Battle Pass Timer Mechanics

Download the February Casual Report

Lily’s Garden’s Lunar Season is one of the first battle passes we’ve seen in the casual market that includes time-sensitive rewards. In the premium pass, reaching certain tiers within a time limit doubles the tier’s rewards. In the free pass, failing to reach certain tiers in time forfeits the tier’s rewards. Each timer only begins when players reach the preceding tier, which keeps players from falling too far behind.

In this report, we analyze how the timed rewards affect the value of both battle passes, as well as how apps can use these mechanics to drive engagement without demotivating players.

Soft-Launch and Breakout Apps

My Hotpot Story differs from other top restaurant sim apps by forgoing time management tasks in favor of a long-term progression in which players build a restaurant. The app’s relaxed gameplay has proven popular in the U.S. market so far, but it may need to expand its endgame to retain players in the long run. Currently, high-level restaurants practically run themselves, leaving players with little to do besides collect rewards.

Soul Battles combines tile blast levels and Coin Master-inspired meta-features. The app’s creepy fairytale aesthetic and PvP features may not be the most obvious choices for the casual market, but other apps have succeeded with somewhat similar approaches. Zombie puzzle RPG Puzzles & Survival and Coin Master-inspired board game app Dice Dreams (which we covered in our Sept. ’21 Casual Report) show that casual players may have an appetite for darker themes and PvP.

Innovative Features and Events

This month’s noteworthy releases include a team challenge event with unique player roles in Candy Crush Saga, a jigsaw puzzle that awards exclusive equipmentin My Singing Monsters, and a competition to earn the most points for a battle pass in Matchington Mansion.

Download the February Casual Report for our complete analysis.