What is a “Hyper-Casual” Game?

Hyper-casual games started as arcade games and are now accessible on mobile devices.

Some people attribute the term “hyper” to these games’ absorbing and fast paced nature. “Casual” simply refers to the convenience of accessing these games via mobile devices. Hyper-casual games are easy to learn and require little focused attention.

Some examples of the older hyper-casual video games include Space Travel and Pong. The power of mobile devices has transformed these classic games by rebranding them for smartphones. This accessibility and simple game mechanics are two factors which may lead hyper-casual games to go viral and certainly account for their easy “play-ability”.

5 Key Mechanics of Hyper-Casual Games

Every hyper-casual game has five (5) key mechanics. In other words, every hyper-causal game is based on at least one of the following mechanics.  

These are:

• Timing
• Agility
• Puzzle
• Merge
• Swerve

Timing

The difficulty of timing games is determined by the speed at which each round plays.

Some rounds are extremely short from a user’s standpoint and while it proves a challenge, game creators recognize that losing within seconds can frustrate a player. To solve this, successful hyper-casual games offer multiple lives or chances to reduce the risk of losing altogether.

Timing mechanics are common among most hyper-casual games.

Agility

Agility mechanics encourage the player to act fast.

A classic agility game is Pac-Man. As the game increases to new levels, the speed at which the player moves becomes more important. Agility mechanics become very important for players who want to beat their current high score.

Puzzle

A more relaxed type of hyper-casual game generally involves puzzle mechanics.

In 2018, the puzzle category in app stores was responsible for 60% of in-app purchases.

A classic example of a hyper-casual puzzle game is Tetris. Puzzle pieces fall and the user must place them together without any gaps. Mistakes in piece placement make this game challenging and encourage players to return again and again to improve their skills.
Merge

In games which use merge mechanics, players usually combine or swap cells in a row or column to achieve the game’s goal.

In Candy Crush, for example, players swap pieces of candy between two cells to align three or more of the same variety, eliminating those pieces. This is a simple — but engrossing — user experience.

As the pieces fall into place and more are eliminated, the chain reaction stimuli contributes to a user’s positive experience. At times, the user isn’t even playing, but happy to indulge their senses as the pieces continue to work themselves into a winning position.
Swerve

Games which require a player to move on a track or move out of the way of oncoming hazards use swerve mechanics.

Voodoo’s Twisty Road, Temple Run and Subway Surfers are all based on swerve game mechanics where the goal is keeping a ball on a narrow roadway or avoiding death traps while endlessly running.

The goal of one of the most popular swerve hyper-active games of all time, Flappy Bird, is to keep the bird in flight while avoiding hazardous obstacles.

What can a Hyper-Casual Game do for my Business?

While each of these hyper-casual game mechanics is different, all are intended to keep users entertained and engaged during gameplay.

And this is good for your business because it gets - and keeps - your brand in their hands for longer.

Not only that, but games - and the associated prizes - can be a big draw card for getting patrons and members back to your venue, encouraging one more visit, one more spend and social sharing, which all positively impacts your bottom line. And who doesn’t want that!

Conclusion

Mobile has taken over our world and mobile marketers need to be digitally savvy to help their companies succeed.

Now you know all about the mechanics of hyper-casual games:

• Timing
• Agility
• Puzzle
• Merge
• Swerve

Now, all you have to do is identify a strategy that works best for your business to get these games into the hands of your patrons and future members. Ready. Set. Go!

For help with implementing your digital strategy, contact Cherry Hub at hello@cherryhub.com.au.

For an example of one of cherryplay’s hyper-casual agility games, watch our Swipe of Origin sampler video, or to play a full agility-type game, simply scan the QR code on our website to play Game of Thongs.

Enjoy!

Mandy (Green) Makryllos