Platformers and casual games

Platformer and casual game development at ArionisGames

Platformers and casual games are some of the most popular genres in the modern game development industry. They provide wide reach due to their simplicity and versatility, and they attract and retain attention well. Thanks to these features, such titles consistently lead mobile stores in terms of downloads, attracting the attention of millions of audiences.

There are three main reasons for the growing demand for custom platformer and casual game development:

• wide reach – such titles are suitable for people of all age categories and do not require gaming skills;
• development of the mobile market segment – products in these genres are ideally suited for viewing on phones and tablets, which makes them as accessible as possible;
• effective monetization – various models work well in game projects of this category (from in-game purchases to advertising, collaborations, and subscriptions), which allows publishers to receive stable income.

What are platformers and casual games?

Platformers and casual games are two genres that occupy a special place in the gamedev market due to their accessibility, understandable mechanics, and large audience. At the same time, the development of such projects has a number of features that distinguish them from simulators, shooters, and RPGs.

Platformers – what are they?

In Platform games, players control a character who overcomes obstacles and platforms, defeats enemies, and collects items. The emphasis is on agility and precision of movements.

Examples: Super Mario, Rayman.

Features:

• Level design in platformers is key, it provides dynamics and a positive user experience;
• The mechanics are simple - jumping, running, interacting with the game world and objects, but variability and regular challenges are required;
• Gameplay balance is important – levels should be doable, but with increasing difficulty to maintain the challenge.

Platformers can contain elements of arcades, shooters, horror, action, mmo, mmorpg - there are countless options.

Casual games – what are they?

Casual games are projects for a wide audience, they are characterized by short sessions and a simple threshold of entry for the gamer. The main goal is easy and quick entertainment.

Examples: Candy Crush, Angry Birds.

Features:

• simple rules and controls, understandable from the first minutes, often with an element of competition and record-setting;
• a wide variety of subgenres – from puzzles, clickers and runners to time management projects;
• Casual game mechanics to attract and retain attention – increasing level difficulty, social features, daily bonuses.

Casual projects are mostly phone games and browser titles, but there are also computer products.

What unites these two genres is a focus on accessibility and engagement. While complex titles require time for immersion and learning, and a developed plot, platformers and casual games require an intuitive interface, dynamics, and motivation to return. The development of platformers and casual games requires special attention to UX/UI, level dynamics, a balanced balance of difficulty, and high-quality 2D or 3D graphics for an attractive picture.

Features of developing platformers and casual games

When creating casual games and platformers, the developers of Arionis Games take into account the specifics of these game development areas, which manifests itself in many nuances:

• Intuitiveness in everything. In these genres, the gamer must understand the rules and goal from the first seconds – learning occurs in the process, so we make the interface simple, as well as the mechanics, without overloading the system with tutorials and multi-step menus.
• Balance of difficulty. We use a gradual increase in challenge, short levels, and one more try mechanics. It is important to test the level of difficulty on real players - the audience of platformers and casual projects is not hardcore, but the gameplay needs to be adjusted to the specifics of a specific target audience (age, training, interests).
• Focus on engagement and retention. This is a key point when developing platformers and casual games. We use reward cycles (bonuses, skins, achievements, additional levels) - a gameplay loop is necessary, because, unlike strategies and RPGs, engaging with the help of plot and content will not work.
• Cross-platform and optimization. Most often, platformers and casual games are developed for mobile devices (iOS, Android), browsers and consoles. The product should start quickly, not "eat" battery and memory, and be compatible with a wide range of gadgets and OS, including PCs.
• Memorable style. Visuals, as well as 2D or 3D animation, should be bright, friendly and accessible, especially when it comes to a children's audience. The emphasis here is not on graphic power, but on smoothness and ease of perception, emotions. Graphics for a platformer or casual game can be cartoonish and even pixelated - minimalism and simple visuals are the priority. Realism is not needed in these genres.
• Monetization. The main models are advertising, subscriptions, in-game purchases, donations. These elements should not interfere or distract, so DLC or premium access, which work well in more serious and complex genres, are ineffective and even harmful here.

Who orders platformers and casual games and why?

The platformer and casual genres are relevant for a wide range of companies and entrepreneurs, but especially for those who want to quickly attract a wide audience and increase reach thanks to high replayability:

• Publishers and game development studios commission platformers and casual games to expand their portfolio, test ideas, quickly enter new markets and/or reach a mass audience. These genres have large reach, low entry thresholds, and therefore good potential to reach the top of mobile marketplaces.
• Educational and EdTech projects – to engage audiences, especially children and adolescents, in learning through a gaming format (edutainment). The mechanics of casual games and platformers allow for effective integration of educational material.
• Marketing agencies often choose these genres for gamification of advertising campaigns - promoting the brand, increasing its recognition, forming a loyal community. For example, you can create a simple branded runner in which the character will collect company logos/products.
• The business and corporate sector commissions platformer and casual game development services to make internal processes and HR tasks interactive and engaging. Such products are used for employee training, team building, and as corporate applications for certain events or trainings.
• Startups often choose these genres to quickly enter the gaming market with a minimal budget thanks to MVP. Casual games are a practical tool for testing hypotheses, audience segmentation, and a flexible format for starting in the industry and getting your first profit without large investments.
• For bloggers, influencers, and media personalities, developing casual games and platformers allows them to create an additional source of monetization of popularity, increase the popularity of their personal brand, and retain and expand their fan base.

