Nimble Quest: An "Instant" Classic

So after all the anticipation -- and it's worth noting the anticipation, because there are very few titles on iOS I actually take note of prior to release -- I have downloaded Nimble Quest.

I will leave the reviews to the PocketGamer's (yeah!) and the GameInfomer's (negative and surly)...I will simply say that I like it a lot , and think that once again the brothers Nimble have made another great game, perfectly suited for the platform. 

What I am interested in are distilling the elements that qualify it as a.) great and b.) suited for the platform.  AKA - the design decisions anyone working in mobile games and engagement should want to study.

This looks like fun, right?

1.) Familiar, yet different.  As the tutorial boldly asks, you remember how to play Snake, right? 

Game mechanics of Snake + awesome 8-bit Final Fantasy inspired RPG art and music + a simple (autofire) action combat mechanic = Instantly familiar, yet surprising and new gaming.  No explanations necessary, and just enough surprise to form a few new neural pathways.

2.) One hand / one finger swipe controls.

As with all things mobile, it's preferable if you design a game around the thing you do with a touch screen.  I.E. touch it.  So the one finger swipe to steer is the very definition of K.I.S.S.   And satisfying again and again as a tiny building block of core compulsion (see previous posts for additional rants on this subject).

3.) Vertical orientation  

To compliment the one-hand play.  We hold the phone upright.  Games need a really good reason to eschew portrait orientation.  And that reason should have everything to do with the user experience, starting with the user.

4.) Fast paced levels  

I haven't timed it out yet, but it feels like the average level takes about 60 - 90 seconds to complete.  Perfect for bite sized sessions - yet you can also play several levels back-to-back with no diminished sense of accomplishment.

4.) Loads of loot and rewards

To be completely candid, I haven't scratched the surface re: purchasing "buffs"or tackled the ramp in difficulty.  But 2 days in, there is enough loot dropping and jewel / power ups on offer every session to scratch the itch for immediate, Mario coin frenzy-like instant gratification.

5.) The F Factor -- Fun

Hardest to quantify, and easiest to know if you got it or not, Nimble Quest exudes a fresh sense of fun, humor and whims that make you want to keep coming back for more.  Without waxing too rhapsodic, Nimble Bit has honed a "voice" that, in addition to the mechanics, make their games tons o' fun.  You can always tell that there is no committee involved in the inception and creation of NB games.  And for this, we should all be thankful.

Monetization-wise, we will have to see.  Past titles like Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes seemed to climb the grossing charts as well as the DL charts nearly simultaneously, and stay there.  But that's a subject for further research and a different post.

Anyone think I got this all wrong?  I invite dissent.

Re-Engagement Mechanics...and Tamagothchi's

I was recently alerted by 148Apps to the fact that NamcoBandai had released a free app version of the all time classic Tamagotchi for iOS and Android...Tamagotchi L.I.F.E

Ally McBeal, anyone?

Being a child of the 90's, I had to give it a spin and see if it was still as compelling as notsalgia would have me believe.

The game was unchanged, right down the default game view, framed within the 3 buttoned egg shaped key chain bauble that used to dangle from every backpack in middle school.   And it was a small revelation to realize that here was the very core game mechanic that formed the basis of  Zynga's money printing empire, virtual crop maintainence.

But what really piqued my interest -- and ultimately my ire -- was NamcoBandai's insidious exploitation of  push messaging.  I have never been so annoyed so quickly as I have with Tamagotchi L.I.F.E.  You cannot go 5 minutes without that needy little bugger "crying out" for you, pestering you to return to the game and "play" some more.  I deleted the app less than 2 hours after downloading.

Enough already...

Lesson to game designers: resource management games are a lucrative genre, and can be fun in the hands of skilled game designers (Thank you, Nimblebit).  But beware the push / prompt.  Use it judiciously, or forever lose a customer and earn an enemy.