Candy Crush Saga managed to shatter my jaded illusion that most, if not all, Free-To-Play games were simply half-assed money grabs because of just how fun it is.
Yes, it's a Match Three Game, but its unique aesthetic helps it stand out. For one, all levels are limited by a certain number of moves. Run out of it, and you lose a heart. Finish the level's objective with moves to spare? Then you're rewarded with a swarm of fish that blasts away pieces and earns you points. But yeah, I said objective. Candy Crush Saga also has different game modes that vary each level. One level, you're trying to clear jelly. Another level, you're trying to move coconuts and cherries to the bottom of the screen. It's never the same "score as many points!"
I also mentioned hearts. They're the lives of this game. Run out of them, and you have to wait a fair amount of time before getting to play again, unless you manage to drop some funds. Now, I can see where they're going with this. It's a way to prevent addiction while monetizing for those who really wanted to play again. That is a good way of monetizing a game. And speaking of monetizing, I think it's time we get to the elephant in the room: Micro-transactions.
The game allows you to buy golden bars for a certain amount of money which in turn allows you to buy items to help you out in games, as well as an assortment of assistance, like extra lives or even moves. It's no different from the Free-To-Play games that also do this, but Candy Crush Saga doesn't give you that overwhelming sense of feeling that you have to drop cash to win. It does give the feeling at times, but compared to most other Free-To-Play games, Candy Crush Saga's feeling is rather tame.
But let's do the assumption that you're on a hard-to-beat level and there's no way of advancing. Then yes, the feeling that you might need to pay may overwhelm you, to the point where you might even want to not play it. I have had that feeling multiple times before the game managed to fix that with the Daily Spin, a sort of power-up lottery to help you out in the game, and Dreamworld, a rerun of previous levels with the added challenge of trying to balance an owl on the moon. These additions managed to help me continue playing the game.
I can't recommend this enough. Give this a try and see if you like it.
VideoGame Perhaps the only Facebook Game I play now
Candy Crush Saga managed to shatter my jaded illusion that most, if not all, Free-To-Play games were simply half-assed money grabs because of just how fun it is.
Yes, it's a Match Three Game, but its unique aesthetic helps it stand out. For one, all levels are limited by a certain number of moves. Run out of it, and you lose a heart. Finish the level's objective with moves to spare? Then you're rewarded with a swarm of fish that blasts away pieces and earns you points. But yeah, I said objective. Candy Crush Saga also has different game modes that vary each level. One level, you're trying to clear jelly. Another level, you're trying to move coconuts and cherries to the bottom of the screen. It's never the same "score as many points!"
I also mentioned hearts. They're the lives of this game. Run out of them, and you have to wait a fair amount of time before getting to play again, unless you manage to drop some funds. Now, I can see where they're going with this. It's a way to prevent addiction while monetizing for those who really wanted to play again. That is a good way of monetizing a game. And speaking of monetizing, I think it's time we get to the elephant in the room: Micro-transactions.
The game allows you to buy golden bars for a certain amount of money which in turn allows you to buy items to help you out in games, as well as an assortment of assistance, like extra lives or even moves. It's no different from the Free-To-Play games that also do this, but Candy Crush Saga doesn't give you that overwhelming sense of feeling that you have to drop cash to win. It does give the feeling at times, but compared to most other Free-To-Play games, Candy Crush Saga's feeling is rather tame.
But let's do the assumption that you're on a hard-to-beat level and there's no way of advancing. Then yes, the feeling that you might need to pay may overwhelm you, to the point where you might even want to not play it. I have had that feeling multiple times before the game managed to fix that with the Daily Spin, a sort of power-up lottery to help you out in the game, and Dreamworld, a rerun of previous levels with the added challenge of trying to balance an owl on the moon. These additions managed to help me continue playing the game.
I can't recommend this enough. Give this a try and see if you like it.