Games aren't just about fun. They're often about playing out some kind of fantasy. Like you can have something with 10/10 graphics, better than Stardew Valley, but Stardew Valley players aren't going to just buy a clone. They might switch to something with different gameplay though, like My Time At Portia.
Nobody fantasizes about arrows. You can make it a little livelier, like having a child find her cat.
Puzzles and match 3 are actually some of the lowest performing on average. But Candy Crush makes more money than StarCraft II. With games, you have to be in the top 10%. With casual, maybe closer to top 1%.
Wordle is about warming up the brain before work every morning, with colleagues. Sudoku makes you feel like you're good at math. Candy Crush is just plain juicy. Watch the ads for Candy Crush. It sells the fantasy of getting two 5-matches next to each other without strategy or effort.
With games like this, you might want to spend half the dev time on polish, or the game dev term being juice.
It's fun enough to sell I think. Casual games don't need to be fun. To use a food analogy, they're like snacks. They don't need to be filling; they're just there to munch on. The analogy works great for Candy Crush - it's just sweet and doesn't try to be more.
This is a great feedback, and very good analogies. Thank you! I guess there's not much of middle ground where I would make living with a casual game. You are either a millionaire or it flops.
Hey, I hope this comment doesn't bring you down. You asked for feedback with the aim of doing better -- I'm not going to pull my punches.
In my opinion, your game isn't performing well because the gameplay isn't very compelling. In best combo mode, I can see a grid of arrows, I'm informed that clicking one of these arrows will clear more than the others. It says that I should find "creative ways" to clear the grid. I'm not sure that such a thing is possible. At worst, this is a game of guess the 1/25 arrow to click. At best, it's a game of tracking backwards through the arrows. As somebody who enjoys puzzle games, I don't personally find this a fun mechanic.
My initial thought was that the art might be the problem. That perhaps if these were frogs that ate each other in order or if these were bubbles that popped in a satisfying way, this might be more enjoyable, but if you haven't got compelling gameplay, dressing it up isn't going to help. My recommendation is to focus on creating challenging and enjoyable gameplay first.
Perhaps play some other puzzle games and ask yourself what it is you're enjoying about them.
Since writing this comment I've given it some more thought and decided that I wasn't being constructive enough, so here's something a bit more positive:
Given the issue described above, if we were to add a translation task to the player, this would feel more like a puzzle. For instance, if instead of a downward facing arrow, we had a blue tile. Blue tiles move down, orange tiles move left etc. This way, we can use the exact mechanic you've built here but start the player off with a 1x2 grid, and progressively grow to a larger grid with more colours/rules. This to me seems more fun than what it currently is, and it lends itself to a more compelling art style -- even Tetris pops with colours. Going off the art idea I had in my previous comment, perhaps blue frogs are always eaten by the frog below them, green frogs are always eaten by the frog to the left of them. It could be called Frog Eat Frog or something.
I appreciate your feedback very much. I will go back to the drawing board :) I will try to keep the main mechanic but I will enhance it somehow. I will give it some identity and some special tiles.
I haven't downloaded the game yet so I can't give you much feedback, but I do have a few tips/suggestions:
- have a video that shows off the gameplay: show off a few small combos and then one really big satisfying combo, also show off the game modes.
- colours, sound and animations: a really important component of game design. Each tap needs to feel like it has an impact or people will lose interest (it's why gambling machines are loud and colourful).
- offer some non-coin rewards for difficult achievements (alternate themes, different effects when you get a combo, etc.). It gives people something to show off to their peers.
- Daily challenges: gives people a reason to play the game daily. Offer a small coin reward for completing the daily challenge and set up notifications to let people know when the next daily challenge is available.
I recommend downloading a few popular puzzle apps and having a look at how they are designed, but keep in mind that not all design choices are to make the game fun. (Free) Mobile games these days are designed to be addictive and encourage users to make regular small purchases to keep the game enjoyable. I'm not a fan of this kind of game design but you'll see it everywhere because it's profitable (unfortunately).
