The author of this article: QingLihan GameLook has been reprinted with permission
Why does the repetitive drag-and-drop, constantly synthesized, and lack of excitement and challenge elimination game last? What exactly has been "traveled"? Why do players rush in and even throw in a lot of money and time? Psychoanalytics has a saying: "The place where there is no response is a desperate situation", and when put into the game, it means that "the game that does not respond is the greatest revenge against a player". Looking at various game categories, the only thing that can keep responding at all times and never pull down is to eliminate the game.
To eliminate the game, the player "eliminates" the color, "divides" the chaos, and a game is to find the best order in the chaotic arrangement.
The origin of "chaos"
In the early days of the birth of the elimination game, the gameplay and form of expression were really "a hundred flowers blooming, a hundred schools of thought contending", leaving behind classic masterpieces such as "Lian Lian Kan", "Tetris", "Zuma" and so on. The elimination game in the 0.0 and 1.0 periods laid the concept and basic gameplay of elimination, which proved the universality of "elimination" and provided possibilities for the development of subsequent elimination games.
Elimination Game 0.0
【Eliminate the early prototype of the game】
In 1981, American university gymnast Brodie Lockard was injured during training and was paralyzed. He did not give up his life, but with his computer programming knowledge, he used the PLATO terminal to create the first mahjong-themed continuous viewing game - Mah-Jongg.
This gameplay of selecting two squares of the same suit color for elimination at the same time forms the initial concept of the elimination game.
《Mah-Jongg》
【Eliminate the emergence of new ideas in the game】
In 1984, Tetris proposed a new concept of entire line elimination, opening up new ideas for elimination games. "Tetris" is the well-known and well-known "Tetris".
《Tetris》
【Tetris Gameplay Popularization】
In 1985, a matching game called Chain-shot appeared in Japan. Click on the block, and the block connected to it and the same color will disappear together. The upper block will fall to fill in the blanks.
1989's Plotting also had rules for block drop elimination (two or three identical blocks disappeared in succession), but "deviant" was the fact that it introduced a horizontal shooter element in the game, which intersected with the current classic "elimination".
《Plotting》
In 1990 Nintendo's "Doctor Mario", the gameplay is still derived from Tetris: each level will have red, yellow, and blue bacteria, by throwing different color pills into the pill bottle, when the horizontal or vertical reach 4 blocks of the same color, the bacteria will be destroyed, if the pills are piled to the top of the bottle, the game is over.
"Dr. Mario"
The era of elimination games of this period perfectly continued the tetris gene, designed around puzzle attributes, but did not break through its framework to present more innovative content.
Elimination Game 1.0
【POPCAP Era】
What made the elimination game shine was PopCap's first game released in 2001, Bejeweled. The game mode of transposition elimination of the same gems in the game laid the direction of many match-3 games in the later period, so that the elimination game jumped out of the framework of "Tetris". At the same time, the game also led to the birth of a world-class casual game company (and later Plants vs. Zombies).
The Gems Puzzle
In 2003, Zuma, another PopCap, refreshed people's understanding of elimination games - shooter match 3 gameplay. The square board is replaced by curved tracks, and the pieces are transformed into beads of various colors. All the player needs to do is to control the stone frog in the center of the screen to spit out the colored beads before the beads reach the end cave, which triggers the elimination after hitting the beads of the same color on the track.
"Zuma"
Both games have made great improvements in the presentation of the elimination game, leaving the "board" and thinking about innovative models a step further. But the two have one thing in common, that is, the gameplay and level design are relatively single and fixed, and more changes are still concentrated on the arrangement of "pieces". For the player to eliminate the game of this period, "eyesight" is victory.
Over time, the elimination game gradually diverges into two more obvious lines, one is to use pure "match-3" as a fun starting point, and the other is the "match-3+" game.
The "old" and "new" of order
During the "Old Order" period, the world of elimination games was divided up by King's Candy XX series, but with the arrival of Dream Garden in 2016, it marked the entry of elimination games into a new era of gameplay 2.0. Eliminating the game market also created a monopoly of the head company (2012-2017), and most game manufacturers did not pay attention to this situation in the process, nor did they realize the huge commercial potential of eliminating games.
Old: "Pure Match 3"
"Candy Crush", which dominates the game market, behind thousands of levels, what supports players to play tirelessly?
【Candy Crush's changeable elimination gameplay】
The gameplay that only contains elimination is called "pure match 3 game", where "match 3" means that by dragging or clicking, connecting three identical patterns together will be automatically eliminated, but the actual "match 3" gameplay is not as simple as it sounds.
Point matching, design, displacement, wiring, puzzle, sliding, and matching are all subdivision play of "match 3" (see the right picture). Compared with other gameplay, point matching and continuous elimination have a greater advantage - randomness. This randomness is that players bet on their luck again and again, when luck is good, the number of consecutive combos will become more, and players will easily get a sense of coolness; but when combo decreases, players will only feel bad luck, rather than their own operation is wrong, making players more likely to accept failure.
