The 15 Golden Rules of Hyper Casual
Whilst games and trends are always constantly changing on the App store, one thing that Hyper Casual games have truly taught us is that we need to consider is how our players use our games.
Don't forget the basics.
By understanding the casual mobile gamer helps us as game designers deliver a product that fulfils the needs of our players, and when we talk about casual gamers, the following takeaways ground us in the fundamentals.
It’s super important not to forget that amongst all the code, we’re crafting an experience that our players enjoy spending time with, and, if done correctly, will keep returning to for days and weeks.
Be honest with yourself and check these periodically throughout your development stages.
Do not be a copycat: always add value to the idea 🤑
The marketability of a copycat idea is very low as the majority of the players have already seen the original reference.
Do not use large number of input mechanics ( 3 is already too much for Hyper Casual )
Hyper casual games should be playable in any place and almost under any conditions.
❗ Pay a close attention to a camera choice, player's action required to play the game.
Hyper casual games are relatable and directly identifiable with mass appeal disregarding the gender, age or culture.
📈 Sometimes things that are very well known and acceptable in your country are not popular elsewhere.
Satisfying!
Hyper casual games contain tons of gratification, juicy visual effects, especially after level completion.
Snackable!
For level-based games, the completion of each level shouldn't take more than 40 seconds to complete.
❗ Interstitials, interstitials, interstitials!
Basic level of difficulty & challenge. Remember, you are a much better player of your game than the average audience.
🥺 Life challenges us enough, should the game do that too?
Do not over-challenge the players and make sure to reward them for completing a level if you want to achieve good retention.
Hyper casual games do not require a complex UI ( User Interface ). The latter is only used for side-purposes and should not take space on the in-game screen.
🤾♀️ Full focus on the in-game action.
Use a clear tutorial and on-boarding for a player.
⏳ The player should directly understand the mechanics & purpose of the game from the very first seconds.
Trust the data more than your gut feeling. Drop the non-profitable idea and move on to the next one.
❤️ We know you love your game. So do we! Otherwise what's it all for? But it doesn't mean that everyone in the world will love your game.