My advice may also be a little out of date as I don't play mobile games anymore (learning how they designed really killed the enjoyment for me), but I hope it's helpful.
I think Wordle is instructive here in that it has many lessons for how to make a game go viral or become even mildly popular.
For starters, perhaps you should make it also available on the web, if at all possible. That makes it easier to share and discover.
And maybe invest in the ability for users to export the gameplay as video. I could see it spreading more if people post long combos that last for minutes, sped up with music, for example and posting on TikTok, Twitter, etc. Otherwise, even if it's a good game, most people aren't ever going to discover it, except after many months.
Obviously it always helps to make a game more fun and compelling, but I presume you're already aware of that.
This is the basically just the floor puzzle from Silph Co. in Pokemon Red and Blue, but without consequences for picking the wrong path. The floor puzzle was a very small part of the game, something that would add about 15 seconds to the gameplay. I don't think it'd work for a full game meant to engage the player for more than a few minutes total.
That's a great feedback, that's exactly what I wanted. To be honest this is the second iteration on the design :D I am glad you haven't seen it before :D
Okay, gonna be honest, the main issue your game has is that it seems too generic/boring. The visuals aren't bad per se, but they feel like they come straight from some premade UI framework, like a slightly fancier equivalent to programmer art.
So while the game might be fun to play, at first glance it just looks and feels cheap. It lacks an identity of its own, and that makes it really not stand out from the hordes of other generic puzzle games flooding the app stores at the moment.
Definitely add something to make it stand out there. Unique characters, a visual theme as a whole, etc.
Also maybe rethink the name too. Arrows is definitely a clear name for this game, but it doesn't really sell the game in any way, and feels about as generic as the art style does. Most successful games have strong branding that you can build a potential series off of, whereas this one does not.
Gameplay wise it seems like it could be fun, but it also feels like the mechanics will get old very quickly. It's a gameplay loop that doesn't look particularly compelling from the footage required, and which most bigger titles relegate to a mini game or dungeon puzzle since the mechanics don't have enough to them to carry a whole game.
Letting the user pay for the game, or at least allowing the user to pay to remove ads. I will usually pay to remove ads within the first 10 minutes if the app seems like it is something worth using within that period.
The graphics aren’t awful, but they are bland and generic. I would recommend making different themed levels. Maybe one level could be dinosaurs, another could be space, etc.
Not too much, I was hoping I would be able to reach at least 1k downloads organically. But that's not the case at all. To be honest marketing isn't my strong suite.
Mobile gaming is ALL by marketing. If you don't have good marketing it's not going to even reach that many of users. PC Indie gaming is slightly different because of the possibility to build communities.
I mean, it costs nothing to ask them what to do. It seems like you are searching for your gold mine as opposed to building something cool and being happy with it. Yes sometimes you find gold mines building something cool but most of the time it's a grind to make something from nothing. So I would invest as much as you think you should invest in it and I would probably start with zero dollars by asking perplexity what to do and it will probably tell you to post a dev blog about the game, and post that on socials, and post about the game on socials with gameplay videos, and play the game on twitch so other people see the game. all of that costs zero dollars but lots of time.
Games aren't just about fun. They're often about playing out some kind of fantasy. Like you can have something with 10/10 graphics, better than Stardew Valley, but Stardew Valley players aren't going to just buy a clone. They might switch to something with different gameplay though, like My Time At Portia.
Nobody fantasizes about arrows. You can make it a little livelier, like having a child find her cat.
Puzzles and match 3 are actually some of the lowest performing on average. But Candy Crush makes more money than StarCraft II. With games, you have to be in the top 10%. With casual, maybe closer to top 1%.
Wordle is about warming up the brain before work every morning, with colleagues. Sudoku makes you feel like you're good at math. Candy Crush is just plain juicy. Watch the ads for Candy Crush. It sells the fantasy of getting two 5-matches next to each other without strategy or effort.
With games like this, you might want to spend half the dev time on polish, or the game dev term being juice.
