Learn about the simple, short yet satisfying mechanics of the Hyper-casual series

The key to a successful Hyper-casual game is that it's short, simple, and satisfying. When going in this direction, there will be a lot of different mechanics that you can use and combine for your gameplay. 

These mechanics are like the foundation bricks for Game Design. The more you understand and have experience with them, the more engaging your game will be. Refer to the list below for ideas and inspiration, and combine as many mechanics as possible as there are already many such games that bring a breath of fresh air to the market. 

Timing mechanics

Timing is the mechanism of pressing the screen at the perfect time, focusing on precision. Like Fun Race 3D by Good Job Games, you need to time it to jump, just like in real-life sports games, you need to time it to hit the ball or kick the ball. 

The main mechanic in these games is a window of chance that shrinks over time, like a repeating gauge. If you miss the opportunity, you will need to wait for the perfect moment again.

Find the sweet spot

The key to making a good timing mechanism is balance. Although these genres are very simple to play, they are not easy to make. If it is too difficult, the player cannot play comfortably. If it's too easy, the player will quickly get bored. So it will be necessary to continuously create prototypes and tests before releasing the game to find a balance in the game.

Puzzle mechanics

There's only one thing all Puzzle mechanics have in common: you're challenging someone to think logically. It could be moving rocks around the level, adding numbers together, or solving a mysterious case. These games can vary, but they usually involve moving objects around the screen.

In puzzle Hyper-casual games, like Roller Splat! of the Voodoo family, the bottom line is that there is no time limit. The puzzles are relatively simple, so it doesn't take long to complete them. However, they removed the time factor which does not mean the game screen will be longer, instead, it removes tension and balance in the gameplay.

Get the most out of one mechanic

Puzzles often tend to get harder over time, usually by adding more mechanics (Typical Portal games). But in a Hyper-casual game, the player needs to be able to solve the puzzle in a minute or less.

So you can't constantly add new mechanics to make your puzzles more challenging. Instead, you'll need to learn each mechanism in a variety of ways. However, this can be more complicated to build and maintain. You will need to continuously create dozens of additional content to keep your game engaging.

When designing these levels, make sure to have a Difficulty Curve. In a hyper-casual game, each level should be short and progressively more difficult. For example, in Roller Splat!, the first levels are extremely easy. This way, the player can learn the controls without the need for a tutorial.

This is a fine line between hyper-casual puzzle games and more standard games. The more you focus on a simple idea and the easier the Difficulty Curve, the more players the game will attract.

Merge mechanics

There are usually 3 mechanics in a Merge game. The first is a simple Merge: combining two low-level objects to create something better (like the dogs in Zepni Ltd's Merge Dogs). The second is the way to get the lowest level objects (games often associate this mechanism with In-game Economy). The third is the goal, like getting the dogs you created to run around the track.

Appeal to the achievers

The question is: Why do people combine these objects? The main goal in Merge games is often a sense of accomplishment: Players combine objects to unlock upgrades. 

For example, in Voodoo's Car Merger game, the player unlocks faster cars. But it doesn't have to be purely visual. Can players combine guns, helping their battleship destroy the enemy faster? Go faster, improve weapons, become stronger, and achieve the coolest dragon: all this attracts players. Take advantage of this and reward players for their time, while maintaining engagement in the game.

Stacking mechanics

There are usually a few mechanics going on in these games. First, the objects must fall from top to bottom. Second, the player can rotate these objects. And third, they have to be stackable. Typically the game Tetris - Puzzle. But other developers have taken this further. Full Fat's Cat Stack is a prime example. In it, they also added physics and challenged the player to reach a certain height

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Think about how the players will stack

Whether the player controls when and where the objects fall or automatically, how the objects fall, whether the objects are physically impacted, and whether the player can rotate them, is all up to you. 

A game where you can't choose where to start falling objects, but can't control them when they fall, unlike games where you control feathers falling from the left or right but have no control over where they start. It's just a mechanic change, but it's enough to make a difference in your game. 

Swerving mechanics

These games are always focused on moving left and right, and the main mechanism is to make the player swipe. Maybe you're dodging objects or racing. What matters is the player's accuracy and the distance to move left or right. For example, in Voodoo's Aquapark, skilled players can deviate from the track and still make a comeback, or take a shortcut that skips a major route.

Make your game rewarding to all players

The Swerving mechanism is among the top-rated in the market. And that's because they're suitable for hyper-casual games, and offer great satisfaction to players who stick with the game and master it. The main concept may be simple, but it also has its challenges. 

