As one of the classic casual categories, parkour games have always been the red ocean of fierce competition among various manufacturers. In the past few years, in addition to landmark works such as "Temple Run" and "Subway Surfers", many parkour products based on special themes and subdivided gameplay have also attracted market attention from time to time.
For example, Zynga experimented with blending female-oriented themes with parkour gameplay, releasing High Heels at the end of 2020. As soon as the product was launched, it quickly became popular on social networks with its unique theme selection and curious purchase materials, and occupied the download lists of major stores.
According to AppMagic data, the total downloads of this product have exceeded 100 million in mid-21, and it currently ranks second in the cumulative downloads of all Zynga games.
The data proves that the combination of traditional casual gameplay + novel themes has natural advantages in terms of absorption, and can take into account the two major pain points of "reducing user learning costs" and "lowering user unit prices", especially suitable for ultra-casual and hybrid products.
Coincidentally, the well-known hyper-casual publisher Supersonic also aimed at the women-oriented parkour segment, and launched a new hyper-casual game "Build a Queen" in August this year in collaboration with Polystation.
As a manufacturer that has successfully released phenomenal hits such as "Bridge Race" and "Join Clash 3D", Supersonic obviously has its own unique experience in trading parkour products. According to AppMagic, in the two months since August, Build a Queen has garnered more than 20 million downloads on Google Play.
In what ways does Supersonic capture the preferences of players around the world? Foreign media Udonis dismantled the product. The following is a summary of the translations:
An ultra-casual experience with mixed elements
Essentially, Build a Queen is a hyper-casual game and a typical parkour game, with the basics of easy to learn, low learning cost, and addictive.
Game dynamics
Take the image above as an example: the player's goal is simple and straightforward – control the female character in the game as they run around the runway while collecting the right body parts. Each level in the game features a fashion challenge that requires players to match exactly the look they want for the challenge: grab the correct look in green while avoiding the wrong objects in red, such as scissors that will cut off your character's hair.
Before the game begins, the game provides a short how-to guide: basically a few seconds of video followed by a one-sentence explanation to ensure that players don't get lost at first.
Despite the unpretentious mechanics based on parkour, the game adds some competitive elements. In many levels, players will compete against another game character (NPC, not a real person), adding an exciting part to the otherwise flat gameplay experience.
As an accent, the game character also dances as the level settles. This additional art brings the product to life and adds a humorous touch to the player's victory.
While Build a Queen is rooted in hyper-casual fundamentals, it doesn't shy away from experimenting with gameplay fusions. In order to enhance player engagement and retention, the product is grafted with hybrid elements and various meta layers (which can be understood as resident functional modules outside the bureau). Therefore, there is some reason to classify it as a hybrid game.
At first glance, the game looks like a random mix of different products, but it's also a weird and even quirky game in terms of theme and visual presentation. But interestingly, this combination bursts out with fantastic chemistry that creates a unique experience for casual gamers who want to pass the time.
Narrative layer
Build a Queen adds a simple but twisting story. As the player progresses through each level, a man simply known as "him" will always be waiting at the finish line. "He" is not just an NPC, but also an important part of the love story in the game.
Each time you pass a level, the progress bar indicating the friendship of both sides will increase a little. The player's relationship with "him" will develop from a normal friend to a good friend, and later to a boyfriend and girlfriend. The goal of adding a story is to increase user engagement and make them curious about how the relationship will evolve over the course of the game.
When a player's relationship with him enters a new phase, they can choose how they want to interact with him: click on the default free option, or watch an ad to unlock other options.
For simple-structure hybrid games and hyper-casual games, it's always a good idea to add a narrative layer. While Build a Queen's storyline is too old-fashioned and lackluster to offer only the most basic dialogue options, it is also great for user retention.
reward
In addition to the simple core gameplay and light narrative content, in order to increase the depth of the content, Build a Queen also sets up a variety of "special rewards" that are different from the playthrough rewards. Each time a player completes a level, they will be able to unlock special rewards more progressively.
As you can see in the image above, the game's first special reward is a lava lamp. In the game, players can not only collect body parts and costumes, upgrade their relationship with "him", but also collect these fashionable old objects.
To further expand the playability of this swapping system, the game also features home building and renovation modules. These features are described in more detail later in the article.
Custom elements
One of the highlights of Build a Queen is the timely introduction of player customization. Reaching level 4 is a key twist in the game's progression, as the Dress Up feature is unlocked and players can add a personalized style by choosing their character's outfit.
Compared with competitors on the same track, Build a Queen goes a step further by allowing players to set different makeup looks for their characters, giving players more immersion and creative space in the game.
In addition, players can also upgrade their character's equipment by watching ads. After the polishing of the R&D team, the process of cutting into the advertisement was very smooth - the entire functional module used a subtle and non-intrusive way to integrate monetization methods with game mechanics, and at the same time provide reinforcement for the characters.
