With the FIFA World Cup set to get underway soon, football fever is gripping people all over the world. This is also the time when a lot of folks head to their mobile phones to get a slice of football gaming action. If what they are looking for is a football gaming rush from some realistic, in-depth action, they have a legendary lot to choose from. From the stunning graphics and real-world teams of EA's FIFA and Konami's PES series to the incredibly detailed strategic challenges of Sega's Football Manager series, football fanatics are spoilt for choice.
There are a number of titles vying for the attention of those who want football on their phones in all its glory and are willing to put in the hours to learn and experience it.
But what if all you wanted was a few minutes of simple footy fun? Just a few kicks in the digital grass before getting back to the business of life? Though the very thought of a casual football game might make Liverpool's legendary manager Bill Shankly (who insisted that football was not a matter of life and death, but much more than that) turn in his grave, there are games out there for the casual footy gamer too.
These might not come with pathbreaking graphics and up-to-date statistics and realistic teams, stadia, and commentary, but what they lack in detail, they more than make up in terms of ease of fun, and simple good old-fashioned fun. Best of all, many of them will not even cost you a penny, as long as you are willing to put up with the odd pesky ad.
So if you want to experience some free football action on your smartphone without too much fuss, go right ahead and try out the following seven titles that will have you scoring and saving goals within seconds of downloading the game.
Note that all games are available on both Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store).
Football Strike: Shoot and save
This is a simple player vs player (PvP) game with a football touch. You and an online opponent face off against each other with a limited number of kicks at the goal. It is really just between the two of you with the ball being placed at different locations.
You shoot when it is your turn and get into the goal and try to make a save when it is the turn of your opponent. The gameplay is smooth and simple and the graphics are decent enough.
You can upgrade to different levels of kit and equipment by shelling out some real bucks, but this is attack-and-defend football at its best.
Final Kick: Free kicks and penalties galore
This is a game for those who love penalty shootouts and free kicks. The pundits might snort 'lottery' and 'superficial' at it, but the fact is that what you get are excellent graphics and very good controls as you try to win one shoot out after another.
Shooting is as simple as a swipe in the direction you want the ball to go in, and saving is swiping in the direction of your dive. The game is sensitive enough to change the speed and direction of your dives and kicks, based on how you swipe - a swifter swipe results in a faster kick.
As you win more, you unlock special kits and equipment that help you score and save goals better. Yes, you can pay your way to excellence if you wish, but if all you want is some kick-and-save action, this is a super game. You get detailed statistics on every kick, slow-motion replays and even some commentary.
The victory celebrations and jeers at misses do tend to get a little cringe-worthy, though.
Score Hero: Get a career, get in the news
Score hero is literally football as a long-running series. You begin as a rookie in a club and then have to play a number of matches as you make your way to the top. However, unlike more 'serious' football games, Score Hero sticks to make you participate in a few events per match — being part of a build-up to a goal by making passes, taking free kicks, and of course, having a pop at goal yourself often.
The game also generates media headlines featuring your name depending on your performance.
Controls are as simple as swipes and the game has enough nuance to keep you involved for a while (there is more than one option of making a pass or taking a shot), although you can simply bail out after a few minutes if you wish.
Flick Kick Football KickOff: Just flick and score
This is a simple free-kick frenzy. Your task is simple - to keep getting the ball into the goal by swiping your finger across the path you want the ball to take.
Of course, there's a twist in the take. As you keep scoring, the further the ball is placed from the goal, the more defenders pop up in front of you to block your view — some of them even move back and forth, making shot selection very challenging indeed. You also get a bonus if you hit special zones in the goal.
The game comes with very colourful, eighties-style graphics and rather good sound effects. You can either play until you run out of lves or try to score the most goals you can within a certain time. Simple fun, not least because the ball can curve like crazy at times. It is not as easy as it might appear to some.
Head Ball 2: Head-in-shoe fun
This is football in frenzy mode with two players facing off against each other. The graphics are cartoonish and simple - each player is literally a head sticking out of a football sneaker.
Your job is to mash on-screen buttons to move ahead, back and shoot at your opponent's goal even as they try to do the same in short and sharp games. It is incredibly linear and simple, and although you can purchase upgrades, playing it at its basic best is a truckload of fun and very addictive, with good sound effects and smooth gameplay.
The game was popular enough to be La Liga's official game.
Blocky Soccer: Soccer with a touch of Subway Surfer
Imagine football played in Subway Surfer mode. Well, Block Soccer is a bit like that.
The graphics are slightly pixelated, but the action is almost non-stop. You take on a team and play a match in which your main task is to get past a certain number of opponents. Getting past them is classic Sub Surfer - you change lanes and accelerate, as they pop up in front of you.
The shooting-for-goal mechanism is a little difficult to master but it adds a challenging spin to the game. Your opposing team's responses are random and can sometimes be frustrating as you do not have the option to defend at all but can only stare as the game announces a goal or a miss in your opponent's favour, but all said and done, there is action aplenty and even a little skill in this game.
Flick Kick Goalkeeper: Dive hard with a vengeance
Just as Flick Kick Off was all about scoring goal, Flick Kick Goalkeeper is all about saving goals.
You stand in goal, facing a series of kicks from different parts of the field. As you save more kicks, you get more abilities and even a few defenders to help you defend your net. Controls are very simple and just as in Flick Kick Football, very responsive, although the graphics are not eighties-inspired.
You keep making saves until you run out lives — you generally have three. That moment in which you decide where to dive does give an adrenaline rush, especially when you guess right. A simple, challenging game.