How to make a killer hyper-casual game
7 ways to create a game that is impossible to put down
Imagine a game that is instantly playable, lightweight enough to download on any device of your choice and and there’s next to no fuss about which keys to use for what. It is simple enough to understand right away but also simultaneously challenging and stimulating. Sounds too good to be true? Welcome to the world of hyper-casual games! World famous games like Crossy Road and Flappy Bird are great examples of how hyper-casual games have broken barriers and become more accessible and captivating for people of all ages and demographics.
The magic behind hyper-casual games is how intuitive and agile they are. Even though they have a single-purpose functionality, these games pose a good challenge for the player as they attempt to break their own previous records and develop a sense of accomplishment on clearing every level. From puzzles to dodging obstacles to collecting coins to bursting matching cubes for points, hyper casual games do not shy away from testing how present-minded their players are. They are also a hit because they provide a sense of nostalgia, taking us back to the care-free days when your only goal in life was to beat the highest score at the local arcade.
Because of much simpler development process and animations with minimal UI, hyper casual games have been an attractive opportunity for game developers, resulting in thousands of games competing against each other on the mobile application stores. Like every other market, not all games make it to the featured list or the most played list. Many hyper casual games land in the pit of indistinguishability and are forgotten as quickly as they were developed. That being said, not all is lost and you should not be putting a cork in your creativity just yet. Here are a few tips that can help you stand out in the great sea of the hyper casual games.
Don't be a copy cat
A common mistake made by developers is getting heavily influenced by the popular games on the app stores. Although it’s great to have knowledge about the gaming trends to understand which type of games do better than the others, replicating the concept and characters of an already existing game just ends up with you creating a not so needed copy of something that is already well liked and preferred over similar games. It is always a better idea to come up with your own concepts and themes to produce an original game instead of ripping off somebody else’s.
A revving game engine
It is imperative to choose a game engine that best suits the requirements of your game idea. If you are somebody who prefers cross-platform development, Unity is your best bet. You can import game assets from Maya, 3D Max and Blender, as well as make use of the pre-built and free items inside Unity.
If you are a no-code person, Builldbox can be your go to since it offers visual programming with great features that can help you speed up the development process.
Focused on iOS and Android, Cocos2D-X is a good platform for functional UI and scene building.
Game Assets that sell the dream
Game assets like characters, buttons and artwork are to a game what peanut butter is to jelly. They are the face of the game and the medium through which you deliver your concept to the player. Imagine Super Mario, but without Mario. It just doesn’t work! Take your sweet time when acquiring assets for your game idea so they are relevant, on-theme and represent your game in a unique way. There’s a whole world of asset stores out with paid and free resources there that you can take help from.
An optimized game performance >>>
As important as the theme is for any game, a streamlined game play will always be the top priority. With hyper casual games, there are very few functionalities that need to be taken care of but the mechanics need to be top notch for the player to have a glitch free gaming experience. Optimizing your gameplay is a sure fire way to land among the bigwigs. Plus, your players will thank you.
Put it to test
We cannot emphasize on this enough! Always test your game in several phases during and after the development to ensure that it does exactly what it is meant to. Remove the bugs as they come instead of waiting until last minute and consider the ease of use for your game with respect to UI and mechanics. A game is supposed to be challenging only when it is being played.
Soft and Steady
Starting off with a soft launch means you have more margin to understand how your game will perform once it goes out into the world. You are better able to assess the game performance, improve the UI/UX and execute a killer market strategy.
Are you being cross?
Because of how quickly hyper casual games come and go, it is vital for developers to tap into cross promotion so the game stays relevant for longer. Ads for your new game(s) popping up in your current games on the playstore encourage the player to try them out. It gets even better if the player is already enjoying one of your games and wishes to see what new you have come up with.
This is it! You have reached the end of our tips that can help you when starting on the journey of hyper casual game development. We hope these ideas help you significantly in creating amazing games that the players find difficult to put down.
With that, we would like to tell you how Algoryte can make your game development dreams come true! Reach out to us today to get connected to our top of the line hyper casual game developers to get that brilliant idea of yours rolling!