Mastering hybrid-casual game design: Lessons in balancing depth and accessibility

The balance between simplicity and complexity is essential for increasing player retention and monetization. At SayGames, we've learnt it through our own experience of developing hybrid-casual games and mastered this balance. 

We were the first publisher to successfully switch to hybrid-casual, and it stays at the core of our strategy. The hybrid economic model allows us to monetize all users within the game, while shortening the ROI window in comparison to midcore and casual genres.

How do we achieve this? I'll share some key takeaways from our experience that game developers can apply to their own projects. But first, let me briefly introduce the hyper-casual genre.

The hybrid-casual genre

Let's start by exploring the specific nature of the genre and its history a bit. Hybrid-casual games are titles that combine the accessibility of hyper-casual games with deeper, more engaging mechanics. They have evolved from hyper-casual games, which were almost entirely ads-based and had a short life cycle. 

As hyper-casual was reaching its maturity and facing stiff competition, the market was shaken by the ban on IDFA tracking and changes in app stores’ rules, which resulted in ads-based monetisation becoming even less sustainable. A shift to hybrid-casual games was an answer to this problem: they introduced a greater proportion of IAP while keeping its mass appeal and marketability. 

So, what can help a game thrive and remain competitive in this rapidly changing market?

1. Strong core gameplay loop

Build a solid, enjoyable core loop. It’ll ensure that players stay engaged while allowing room for additional layers of complexity. For example, in our recent hit Tower Destiny Survive the core-loop consists of the following steps:

This sequence of actions fits together organically, creating an interlocking loop of action and reward which captivates the player. Changes in the look of the tower and traveled distance, reflected in the UI, visually illustrate progress and motivate to grind further. 

This effect is reinforced by a set of long and short-term goals, like reaching the end of a level, completing a quest on the top of the screen or beating a boss in a challenge. Combination of various upgrades, weapons, and gear increase replayability and allows to avoid repetitiveness.

Juicy game feel is another important aspect we focus on. Beautiful graphics, pleasant animations for every interaction and powerful visual rewards for key actions allow us to create an addictive experience.

2. Varied, cohesive mechanics

Add new mechanics that enhance the experience but ensure they are aligned with the overall game design and theme. Be careful to introduce them gradually and not overcharge your gameplay with them. Otherwise, your audience will get overwhelmed and the impact on in-game KPIs will be adverse.

In Wasteland Life, at the very beginning we acquaint players with a core mechanic — clearing out the sand with a vacuum.

As they try it out, they discover that it allows to increase playable area, uncover hidden objects and save NPCs. 

When they understand what the game will be mostly about and get used to the gameplay, they face the need to break a series of objects.

This is how we introduce the secondary mechanic — breaking things with a pickaxe. Revealing another tool and the need to constantly upgrade it in order to expand the range of breakable objects, we show players a new axis of progression. 

The game, however, stays coherent with collecting sand, since booth mechanics are here to facilitate exploration and resource collection. Switching between vacuum and pickaxe spices up the gameplay as well as creates more opportunities for foreshadowing and monetization. 

Seamless monetization

In the hybrid-casual genre, the main challenge is to create a smooth user experience which allows to build a long LTV. To achieve this, you need to implement ads and in-app purchases in ways that feel natural and don’t disrupt the gameplay flow. Let’s take a look at how we did this in Tower War.

The first four levels are intended to help the player understand the rules of the game without any extra distractions. On the 4th level, to showcase some variety, we let them try a fever-mode feature for free.

On level 6, we open an IAP section of the main menu with a free reward.

And it's only after completing level 10 that we show the first interstitial followed by a no-ads purchase offer.

Next, we counterbalance this disruption right away by introducing a “base” feature that enables the player to unlock new fighters and upgrade them.

By carefully introducing paid options to players in small increments, we try to acquaint potential buyers with a shop even before the first ad shows up and do our best to smoothen the negative effect of the first interstitial on retention.

Data-driven optimization

Continuously analyze player data to refine mechanics, balance difficulty, and optimize monetization strategies. It allows you to regularly reassess whether your expectations align with market realities.

For example, during the Valentine's Day event in Dreamdale, we calculated the benchmark for paying users to complete the event faster or earn additional rewards. However, we didn’t know if we'd chosen optimal financial depth – how much players were willing to pay. 

We researched the market and ended up with three hypotheses to test: 

The results were surprising: all three variants performed similarly. A more expensive event resulted in fewer payers but higher average spend, while a cheaper event attracted more payers but generated lower revenue from whales.

The tests showed that what seems like the best solution isn’t always the right one, and only analytics can confirm if you’ve chosen the right course. That’s why you should always keep calm and rely on data.


If you'd like to check out the games mentioned in the text, they are available in the AppStore: Tower Destiny Survive, Wasteland Life, Tower War and Dreamdale.

Anton Volnykh is Chief Publishing Officer at SayGames.