It's fun enough to sell I think. Casual games don't need to be fun. To use a food analogy, they're like snacks. They don't need to be filling; they're just there to munch on. The analogy works great for Candy Crush - it's just sweet and doesn't try to be more.
> With games like this, you might want to spend half the dev time on polish, or the game dev term being juice.
see also: 2012 talk "juice it or lose it" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy0aCDmgnxg
"A juicy game feels alive and responds to everything you do tons of cascading action and response for minimal user input."
I love the video! I will make sure to add some juice to my game! It's going to drip
This is a great feedback, and very good analogies. Thank you! I guess there's not much of middle ground where I would make living with a casual game. You are either a millionaire or it flops.
Hey, I hope this comment doesn't bring you down. You asked for feedback with the aim of doing better -- I'm not going to pull my punches.
In my opinion, your game isn't performing well because the gameplay isn't very compelling. In best combo mode, I can see a grid of arrows, I'm informed that clicking one of these arrows will clear more than the others. It says that I should find "creative ways" to clear the grid. I'm not sure that such a thing is possible. At worst, this is a game of guess the 1/25 arrow to click. At best, it's a game of tracking backwards through the arrows. As somebody who enjoys puzzle games, I don't personally find this a fun mechanic.
My initial thought was that the art might be the problem. That perhaps if these were frogs that ate each other in order or if these were bubbles that popped in a satisfying way, this might be more enjoyable, but if you haven't got compelling gameplay, dressing it up isn't going to help. My recommendation is to focus on creating challenging and enjoyable gameplay first.
Perhaps play some other puzzle games and ask yourself what it is you're enjoying about them.
Since writing this comment I've given it some more thought and decided that I wasn't being constructive enough, so here's something a bit more positive:
Given the issue described above, if we were to add a translation task to the player, this would feel more like a puzzle. For instance, if instead of a downward facing arrow, we had a blue tile. Blue tiles move down, orange tiles move left etc. This way, we can use the exact mechanic you've built here but start the player off with a 1x2 grid, and progressively grow to a larger grid with more colours/rules. This to me seems more fun than what it currently is, and it lends itself to a more compelling art style -- even Tetris pops with colours. Going off the art idea I had in my previous comment, perhaps blue frogs are always eaten by the frog below them, green frogs are always eaten by the frog to the left of them. It could be called Frog Eat Frog or something.
Wishing you the best of luck with your project.
I appreciate your feedback very much. I will go back to the drawing board :) I will try to keep the main mechanic but I will enhance it somehow. I will give it some identity and some special tiles.
I haven't downloaded the game yet so I can't give you much feedback, but I do have a few tips/suggestions:
- have a video that shows off the gameplay: show off a few small combos and then one really big satisfying combo, also show off the game modes.
- colours, sound and animations: a really important component of game design. Each tap needs to feel like it has an impact or people will lose interest (it's why gambling machines are loud and colourful).
- offer some non-coin rewards for difficult achievements (alternate themes, different effects when you get a combo, etc.). It gives people something to show off to their peers.
- Daily challenges: gives people a reason to play the game daily. Offer a small coin reward for completing the daily challenge and set up notifications to let people know when the next daily challenge is available.
I recommend downloading a few popular puzzle apps and having a look at how they are designed, but keep in mind that not all design choices are to make the game fun. (Free) Mobile games these days are designed to be addictive and encourage users to make regular small purchases to keep the game enjoyable. I'm not a fan of this kind of game design but you'll see it everywhere because it's profitable (unfortunately).
My advice may also be a little out of date as I don't play mobile games anymore (learning how they designed really killed the enjoyment for me), but I hope it's helpful.
I think Wordle is instructive here in that it has many lessons for how to make a game go viral or become even mildly popular.
For starters, perhaps you should make it also available on the web, if at all possible. That makes it easier to share and discover.
And maybe invest in the ability for users to export the gameplay as video. I could see it spreading more if people post long combos that last for minutes, sped up with music, for example and posting on TikTok, Twitter, etc. Otherwise, even if it's a good game, most people aren't ever going to discover it, except after many months.
