Three in a row. Probably, this category of games is one of the most popular in various app stores. And it is not surprising at all. If you go back to the beginning, in the distant noughties, people sat at the computer and enjoyed these games. And it’s not surprising that this genre has become incredibly popular among many users. And Candy Crush became a phenomenon that was able to conquer a lot of people around the world. The game was both on Facebook and in all the app stores. Developers were getting a huge amount of money, and big studios began to think about whether the world needs big projects if you can make “three-in-a-row” puzzles.
Thus, the world might not see such a bestseller as Kingdom Come: Deliverance, because the main developer didn’t even know what Facebook was, not that he was aware of game trends in it. But the crisis has passed, the game is still alive, and it’s almost 9 years old, and it’s time to ask the question: was it really capable of killing the whole gaming industry?
What is Candy Crush Saga?
Candy Crush is a banal three-in-a-row puzzle game. No more, no less. You have a board with a bunch of candies, and you need to combine them so that three, or more, identical candies line up in a row. If there are more candies, you get bonuses. There are a lot of such games now, and they have not become less popular. The game has a huge number of levels, they seem almost endless, sometimes they become incredibly difficult, which makes you sit and fret over passing them. What is it that has conquered so many people?
The main pros of the game
A game about colorful candies that you need to remove from the screen seems like some kind of nonsense. A real soap bubble that is about to burst, and only the most dedicated players of the genre will remain. However, this is not the case. The simplicity of the game is not a disadvantage. It is its main plus. Simple, with a bright and colorful design, uncomplicated, without a plot, it attracts crowds of players. After all, this kind of games are not made to spend entire evenings in them. No. Candy Crush is played on public transportation, during breaks, on lunch breaks. Just to stretch your fingers, stimulate your brain, and get back to business. It’s a kind of recess game.
Many see it as similar to chess, because there is a huge variation of moves, a random process of candy appearing on the board. And that’s what people want. To pass some plot blockbuster will not be possible for a short twenty-minute streetcar ride. Nor will an hour lunch break be a sufficient sacrifice to fully immerse yourself in the game. No. You need simplicity. And the game provides it. But at the same time, the simplicity is combined with classic mechanics that don’t bore you and make you come back time after time.
What is the phenomenon of the game?
Aside from the fact that the game is simple and can entice people with its simplicity, the excitement factor also comes into play. The game is incredibly tricky. Immediately spoiler: it is almost impossible to highlight the minuses. This is not the kind of project where you can sit there and seriously highlight the minuses. The game really can be called a gamble, and this in no way goes to her in some vice. Often, some levels will be impossible to pass the first time. They are made so that a person sat and thought. And then he starts to be drawn to it over and over again. At first it’s thoughts along the lines of “I’ve figured out this level! I’m going to pass it with my strategy!”. When that fails, then the player looks for a new tactic, and a new tactic. That’s when the element of excitement kicks in. He comes back to this level again and again to pass it, because already the thoughts go in the direction of “Well, now it will definitely be lucky!”. And it works.
And those who are not ready to tolerate the “mockery” of the game over his psyche, will simply pay the developer some money to get some bonus, in the form of a bomb, or something else. And there are a lot of such players too. But the next few levels will be quite simple, and no one will have a hard time passing them. And then they can feel like real masters, so that the next complex locations will seem like a challenge to their professionalism. Simple, but such an amazing system.
And in no way should it be taken as a minus. It’s magic that works. It’s magic that makes the game a pleasure to play. It’s a true miracle that makes you feel completely carefree and confident. It gives euphoria to the player.