Unity is one of the most popular game engines around, not just with indie developers, but also with bigger game studios too.
With engines like Unity, it’s very easy for the lone developer to gain traction and produce quality, commercially viable games that can compete with bigger studios.
There is also an abundance of smaller independent companies that are making very stylistic games that cater to much smaller audiences.
Games can now be made for niche groups of gamers rather than the masses.
These people are more interested in playing a game that can create a unique original experience rather than the usual trappings of something like the Call Of Duty franchise.
Unity is great for these types of indie games, it’s also great for making Hyper Casual Games.
Under the cover Unity is a very powerful 3D graphics engine that can create very complex 3D environments.
It also has no trouble creating simple 2D games, much like the ones you find in this Casal game sub-genre.
The following are some examples of hyper-casual games made in Unity 3D:
Crossy Road
Crossy Road is an addictive game that was produced in Unity, the aim of the game is to make it across the busy road and traverse many different obstacles on the way.
The graphics are very blocky and create a very stylistic retro-level design.
This game is essentially the classic game Frogger. This game came out at the start of teh 80’s and is considered a golden oldy. This game has pretty much the same concept but has an isometric, stylized veneer.
In Frogger you had to guide a little frog across a busy road, carefully navigating oncoming cars and lorries as you did so. Finally, you had to jump on lily pads as they floated along past you to reach the end of the level. Timing your jumps was key to reaching the end goal.
Taking concepts from old games and updating them with a twist can be a recurring pattern in a lot of popular hyper-casual games.
Monument Valley 2
Inspired by the drawings of M. C. Escher, Monument Valley 2 is another game that was made in Unity.
The level design is based on the ambiguity of impossible objects. Structures that logically don’t make sense and simply wouldn’t exist in the real world.
This makes for interesting puzzle solving when traversing the illusory, labyrinthian levels. These simple isometric levels make for an immersive eye-pleasing visual feast.
Alto’s Adventure
Alto Adventure is a fluid downhill skiing game that captures the excitement and peacefulness of high-altitude skiing with an ambient minimalist soundtrack.
The Creator cited hours of playing Tony Hawks Pro Skateboarder as a major influence on the game. As you traverse these beautiful monochromatic vistas you can perform a multitude of tricks and spins that can increase your score.
The gameplay is very smooth and really draws you into the world. Just the sounds of the skis gliding through the snow are very hypnotic.
Glitch Dash
Glitch Dash is a 3D endless runner that has you jumping dodging and spinning your way past various objects and pitfalls.
The trance-like soundtrack has you jumping in time with the glitch-style rhythms. This makes for an addictive, but deviously hard time-based mechanic.
This is a simple idea that works very well in 3D making it infinitely more immersive than many 2D runners.
Hole Down
Hole Down is a very simple game that has you hooked right from the start with its stupidly charming visuals and gameplay.
The aim is to get to the core of the different planets by shooting small balls at a host of pleasingly beveled blocks. The blocks are numbered to signify how many times they need to be hit.
You have a limited amount of shots, which means you have to choose the most effective route that can cause the most damage.
you can take advantage of rebound damage by bouncing your balls off the walls to maximize the impact.
This game is very minimal when it comes to graphics, but has a great puzzle element that makes it very fun to play.
Simple graphics look simple by design and are pleasing to look at, just like high-quality graphic-driven games are. Remember there is beauty in simplicity
This kind of graphic style is quite prevalent in many top charting games in the app stores. Developers like Voodoo and Ketchup create slick simple games that play well.
The advantage of this stylish but minimal graphics style is that assets can be made very fast with the emphasis on simple graphics, but addictive gameplay.