Design & Decoration
After reaching level 4 and unlocking the dress up system, the game also provides players with a home to decorate. Once the player's love in the game reaches a certain stage, they can unlock this home space and turn on the personalized decoration function at the same time. The game uses "cash" as the main currency, which is essential for the purchase of furniture and decorations.
This new system provides players with long-term objectives, giving meaning to each level, and the effect of pulling and retaining is very significant. Players will actively earn more cash in order to decorate their small home: this makes winning each level not only a numerical progress, but also a necessary process to "realize the virtual home of your dreams".
Special levels
In order to improve player interaction, "Build a Queen" has set up some special levels in the game, such as "Hatching Eggs".
When the player's love relationship develops to a certain level, a unique level is triggered. In this level, the player is given an egg, and the goal of the level is changed to "successfully hatch the egg". As the player advances on the runway and picks up various items, the eggs will grow in size. When the egg is large enough, the level will be cleared and the player will be rewarded with a pet turtle that breaks out of the egg.
In this way, Build a Queen brings a lot of uncertainty and freshness to the player's progression of the game, and makes them eager to encounter similar surprises in subsequent levels.
Even though the design makes the game seem weird and unexpected in some ways, it helps to establish the game's unique tone. These special designs, combined with the visual presentation of the product, may not be as good as some medium and heavy products - but in the hyper-casual track, this set is more than enough.
Focus on IAA monetization
As the title suggests, Build a Queen focuses on ad monetization, but IAP content is still there, mainly ad-free value-added services and combo packs (in-game currency + character skins). The deposit button for purchasing ad-free services is permanently placed in the game's menu.
Insert ads appear very frequently, as is the case with most IAA-based games. In addition, there is a small window embedded in the game menu that plays ads in a fixed way.
Statistically, the weight of rewarded ads is not low, but due to the existence of bonus items, players generally do not dislike this type of advertising.
Rewarded ads
Players can choose to watch ads and get various offers, such as multiplying the bonus by a certain multiplier after clearing the level, or getting items directly from the store.
In the process of parkour, "itemized" reward advertisements will also appear on the runway, and players can choose whether to watch them or not. In another example, the player can stop to help a little girl while running, and trigger an ad. After watching the ad, the character is taken to a special track covered with banknotes that can be collected as a reward.
When the player loses a level, they can choose to start over or watch the ad to resurrect.
There is also the aforementioned love system, where when the player talks to "him", there will be a free option and a special option to watch ads to unlock.
Simple and crude advertising strategy: video advertising + interactive advertising
To break out of the crowded hyper-casual market, the right advertising strategy is crucial. Build a Queen takes a simple and effective approach: engage users with video assets and playable ads.
Gameplay-based video footage
Gameplay-based video ads are part of Build a Queen's delivery strategy. Supersonic may take this traditional approach because the product itself gives new users a fun and curious look, and the straightforward gameplay material can be easily edited to achieve the effect of attracting volume.
The power of interactive advertising
Interactive ads are another powerful weapon in your game placement strategy. These ads, which are similar to mini-games, can directly allow potential users to get started with the experience and get the joy of the game without hindrance. From the macro data, this kind of advertising is very effective, and it can often bring a very high conversion rate under the premise that the product itself is not hard to lose.
Channels & Regions
According to AppMagic data, the delivery channels of Build a Queen are concentrated around the Unity ecosystem, mainly ironSource and Unity Ads. In terms of ad impression data, most of the impressions are concentrated in Brazil, Russia, the United States, India and Indonesia.
- What else could be improved in Build a Queen?
Based on the number of downloads so far, Build a Queen is undoubtedly a great success. However, there are still many aspects that need to be improved and optimized in order to maintain long-term good form and player satisfaction.
The articulation between Meta Layers
One of the obvious areas where the game needs to be optimized is the degree of integration between the different functional modules. In their current state, these modules are significantly disconnected from each other, affecting a seamless experience for players.
This feeling is especially evident in the interactive narrative section related to love, which gives the impression of being added on the fly and lacks a run-in with the rest of the game.
The UI/UX experience needs to be optimized
While hyper-casual products tend to use stylized art assets and minimalist interfaces, escalating the UI/UX can significantly improve the gaming experience. A more refined and intuitive interface can make guidance and interaction more seamless and fun.
Be careful to avoid content risks
Feedback from the player base shows some dissatisfaction, especially among female users (the target audience of the product). In the comments, some female players expressed their dissatisfaction with the game's theme of "pleasing men by dressing up". However, there are also a significant number of female gamers who say they don't mind.
summary
Build a Queen is undoubtedly a light-hearted and fun game that's perfect for passing the time. This type of game has a short development cycle, is suitable for quick drying, and is suitable for small and large, and has high IAA revenue potential. These features are attractive to many developers, especially small and medium-sized teams with limited budgets.
By strengthening the connection between modules, optimizing the UI/UX experience, and addressing the content risks of player feedback, we believe that the performance of this product will be even better.