They are also suitable for games that do not have a hard ending. For example, you could make a game where you are traveling through space, dodging asteroids, but never having an end goal. Instead, you can make the aim of the game about surviving as long as possible. A simple leaderboard, coupled with Swerving mechanics, and you've got a game that attracts hyper-casual players and has competitive enthusiasts.

Resizing mechanics

Hyper-casual games are quite suitable for the object resizing mechanism. It is a simple mechanism that you can get familiar with very easily on any topic. This type of game focuses on player characters, allowing them to resize, often to get through specific obstacles. They are quite similar in style to the Swerving game but have a lot of potentials to develop and create something more unique. 

SayGames' Jelly Shift is a prime example. The player can resize the block to better fit through the gap, but doing it wrong doesn't interrupt the rhythm of the game.

Think about what you’re challenging

As with hyper-casual games, it is always important to keep in mind what the challenge mechanism is. In the game Resizing, you are creating a challenge in spatial perception, rather than reflexes. But most resizing games tend to use the same simple mechanics as Swerving games, and often end up challenging the player's accuracy. 

But when the player can resize the object, you can experiment more. What if you could take away the ability to move and just let the player rotate the object? This will make the game's goal more about spatial perception than accuracy and reflexes. (You can still keep moving, but it would be complicated for a hyper-casual game.) 

This way you will have a game where the player is solving a puzzle, resizing and rotating the object to fit in the slot. 

Turning mechanics

In turning games you control a character and control when to move left or right. As they’re usually 3D, the turning is normally a fixed amount. They make great driving games, turning a car from left to right along a windy track, like in Skiddy Car by Kwalee.

The key difference between turning and swerving is that turning games are about one harsh swipe from left to right, while in a swerving game, your thumb doesn’t leave the screen, and you control how far left and right you move. It’s a very subtle difference between the mechanics. But an important one. The 3D effect of a turning game makes it more difficult to judge when to turn. Simplifying the controls here is vital to keep it a true hyper-casual title. 

Give your player notice

In a swerving game, you might have obstacles heading toward your player, and they need to dodge them in time. There’s usually little notice that these are going to appear. But in a turning game, it’s the level itself that you’re trying to navigate. And under very rigid constraints. So you want your player to be able to predict what’s coming up next. 

This is why you’ll often see that the camera is zoomed out, giving people a broader view of what’s coming up. Maybe even the next two or three turns. So it’s worth considering where you place your camera. The closer you are, the more frantic your game will feel.

Pushing mechanics

These games are all about a character pushing other objects or players. Often, you’re pushing objects off the map, so that you can continue or be the last one standing. (Push 'em all by Voodoo is a perfect example of this.)

The main mechanics are usually being able to move your character freely and some sort of physics. But the way a player pushes another object can differ either in ability or by literally ramming into them like a sumo wrestler. 

Focus on satisfaction first; simplicity will follow

Games like Push 'em all lock into what makes the game feel satisfying. It’s pleasing to bump something off a map, like a cat knocking a glass off a table. So if it’s fun to knock one thing off, how does it feel to knock off two things? A dozen things? 

By increasing the number of objects the player needs to push off, Voodoo made the game much more satisfying, without needing to add any more mechanics to the game. (Which keeps it simple.) 

That isn’t to say that more is always better. In a stacking game, it might be that feeling that you’d only just managed it. Well, maybe you can deliberately code in a wobble, even when the tower won’t fall, just to give the player that sense of achievement.

Agility or dexterity mechanics

These games shouldn’t be confused with timing games. While timing games are about tapping the screen at the right time, agility mechanics are about repeating a motion. Fast. For example, the player could be alternating from swiping left to swiping right in rapid succession. On-screen, this could be chopping down a tree while avoiding branches or bouncing along pads, like in Tiles Hop: EDM Rush! by Amanotes.

Balance speed and ease

It’s easy for games like these to become irritating and hard because the difficulty ramps up too much. Too many curveballs or complex motions, and the player can become overwhelmed. The best games speed up slowly, letting players get used to the pace. This can either be level by level or throughout a single run. 

Just remember, in a hyper-casual game you’re not trying to beat your player. You’re trying to give them a small, but possible, challenge. 

Direction mechanics

In these games, the player is creating or removes obstacles to some sort of flow. The point is to use the physics in the game to coax a tide of objects, whether they are balls or liquids, to a destination. For example, in Sand Balls by SayGames the player simply wipes away sand to give a route for the balls to the bottom of the level.

