Want some sweet free games to help you get through your Monday? Good, then we’ve got you covered. Both Sword of Fargoal (Free) and Mos Speedrun ($0.99) can be had for zero dollars for a limited time, get ‘em while the gettin’ is good.
Sword of Fargoal - GameClub, Free – This is a shining example of exactly how you should do a modern remake of a classic. The original Sword of Fargoal launched in 1982 and became a cult-classic in the world of roguelikes. The goal is to explore a perilous dungeon floor by floor, crawling ever deeper into it trying to find the “Sword of Fargoal” and make your way back up and out with it.
Nearly 30 years after the original, the iPhone remake took that same basic premise but added gorgeous new visuals that still had a hint of retro-ness to them, lots of new monster, items, and spells, and a new touch-friendly control scheme. We absolutely loved Sword of Fargoal when it hit in December of 2009, and the following year it was expanded on even more first with a huge content update and followed shortly after with Retina Display support for the then-new iPhone 4.
Now, in an effort to promote the funding of Sword of Fargoal 2, the original iOS version is available for free for a limited time. There’s a Universal version called Sword of Fargoal Legends ($2.99) available too, but since it’s published by Chillingo instead of Fargoal LLC it looks like it’s being left out of the freebie fun. However, if you’re an iPad owner who’s interested in the look of Fargoal then grab the free iPhone version and check it out, chances are if you like it then dropping a few bucks for the Universal version will be easy. And if you’re an iPhone or iPod touch owner who hasn’t yet experienced Sword of Fargoal, it’s easily a must-download while free.
Mos Speedrun, $0.99 – Today’s other surprise freebie is the excellent platformer by Physmo called Mos Speedrun. As the name implies, Mos Speedrun’s focus is around completing levels as quickly as possible while running and jumping on platforms and avoiding enemies spread throughout the levels.
If you’ve recently enjoyed Mikey Shorts ($1.99) and you’re thinking this sounds pretty similar, that’s because Mikey Shorts was heavily inspired by Mos Speedrun, among other games. Mos Speedrun got the basics right: tight controls, a great “feel” to the running and jumping, and spectacular level designs. It also nailed all the little details, like making it super simple to retry, having options to race your previous ghost runs, and a really cool option to record your runs and upload them to YouTube right from within the app.
Just to give you a quick rundown of Mos Speedrun if you’re looking for more information, we originally reviewed it when it hit in April last year, and about a month later it was updated with new levels and leaderboards. Physmo has also built in the ability to play new levels in Mos Speedrun just by visiting a link in Safari on your device. There are several of these “web levels" out there already, and the most recent update to the game has prepped it for even more that are coming down the pipeline. Seriously, if you have any interest in iOS platformers at all, then Mos Speedrun is a required download during its free promotion.