Obviously it always helps to make a game more fun and compelling, but I presume you're already aware of that.
This is the basically just the floor puzzle from Silph Co. in Pokemon Red and Blue, but without consequences for picking the wrong path. The floor puzzle was a very small part of the game, something that would add about 15 seconds to the gameplay. I don't think it'd work for a full game meant to engage the player for more than a few minutes total.
Blunt, but:
- The icon is terrible.
- The graphics and UI widgets are terrible.
They actively repulse me, because they resemble the design of those corporate conference "audience poll" type apps.
Try more modern designs? Give it a good space theme, or a castle or dungeon theme, perhaps? AI imagegen might produce something good if you need help.
Just being honest, because that's what you asked for. :-)
That's a great feedback, that's exactly what I wanted. To be honest this is the second iteration on the design :D I am glad you haven't seen it before :D
Okay, gonna be honest, the main issue your game has is that it seems too generic/boring. The visuals aren't bad per se, but they feel like they come straight from some premade UI framework, like a slightly fancier equivalent to programmer art.
So while the game might be fun to play, at first glance it just looks and feels cheap. It lacks an identity of its own, and that makes it really not stand out from the hordes of other generic puzzle games flooding the app stores at the moment.
Definitely add something to make it stand out there. Unique characters, a visual theme as a whole, etc.
Also maybe rethink the name too. Arrows is definitely a clear name for this game, but it doesn't really sell the game in any way, and feels about as generic as the art style does. Most successful games have strong branding that you can build a potential series off of, whereas this one does not.
Gameplay wise it seems like it could be fun, but it also feels like the mechanics will get old very quickly. It's a gameplay loop that doesn't look particularly compelling from the footage required, and which most bigger titles relegate to a mini game or dungeon puzzle since the mechanics don't have enough to them to carry a whole game.
Well the "contains ads" part will drive some people away.
Yeah, I'm one of them. I won't install applications that contain ads.
How should they make money, the developers?
I'm not being hostile, just inquisitive.
Letting the user pay for the game, or at least allowing the user to pay to remove ads. I will usually pay to remove ads within the first 10 minutes if the app seems like it is something worth using within that period.
I have added an option to remove ads permanently for $4.99. So that's a good feedback :)
By charging money for the application. I'll buy an application for money, but I won't install one that includes advertising code.
Or, even, make a trial version and allow people to pay to upgrade for the full version.
Or do all of the above -- have an advertising version and a version without ads that people can pay for.
By selling the game?
Really? Should I rely on microtransactions then?
Have you considered some kind of demo level and pay to unlock the full game?
The screenshots do not look good. I might give the gameplay a chance later but if you want the game to succeed, you should invest in graphics
The graphics aren’t awful, but they are bland and generic. I would recommend making different themed levels. Maybe one level could be dinosaurs, another could be space, etc.
What marketing have you done?
Not too much, I was hoping I would be able to reach at least 1k downloads organically. But that's not the case at all. To be honest marketing isn't my strong suite.
Mobile gaming is ALL by marketing. If you don't have good marketing it's not going to even reach that many of users. PC Indie gaming is slightly different because of the possibility to build communities.
just ask perplexity or chatgpt or whichever AI provider you want to design a marketing plan for you and follow it.
How much would you invest into marketing this?
I mean, it costs nothing to ask them what to do. It seems like you are searching for your gold mine as opposed to building something cool and being happy with it. Yes sometimes you find gold mines building something cool but most of the time it's a grind to make something from nothing. So I would invest as much as you think you should invest in it and I would probably start with zero dollars by asking perplexity what to do and it will probably tell you to post a dev blog about the game, and post that on socials, and post about the game on socials with gameplay videos, and play the game on twitch so other people see the game. all of that costs zero dollars but lots of time.
Give it a graphical theme. Arrows might work well with road signs.
What is your opinion on playable ads - do they work?