Source: 2020 Elimination Mobile Game Market Analysis AdTiming Planning Department
The core loop of a pure match-3 game
【Breakthrough in "Candy Crush" level design】
The levels of the match-3 game are not automatically generated by the system, but are designed by the level planners and arranged one by one. Therefore, making the levels more detailed is the most important thing for match-3 games.
Different level objectives: On the main interface of candy Crush levels, there are different level logos such as blue, green, purple, orange, etc., and different colors represent different level objectives, such as: eliminate jelly, special elimination, time-limited elimination or drop collection. A small number of levels also have "DeliverIng Fruit" and "Fulfilling Candy Orders" as their level objectives.
Variety of obstacles: Multi-layer frosting, licorice lock, orange jam, licorice sugar roll, chocolate, etc. are all unique obstacle types in Candy Crush. As the game's levels progress, new obstacles continue to appear, and each has different properties.
Levels use a step-by-step mechanism: The reason why Candy Crush, as the first set of match-3 games, can still maintain the top of the Best-Seller List in Europe and the United States after many years of online production is because the game has made a breakthrough in the traditional elimination game level mechanism. For the first time, the elimination of the game's step counting mechanism was created, turning the number of steps into resources, and each step taken by the player was consuming resources, and if it was not used properly, it was possible to complete the level. In addition, the elimination of exchanges between special pieces also improves the sense of rhythm of the game a lot.
The success of "Candy Crush" cannot be summed up in the above few sentences, with vivid color collocation, intuitive and concise UI, smooth tutorials, and sound feedback in the level... Every element is carefully designed and crafted. In addition, the integration of social systems, regularly updated levels, and perfect monetization design are also ways to maintain the user life cycle. The game of domination of the market requires not only good gameplay, but also good operation.
【Endless "pure three matches"】
After the success of Candy Crush, the reproduction and inheritance of classics became a shortcut, and elimination games sprung up like mushrooms. "Happy Elimination" is a "unique show" of domestic elimination of mobile games.
Happy Match replaces candy in Candy Crush with cartoon animal pieces. The main line of gameplay basically continues the classic routine of "Candy Crush", and also adds the concept of "elite level", which provides a different level content from the main line for players who have completed the regional level and are full of stars, so that those who have pursued the ultimate in the main line level and have a higher level have more challenges.
But whether it's Candy Crush or Happy Match, they are all one-dimensional in match-three gameplay, based on puzzles on the board to solve problems, and there are many similar games. Cookie-cutter mechanics and rewards will reduce the user's dopamine level, over time the player will lose interest, but also let the success rate of other match-3 games in the market later reduce. How do you play new tricks to break through the "old order"?
NEW: Match-3 Meta gameplay
The core game mechanics of pure match-3 are eliminated by matching elements, and the level progression is very compact, usually after the end of one level, it will directly enter the next level, which belongs to the linear level progression mode. The "new" stage is to constantly add around the "level", and the integration of new game mechanics becomes a path that can be explored.
In recent years, games such as "match 3 + RPG", "match 3 + simulated management", "match 3 + card", "match 3 + HYIP" have risen strongly, and have become the rising stars in the elimination game.
From 2013 to the end of 2015, BigFish, Seriously tried to explore the "match-3 + RPG" upgrade system;
From 2016 to May 2019, Playrix became the leader of "match 3 + simulation management" through "Dream Home" and "Dream Garden"; "Empires & Puzzles" firmly ranked first in "match 3 + cards";
From June 2019 to the present, through the form of "match-3 + HYIP" game carrier, there are more possibilities of mixed monetization of match-3 games.
The broad definition of Meta gameplay in the gaming industry is "play that extends beyond the game", that is, other ways of playing that are added outside the core gameplay.
Taking the match-3 game as an example, the elimination game is the core gameplay, and the integration of garden construction, home design, etc. is the Meta gameplay.
In the almost saturated survival situation of pure match-3 games, the combination of different gameplay is one of the ideas that allow the elimination game to be inherited. In addition, with the continuous development of the concept of elimination, ordinary "elimination" has not been able to keep up with the pace of the development of the times, and it is necessary to innovate drastically. The era of elimination games 2.0 came with the advent of "Dream Garden".
Elimination Game 2.0
【Match 3 + Simulated Operation】
Take Dream Garden, for example:
When the elimination game combines simulated management with the core gameplay of traditional match-3, it is doomed to be extraordinary.
"Dream Garden" belongs to the "match-3 + simulation management" game, adding a simple narrative plot and garden decoration gameplay. Players need to add to the costume of the garden through a series of missions to recreate a beautiful "dream garden". The star currency used to build the garden requires the player to obtain it through the elimination game. Within the level, players need to eliminate targeted choices depending on the mission, adding some strategic factors to the game.
The diversity of gameplay keeps the game fun and fresh
The game has a wealth of props and mechanism design to improve the fun of the game and keep the player fresh.
Rhythmic content and gameplay release
In the first 4 teaching stages, the high level card is added after the 20th level, and the super high level card is added after the 60th level. The main operational activities will be released in the first 50 levels, and after each few levels, a new elimination method (pink) will be added, and there will be corresponding operational activities (purple) for different users.
