From flat play to lasting engagement
Bricks Puzzle was a figure-matching puzzle game with a solid core gameplay loop, but its performance told another story. Conversion was low, retention was weak, and many players dropped off quickly. Levels followed one after another, yet there was little to keep players emotionally invested or motivated to return.
When I joined the project, my first focus was on revitalizing the experience. I refreshed the visual style to make it more appealing and built a complete meta layer with engaging gamification features. This included a clearer, more rewarding onboarding experience, polished microinteractions, and a smoother gameplay flow. These changes reduced hint usage by 160% and allowed players to progress further without frustration.
Before
After
Gameplay screen redesign
- Brighter colors and subtle shading for a modern, polished look
- Dark mode option for better accessibility and visual appeal
- Clearer contrast between puzzle pieces and background for easier play
- Progress bar, stars, and currency counters to tie gameplay to rewards
- Cleaner, more engaging layout that feels alive instead of flat
To build long-term engagement, I introduced a set of additional objectives, daily streak challenges, and customization rewards for regular logins. I also designed a clear path of advancement that encouraged not just puzzle completion but speed, rewarding quick problem-solving and enhancing replayability.
These combined changes transformed player behavior—daily usage increased by 120%, and retention rates grew by an impressive 420%.
Before
After
Level selector redesign
The level selector was no longer just a functional menu — it became part of the gameplay journey. After each level, players could clearly see how their progress moved them closer to short- and long-term goals, with chests, star collection, badges, and new difficulty tiers reinforcing a sense of advancement and reward.
- Progress tied directly to visible rewards like chests and stars
- Clearer sense of short- and long-term goals
- Achievements and badges to celebrate milestones
- Difficulty progression that encouraged replayability
Beyond the core systems, I focused on making the game feel alive. Subtle haptics and sound cues reinforced progress bar milestones, nudging players to complete levels faster. Chest-opening animations, star collection effects, coin bursts, and achievement reveals added a layer of delight to every interaction. These polished touches turned routine actions into rewarding moments, giving players a constant sense of feedback and celebration.
The Outcome
- A complete visual overhaul that transformed the game's appeal and made it feel fresh, modern, and aligned with players' expectations.
- A redesigned onboarding experience that made early progress more satisfying, cutting hint usage by 160% and helping players feel more confident from the start.
- Gamification features such as daily streaks, objectives, and customization rewards that drove 420% retention growth.
- Meta progression systems that encouraged speed, replayability, and long-term engagement.
- A smoother gameplay flow with polished microinteractions, increasing daily usage by 120%.
