What are Hyper Casual Games? Unveiling the Magic Behind Their Addictive Appeal

A Hyper Casual Game is a mobile game, which have the simple game play mechanics. It is very easy to play and it have very simple user interface, design and concept. Hyper Casual Games are instantly playable, which doesn’t require any tutorial to understand the game. In this user can easily follow the game rules and instructions. For a Hyper Casual games, the user interface is very simple and minimalist. The mechanics are very simple and easy. In Minimalist design the user has to spend little efforts to get on playing game. Hyper Casual games can play anywhere like seeing tv, travelling etc.

Hyper Casual games are instantly playable and the infinitely repayable. The simple and easy short mechanics are to get users to play again and again. Hyper Casual games are very easy to launch and develop because of the simple mechanics and design. It can develop and launch in a matter of days but other games can take a time of months. Hyper Casual games are based on a mechanics that making the conceptual and prototyping stages are much easy and shorter.

Introduction to Hyper Casual Games:

                              Flappy Bird was the first Hyper Casual game that was developed by Dong Nguyen in 2013. When the game was released most of them didn’t have interest on it and after few years it started the massive scale downloads. In a day, the Flappy Bird making $50,000 from in-app ads. Based on this game, the other game developers take quickly notice and attention for the Hyper Casual games. Due to the easy gameplay, design and interface the other developer didn’t take much time to create the games.

                                        The term “Hyper Casual” was coined in the article called “The Ascendance of Hyper Casual” written by Johannes Heinze in 2017, which consists of the main features of Hyper Casual game. In a Casual games, the game mechanics are deeper and mid-core features are more engaging and complicated. In that time, the Hyper Casual are dominated by Casual games for the easy play and simple mechanics. In a Hyper Casual game, the revenue generates from the in-app ads rather than in-app purchase.

Simple Gameplay Mechanics:

                     Hyper Casual games are the simple easy interface and user friendly. In Hyper Casual games, there are some simple gameplay mechanics that are listed below:

• Timing mechanics
• Puzzle mechanics
• Merging mechanics
• Stacking mechanics
• Swerving mechanics
• Resizing mechanics
• Turning mechanics
• Pushing mechanics
• Direction mechanics
• Timing Mechanic:

In the timing mechanic, we have to tap the screen for the correct moment. In some situations, we’ll need to time our jumps in Fun Race 3D. But in other sports games, we have do jump correctly according to the time. These games is effectively a decreasing window of opportunity over time. You’ll have to wait for the perfect time to get a chance again.

• Puzzle mechanic:

In the Puzzle mechanic, we have to challenge something to think logically and newly. It could be solving the hidden places, things , moving the blocks around the screen, adding or multiplying the numbers to get a result and solving the mystery murders. The puzzle games are might different but they involve in moving objects around screen.

• Merging mechanic:

In the Merging mechanics, there are three types of mechanics in a game. The first mechanic is the actual merging which combines the two different objects to create a new one. In the second mechanic is to get the reduced level items. The third mechanic is the goal, like racing the cats around a track which we’ve created.

• Stacking mechanic:

In the stacking mechanic, first we have to place one object on the ground that fall from the ground and second object we have placed on the first object by changing directions and by rotating. In this we have to add physics to challenge a player to reach a final place.

• Swerving mechanic: 

In this Swerving, the main mechanic is the player has to swipe like the object wants move left side or right side. It is like the player wants to racing down in a swimming tube. In this mechanic the player accuracy is important.

• Resizing mechanic:

Hyper Casual games are comes under the resizing objects. In this mechanic, we can easily change to a theme. The main focus of a game is player shape want to change according to the giving object and the player wants to change to cross the given gaps.

• Turning mechanic:

In the Turning mechanics, the player wants to control the object when it have to move left and right. In this mechanic, the turning has some fixed ratio. By this turning mechanic we have to make a driving games like car or bike want to move from left or right in the given track.