In addition to the content in the table, the plot of the game is also very rich, you need to adopt a puppy (horse, fox), help neighbors deliver furniture and other very immersive tasks, novice experience process is smooth, the goal is clear, the game experience is rich, will not feel boring.
Meta gameplay and elimination of gameplay splits
But Dream Garden has a flaw that is difficult to ignore, that is, players can always play only elimination, not house construction. This will inevitably lead to a disconnection between the "elimination" and "simulated management" gameplay. Project Makeover, which is the same as "Dream Garden", solves the problem like this:
1. In addition to increasing the plot, the "Match 3+" of "Project Makeover" also increases the appearance transformation of the characters, forming a variety of cultivation gameplay of makeup/clothing/decoration, and strengthening the association between "Elimination" and "Meta Gameplay".
How Project Makeover compares to Dream Garden
"Dream Garden" has only one [Meta gameplay system]: [Decoration]
Project Makeover consists of three: Makeup, Dressup, and Decoration.
2. The elimination level of Project Makeover will produce two currencies: gold coins and banknotes, gold coins are used to promote the main plot of the transformation of the primitives, and banknotes are used for the player's individual character dress-up (the player has his own space in the game, he can arrange his own room; the player can also pinch his own face, choose his own costume style), and can participate in social interaction with other players.
Compared with "Dream Garden", "Project Makevoer" has made more in-depth attempts and integrations in gameplay and plot, as Charlie Gu once said: "The challenge of Project Makeover is how to perfectly integrate pinching, haircuts, makeup, clothes change, decoration, main plot, background plot, social and match 3 experiences." ”
【Match 3 + RPG】
In addition to being combined with the simulated business gameplay, another fusion game of match-3 is the RPG.
Empires & Puzzles, developed by Finland's Small Giant Games, has been online since 2017 and has been doing well in Europe and the United States, and has repeatedly entered the top 20 of the best-seller lists in these countries.
The gameplay of this match-3 RPG is very simple, the counterpoint eliminated pieces will attack the corresponding monsters, and the biggest feature of this game is that in addition to the match-3 RPG, the simulation construction gameplay of the SLG is added. The long-term operation idea of simulated construction combined with the casual gameplay of match-3 makes this game stand out from the crowd.
And this product has also led to the rise of similar products in China, the most eye-catching of which is the "Puzzles & Survival" of Sanqi Games.
Match-3 gameplay + doomsday zombie theme, in addition to the basic elimination gameplay (each elimination is an attack, the more eliminated at one time, the higher the attack power), but also combined with the gameplay of EMP, so that this game is also very amazing in 2021, the smooth entry into the top 30 overseas revenue of Chinese mobile games "Puzzles & Survival" and EMP The biggest difference should be that this product adds a large number of large map gameplay of SLG, and EMP is more just built inside SLG. While increasing the depth of the elimination game, it also directly knocks on the door of the "RPG" player, realizing the expansion of the elimination game audience.
The road ahead
In the development of the elimination game for more than 40 years, although it is gradually distant from the earliest form, but the continuous innovation and combination make the elimination gameplay continue to "evolve", female direction, two-dimensional, cards, action, simulation, hyprom, match-3 gameplay is like an omnipotent "perfumer", always able to come up with some "interesting" formula.
In recent years, King, the match-3 leader who produced "Candy Crush Saga", has not launched a particularly amazing new game, and Playrix's "Dream Garden" has also gained a foothold. Today, the growth opportunities in the match-3 game market are mainly in the match-3+game category. According to the data, the market size of match-3 games reached 3.76 billion US dollars (about 24 billion yuan) in 2020, an increase of 24% year-on-year, but the growth rate of classic match-3 games was only 5%. Therefore, making differentiated innovations in the field of [match-3+] games is the ultimate weapon to break through the match-3.
[Match 3 +] The development idea of the game is not only to seize the market of the previous "old order" period, but also to expand the share of the match-3 market. For example, the emergence of Project Makeover will convert many users of beauty games into match-3 users, and Puzzles & Survival can also convert SLG users into match-3 users. The essence of the gameplay integration is to convert more different types of users into match-3 users, so that the market plate of this match-3 game is getting bigger and bigger, so that more developers can get benefits in this market together.
In the face of such fierce competition to eliminate the game track, for manufacturers who hold IP, it is a good time to "enter the game". The fierce competition means that everyone knows that "this cake is sweet", and the super high adaptability of the game "up to the aunt, down to the child" shows that it has a huge demographic dividend. Manufacturers use the form of [IP + elimination], as long as the game quality is stable, coupled with a perfect product experience, you can effectively break the circle and expand the new. And with the generalization of the cartoon style elimination game represented by the food and candy themes, the market also needs fresh forms to join, and the previous Angry Birds series elimination and Marvel series elimination have taken advantage of the IP effect and have a bright gold-sucking performance. Therefore, for some manufacturers who are not involved in the field of elimination games, this is a very suitable direction for breaking walls and setting up projects.
I believe that there will be more and more ways to eliminate the game, and it is also waiting for people with ideas to discover. I also believe that in another 10 years, when people talk about elimination games again, not only Candy Crush Saga, Dream Garden, Project Makeover will be mentioned, but more "mushrooms" will appear in our field of vision.
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