has been updated to include iCloud support, a higher sensitivity option for the drag controls, and new items in the shop.

We hope you enjoy taking Arc Squadron for a spin during this TouchArcade Free Play promotion, and feel free to visit our forums to leave your thoughts or questions about the game and join in on the community discussion. We'll be on the lookout for more games to feature in the Free Play program, so keep your eyes glued to TouchArcade for all the best news, reviews and deals in the world of iOS gaming.

To read more about the TouchArcade Free Play program, check out our introductory post: Introducing TouchArcade Free Play - Get Amazing Games for Free where we lay out what it takes to be a Free Play game, and how often you should expect to see awesome freebies. To stay on top of future TouchArcade Free Play titles, bookmark http://toucharcade.com/freeplay and download the TouchArcade app [Free] to get push notifications of when they go live!

Quite a few stars have aligned to launch the TouchArcade Free Play initiative. Our first game we're going to be featuring is Crescent Moon Games' Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD [$4.99]. The two year anniversary of the game's original release is coming up and Crescent Moon is gearing up for the impending launch of Ravensword: Shadowlands- Another massive open-world RPG. Aralon provides a fantastic glimpse of what iOS devices are capable of, and according to everything we've seen, Ravensword: Shadowlands is taking this formula one step further.

We loved Aralon in our review, along with the whole backstory of the extreme makeover the game saw as soon as original creators Galoobeth Games teamed up with Crescent Moon. At the time of its original writing, the Aralon anticipation thread was the most trafficked thread in TouchArcade forum history.

I used to look at my iOS device as a small window into new worlds and fun experiences, and with Aralon I feel like I actually have a fully realized living and breathing universe sitting snugly in my pocket.

Aralon features over 30 hours of gameplay, and an incredibly depth character creation system complete with multiple races and classes- Each with their own unique skill trees. Accompanying the main story quest is tons of optional side quests to complete, hundreds of items to acquire, faction systems, crafting systems, and mounts ranging from basic horses to epic dragons.

To sweeten the deal further, online save game syncing allows you to bring your character with you across multiple devices. Additionally, because it was released in 2010, the game runs well on basically every iOS device out there, and has only gotten better on newer hardware which has allowed for rock solid frame rates and Retina Display graphics.

We hope you enjoy Aralon: Sword and Shadow as much as we have over the years. It's an incredibly solid start to the TouchArcade Free Play program, and serves as an excellent benchmark for what to expect in future Free Play titles. We'd like to thank Crescent Moon Games for agreeing to participate in this inaugural Free Play.

Aralon is going to be free for a very limited time, so be sure to grab it, tell your friends, and have fun playing it.

As you've probably noticed by now, the App Store ecosystem is loaded with ways to get free games. Whether you're involved in some elaborate referral code scheme or are simply downloading a game that a developer paid (potentially lots) of money to be promoted as free, quality is something that is rarely considered. We aim to change all that. Today, we're rolling out a new program we're calling TouchArcade Free Play.

We're following a few guidelines for this project, which will all likely evolve over time. First off, and arguably most importantly, we're only going to be featuring games that were well reviewed by TouchArcade, and we aren't receiving any payment for featuring them. The selection process is purely based on our editorial staff and the generous cooperation of the developers. We are also going try to find quality games that have never been free before. This isn't a promotion that's going to be scheduled on a daily or weekly basis- It's meant to be something special, something to get excited over, and something to look forward to. Additionally, they are all going to be real games, as they were originally meant to be played- Not games that are promoted as free as part of a stealth update implementing loads of IAP and in essence turning it into a free to play game in the process.

Essentially, when a new TouchArcade Free Play game goes up, it's our way of saying, "This game is great, everyone with an iOS device should have it, and now you can for a limited time without paying a cent."

All you need to do is keep an eye on TouchArcade for new Free Play titles, then download and enjoy them. If you like the games, help out the developer by leaving an iTunes review, telling a friend, participating in the forum thread and/or checking out the rest of their iTunes game library. That's it. There's no catch.

Stay tuned for the weeks and months ahead for all sorts of awesome free games courtesy of TouchArcade.