• Pushing mechanic:

In the Pushing mechanic, the player has to push the other players or objects from the given place and it continue to the last player to win the game. The main mechanic is the player wants move freely and smooth. But the way of a player is different while pushes the other player.

• Direction mechanic:

In this Direction mechanic, the player wants to show the direction by creating new routes or removing the objects for sort of  flow to reach the given destination.

Minimalistic Design Aesthetics:

         In Hyper Casual games, the minimalist design aesthetic is very important due to the easy understanding, simplicity and user friendly. It have the clean and clear interface with the suitable fonts and color pallets and the straight forward iconography. By the controls and the easy animation can make overall accessibility of the game that ensures the player to easily understand the mechanics without any tutorials. By the minimalistic design principle, it achieve a balance between the engagement and simplicity in hyper casual games.

In the minimalistic design aesthetic, there are some principles and elements that enhance with the user experience. It have the simplicity like the clear interface, simple icons and symbols. Next in the colour palette it uses the limited colours. It have the geometric shapes and forms. It have clear animations and the intuitive gameplay mechanics.

Rapid Development Cycles:

                    Hyper Casual games are the user friendly with the simple mechanics, easy to play and the quick development. Rapid development cycle plays a important role in hyper casual games by keeping the new trends, implementing the new idea strategies and engage the players. In this we have to work on the new ideas with the current trends to develop a game with a simple mechanics. There are some strategies for rapid development cycles:

Types of Mechanics in Hyper Casual Games:

1. Minimalistic Design:

In this minimalistic design, it keep the graphics and the game mechanics are easy and simple to reduce the development time. It focus on the core gameplay elements with the limited number of features.

• Prototyping:

In the development process, it build a quick prototype to check the game mechanics. In the prototype, it checks the game idea and implementation of the game mechanics.

• Cross-Functional Teams:

It have some teams with the limited members for handling the various aspects in the development. One team will work on the programming, other

Team will work on the design and the animation. By the Cross-Functional Teams, the game development was very quickly.

• Iterative Testing:

In the Iterative testing, they will focus on the target audience by conducting the regular testing and they will take the feedback. With the given feedback, they change the game features and mechanics according to the common player reactions.

• Adaptive Marketing:

In Adaptive Marketing, they have some strategies on the new trends and the user feedback. They can modify or change the gameplay according to the market and user feedback. They implement the new ideas and new gameplay according to the trends.

Viral Mechanics and Social Sharing:

          The viral mechanics plays a very crucial role in the hyper casual games in the recent times based on the social media phenomena. There are some main viral mechanics like Timing mechanic, Puzzle mechanic, Merging mechanic, Stacking mechanic, Swerving mechanic, Resizing mechanic etc. It provides the game very interesting and engaging gameplay experience. ASRM, tie dying and rappers have connection with the social media like YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok sharing the trends and new ideas. With the social medial, the hyper casual getting millions of downloads. Social media is one of the main role to success the hyper casual games.

OVERVIEW:

The concept of hyper-casual games, emphasizing their simple gameplay mechanics, easy-to-understand interfaces, and minimalistic design aesthetics. Hyper-casual games are described as instantly playable and infinitely replay able, allowing users to engage in short and easy sessions, making them ideal for playing anywhere, from watching TV to traveling. The text also introduces the concept of rapid development cycles in hyper-casual game development, highlighting the importance of minimalistic design, prototyping, cross-functional teams, iterative testing, and adaptive marketing strategies.

It delves into the origins of hyper-casual games, citing Flappy Bird as a pioneering example, and explains the coined term “Hyper Casual” by Johannes Heinze in 2017. The document further explores various simple gameplay mechanics prevalent in hyper-casual games, such as timing, puzzles, merging, stacking, swerving, resizing, turning, pushing, and directional mechanics. The role of social media in driving growth for hyper-casual games is emphasized, with examples of players sharing their experiences on platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok, contributing to the games’ virality and success. Overall, it provides a comprehensive overview of hyper-casual games, from their characteristics and development processes to the influence of social media on their popularity.

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