Why custom development of platformers and casual projects is effective

Custom-designed titles in the platformer and casual genres provide much more results and opportunities than template solutions "out of the box." And here's why:

• Competitiveness. There are thousands of similar runners and platformers on Google and Apple. To stand out from their crowd, you need your own style, an interesting idea and/or mechanics, a memorable setting and visuals. Plus, it significantly reduces the risk of cloning the project.
• Flexibility. Custom development of casual games and platformers allows you to solve specific business tasks - brand promotion, monetization relevant to the characteristics of the audience and product, training/engagement, user retention. Mechanics and gameplay are adjusted to the customer's strategy, not the other way around.
• Optimization and reach. A custom game is created taking into account the specifics of the target platforms (iOS, Android, Web, PC, console), audiences, and current competition on them. Arionis Games also develops cross-platform products.
• Scalability. Unlike ready-made templates, custom code is easy to modify - you can quickly add new levels, 2D and 3D characters, seasonal and thematic events. Such a product can be developed and modified as needed, following the business strategy, changing audience or target platform.
• Integration with business. With custom production, you can introduce a corporate identity, brand characters, products, or services into a platformer or casual game, making the project an effective marketing tool.
• Control and security. When developing from scratch, you get the source code and rights to the game, you are not dependent on third-party services that may cease to exist or change the terms unilaterally. Also, this format of cooperation allows you to store and analyze user data, and protect it from leakage.

As a result, you get not just another template, of which there are thousands, but balanced gameplay and UX, user-friendly interfaces for the target audience, interesting missions and settings. And most importantly, solving the tasks for which the product was created.

Stages of developing platformers and casual games

The process of creating custom platformers, casual and hypercasual games consists of classic stages that ensure a high-quality result:

• Analysis of the task, niche, audience.
• Prototyping and game design .
• Working with graphics and animation.
• Programming, integration of mechanics.
• Testing (game, load, etc.).
• Preparing for launch.

The Arionis team also provides post-release support by arrangement.

You can learn more about the stages of game product production by our specialists on the Game Development page, and examples of our latest work are presented in the Portfolio .

Types and types of platformers that can be ordered from us

Platformers are one of the most flexible genres, allowing you to implement ideas in a wide variety of directions: 2D, 2.5D, 3D games, children's, casual, hardcore, corporate/branded.

Speaking of genres:

• classic platformers with jumping, traps and collecting items;
• action games with combat elements, weapons and enemies;
• puzzle platformers with puzzles, quests for interaction with the environment, physics;
• Metroidvania variants are non-linear, with a large map, exploration, and character progression;
• rhythm projects with movement to music;
• Runners with jumps and obstacle courses.

You can choose both a classic variation for a mass mobile audience and a unique custom solution with elements of RPG, strategy, shooters, and even educational mechanics.

Compatibility with devices and technologies. We create 2D and 3D platformers for phones ( Android , iPhone ), PCs , consoles (PSP, etc.), browsers, web solutions. We can also implement VR/AR products , cross-platform games with AI, blockchain, and other innovative options.

Possible formats. The project can be implemented with multiplayer (including asynchronous), cooperative, and solo modes. Seasonal and tournament formats, mini-games within the main mechanics, and integration with social networks and messengers work well for retention.

Types and types of casual games we develop

Depending on the goals of the customer and target audience, a wide variety of casual projects can be launched:

• Match-3 games – puzzles with comparing elements;
• Hidden object titles with a search for objects, often in a story context;
• time management – for managing processes and time;
• puzzles with logical tasks, brain teasers;
• Idle/clicker projects with simple gameplay and mostly automatic progress;
• card and table variations (solitaire, mahjong);
• arcades with simple reaction tasks;
• Runners to avoid obstacles and collect bonuses.

Casual games for children and adults can be educational, entertaining, branded, and social (with social media integration, ratings, challenges).

Just like platformers, casual games can be developed for iOS and Android, PC, consoles, and web platforms, with custom mechanics, marketing, retention, or learning orientations.

Technologies and tools

To implement projects in the genres of platformers and casual applications, we use a large list of programs and tools that ensure rapid prototyping, flexible functionality, and cross-platform compatibility.

The main ones are:

• 🎮 Engines – Unity , Unreal Engine , Cocos2d-x.
• 💻 Programming languages – you can write a casual game or platformer in C++, JS, Java, Python, C#, GDScript.
• 🎨 Graphics and animation – Photoshop, Illustrator, Spine, DragonBones, Blender, Maya, Aseprite.
• 📊 Analytics and monetization – Firebase, GameAnalytics, AppsFlyer, Adjust, AdMob, Unity Ads, IronSource, IAP SDK.
• ☁️ Backend and online functionality – PlayFab, Photon, Nakama, AWS, Google Cloud.

Why clients trust Arionis

The Arionis Games team has deep, broad expertise in web development (10+ years) and game development (5+ years). We create both simple arcades and complex large-scale products, including those using AI , machine learning, and blockchain technologies.

Among the reasons why we are trusted with game development are the following:

• understanding the industry, the mechanics of retention, engagement, and the effectiveness of applying different monetization models;
• professional use of modern technologies and innovations;
• transparency of cooperation – we work iteratively, with strict reporting at key stages of the process;
• flexibility – we offer formats of project interaction, outsourcing, outstaffing, and dedicated IT team services.

We perform both a full development cycle and spot work - we will promptly join at any stage of product implementation and ensure its successful, timely release.

If you are looking for a team of specialized specialists for the high-quality implementation of your idea, contact us - we will offer effective solutions for the tasks set.