Give your player control over different elements

Traditionally, we’re used to controlling our character directly. But in games that use direction mechanics, we’re controlling the walls. The level itself. This shift in perspective is why these games have so much versatility. (And why we’re seeing a lot of these games coming out recently, from Happy Glass by Lion Studios to more complicated titles like Where’s My Water? by Disney.)

You can do the same with other elements of your game. In a platform game, what if you could only control the monsters? What if you had to move them out of the way of a character jumping between the platforms so that the hero could continue to their castle? 

Hyper-casual games are great for these kinds of experiments. You can try them out, see if they’re fun, and then explore the concepts in a different project.

Rising and falling mechanics

The primary mechanic in these games is that an object is either rising or falling through a series of obstacles. Usually, this is a ball, like in Helix Jump by Voodoo, in which you’re trying to get through the correct path.

In these games, you either choose to allow the player to move the level itself, perhaps by rotating a column, or by moving yourself. Fluffy Fall by What(games) (and published by JoyPac) does this well, by subtly increasing the speed as the player continues through the level, it gives the sense that you’re closing in on terminal velocity.

The mechanics in falling games often overlap with swerving games, but the key difference is that sense of gravity. 

Give people a chance to recover

In hyper-casual games, you don’t want to punish your player too harshly if they fail. If the ball hits an obstacle, it’s better to let it bounce and give the player time to recover, than to get them to start from scratch. This is especially true in games that need fast reflexes, where it’s likely the player will make a mistake. 

Giving that leeway also means you can add harder levels, which reward higher-skilled players, without scaring away those who would get frustrated.

Growing mechanics

The objective of growing games is to become the largest object, whether that’s a crowd, a black hole, or a sticky ball. Players usually move around their character in an attempt to find another object and bump into it. This is then ‘absorbed’ into the character.

Slither.io by Lowtech Studios is perhaps the simplest of these, where you’re just a circle trying to bump into other circles. It’s so simple, it’s almost the perfect game. There are only two mechanics. Moving around and getting bigger. The art style is as simple as could be: colored blobs. And each round only takes a minute or so to complete.

Because it hits that sweet spot that hyper-casual games are looking for, it proves that these mechanics are perhaps the best out there.

Give your player feedback

Satisfaction comes from the feedback you give players. Whether that’s the phone vibrating, sound effects, or growing in size because you’ve absorbed enough enemies. Your mechanics can be the simplest ever, but if you’ve got great feedback, your game will also be extremely satisfying.

Color-matching mechanics

These games are about the player’s ability to distinguish between objects. The core difference in color-matching games is that the only way to spot the difference is the color itself. It could be guiding snakes to food or getting three colored gems to line up.

Keep your design minimalist

In a hyper-casual game, players need to be able to know the difference between two objects immediately. Color is a quick cue to tell players which objects are related, without needing to design lots of different objects. 

This is perhaps why color-matching games are on the rise. They’re useful to test out a new idea, without needing a massive budget for the art department. But do be careful, there are downsides. You’ll need to swot up on color theory if you’re going to work on this type of game. Some players might be colorblind and could find your game impossible.

Tidying mechanics

These games are all about scratching that itch we get when something is off-kilter. It could be peeling a fruit, cleaning a window, or painting a wall. But the idea is to fill in or take away all of a selected area.

Appeal to the completionist

These games work well as the mechanic is just coloring in between the lines. (And in hyper-casual versions, you’re not penalized for going too far.) We humans naturally want to finish something we’ve started, so these games feel quite therapeutic (and satisfying). And we’ve all had that feeling when the kitchen is spotless, and you can finally relax. The trick is to make sure that the tidying is easy, as you don’t want to stress out your player. Give them leeway. Make it easy to tidy up their game, even if their actual bedroom is a mess. 

This theory is something you can use in a variety of games, not just hyper-casual. If you’re looking to keep players engaged, give them that sense of ‘tidying up’. 

Experiment with your mechanics, but keep it simple

Hyper-casual games usually only have one or two mechanics. And broadly, when you’re designing one of these games, you’re focusing more on how to manipulate those mechanics for different gameplay experiences than on creating anything from scratch. 

So keep your games short, simple, and satisfying. But experiment with the mechanics that are already out there and themes, if you want to stand out. And if you’d like more inspiration, or just want to stay in the loop, subscribe to our newsletter below.