Hyper Casual Game Development: Tips

If you’ve ever been to a casual game meetup, you’re probably familiar with the term “hyper casual.” They originally used the term to describe simple games. The ones that relied on quick play sessions and social interaction through community forums and chat groups. Over time, it has come to encompass games. The games that are easy to pick up and put down, with little pressure for players to get involved in long play sessions or spend money on virtual items or upgrades. As these types of games become more popular (and lucrative), developers need strategies for making their games stand out from the crowd. 

 

 

When you’re designing your game, keep in mind that most people will be playing it on their own or with friends in a relaxed environment. You want to make sure that the player can play without feeling stressed out by the pressure of winning or losing.

Don’t overcomplicate things. Make sure the controls are easy to understand. Don’t overcomplicate things by adding too many elements into your game (like power-ups). Keep it simple! Don’t be afraid of failure – failure is an important part of learning new things! And finally: don’t be afraid to try different things! The more experience you have making games, the more ideas will come naturally when trying new projects. So don’t limit yourself by sticking with only one type of genre/gameplay style forever.

 

Listen to Your Players for Successful Hyper Casual Game Development

The most important thing you can do is listen to your players.

Listen to what they are saying about your game, and use analytics to track player behavior.

Ask for feedback on your game, and use it as an opportunity to improve the experience for everyone involved!

 

Make the Game Mobile-Friendly

If you’re going to make a game, it should work on all devices.

• Use a game engine that is mobile-friendly. They build many of the popular engines specifically for making games for phones and tablets, such as Unity or Unreal Engine 4 (UE4). UE4 even has a free version that one can use with no restrictions! If you don’t know how to code in C++ or another language, there are many resources online where people can help you learn how to use these engines.
• Make sure the game works on different screen sizes and devices. iPhones have smaller screens than iPads do. Some Android phones have higher PPI than others; etcetera… So test your games thoroughly on all kinds of different devices before releasing them into the wild!
• Allow players to save their progress so they don’t have start over every time they get interrupted by something else happening around them (like getting hungry). This also allows them more freedom when playing at home versus playing while out somewhere else like school/work. There losing access might mean losing progress too if they don’t have time later on today.

 

Aim for Speed and Simplicity for Successful Hyper Casual Game Development

To master hyper casual games, you need to keep your game simple and fast to learn. The best hyper casual games are easy for anyone to pick up and play in minutes. Also, they’re designed with speed in mind.

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With this in mind, here are some tips for making sure your game has these qualities:

• Make it quick to learn and easy to play. Your goal is not necessarily a complex strategy title. Instead, focus on getting players engaged as quickly as possible so they can start having fun right away!
• Keep the game simple but not too simple (or else it won’t be interesting). 

 

Keep Your Game Levels as Short as Possible

The attention span of your players is short. They’re not going to sit through a 10-minute level just because you want them to. They’ll get bored, frustrated, and leave. This is especially true when it comes to mobile games. The ones where many users are playing while on the go or during other activities (like commuting).

So what can you do? Keep your game levels as short as possible! The shorter your levels are in terms of time invested by the player (in practice), the better chance they have of finishing them successfully. And then coming back for more later on down the road.

Shortening game length also makes it easier for players who aren’t quite ready yet. Instead of having one long block of gameplay before feeling confident enough about their skillset that they feel ready for something else at home/at work/etc. Shorter sessions allow them time off every now-and-then without feeling like quitting altogether would’ve been unnecessary. This is because there wasn’t enough practice involved beforehand.

 

Use a Simple Game Mechanic and Ruleset

The first step to hyper casual game development is to use a simple game mechanic and ruleset. The best way to do this is by keeping the game mechanics and rules as simple as possible.

For example, in Bubble Shooter you simply shoot bubbles at other bubbles in order to match three or more of them together. If you get enough matches, then those bubbles will disappear from the screen! In Trivia Crack (and its sequel), each player chooses an avatar and then has four lives per round. If your opponent answers all six questions correctly before losing all four lives, then they win that round! These are just two examples of how simplicity can go hand-in-hand with fun gameplay experiences that keep people coming back again and again.

 

Build a Community Through Social Media and Event Promotion

• Social media. There are a lot of ways to use social media to promote your game and build up a community. However, at the end of the day it all comes down to making an effort. Posting regularly on Facebook and Twitter is important. But so is interacting with other users in public forums like Reddit or Discord channels. If someone posts something interesting about your game or asks for advice on how they can improve their score, don’t be afraid to reply directly!
• Events. Attending local events where you can meet other developers/players is another great way of building up buzz around your game. Especially if there’s something unique about yours (for example: “I made this multiplayer shooter where everyone plays as cats”). If possible make sure that someone else from your team goes along too this will help get people talking about both sides of things (and maybe even some cross-promotion).

 

Balance Monetization with Player Engagement for Successful Hyper Casual Game Development

The importance of monetization is a recurring theme in this article. It’s important because it can be the difference between making money and not making money, but also because thoughtful implementation of monetization mechanics will make your game more fun for players.

Monetization is sometimes seen as a dirty word by game developers a way to nickel-and-dime players into buying virtual items. But this isn’t the case! Smartly implemented microtransactions can help you keep your game running smoothly without frustrating players with paywalls or expensive packs of random cards that they don’t need.

You need to find a balance between making money from your game and keeping its players engaged so that they want to spend more time with it (and thus spend more money).

If you’re interested in learning more about game design and how to create engaging gameplay experiences, you can check out this comprehensive guide on game design trends and tips for 2023 by Kevuru Games on how to make a hyper casual game. This resource can provide valuable insights into the world of game design and help you refine your skills in crafting captivating gameplay.

 

Showcase Your Game at Industry Events and Other Meetups

Attending industry events and meetups is a great way to get your game out there. Industry events are a chance to network with other developers, showcase your game and get valuable feedback from people who are experts in the field. You should also consider attending events that are relevant to your game’s genre. This will allow you to build buzz for it as well as get exposure for future projects if they are similar in style or scope (e.g., if you make sports games then attend sports conferences).

 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for hyper casual game development that’s fun, easy to play and hard to put down, these tips are a great place to start. They will help you create an engaging experience for players of all levels from casual gamers who just want something to kill time with at work or on the go, all the way up through hardcore fans who will spend hours immersed in your world.