In today’s world, modern gaming and Video Games are providing a far more immersive and interactive form of entertainment than traditional games did. For anyone, at any age wanting to get into gaming as we have it today, the multitude of games can be hugely overwhelming. A good place to start for a non-gamer would be an intuitive, simple, and enjoyable game, and Merge Games perfectly fit the bill.
Let’s start by describing what Merge Games are. Merge Games are a subgenre of puzzle games where the objective is to combine identical items present in a grid or board to create a higher level item. These higher level items in turn, have to be combined with identical higher level items to create the next level of item. This loop goes on until the grid is cleared, if at all possible. Depending on the games objectives, clearing the board may not be usually the goal, as the process of merging drives the constant game’s progression, gaining rewards, and a fulfilling evolution of the game board.
The gameplay can get quite immersive as the player must work around the grid’s limited space as well as manage resources. The game relies on “Generators” (generating elements) to create basic items that you have to drag to combine with like items on the board, to achieve the merge-loop described above. This is continually done until the game’s goals are met, and one has to work with the limited grid space to avoid clutter as well as stay within the energy limits that the Generator consumes.
Modern and casual merge games are interesting to play because they are paired with interesting and intriguing story lines. If merging was simply the means to an end, players would get bored after clearing the board for several times. Thus, giving a reason for the merging totally changes the basic game’s dynamics in many ways.
In-game rewards go hand-in-hand as completing merge goals earns in game currency while unlocking more of the game’s intriguing narrative. This gameplay formula of strategic merging on the board, getting rewarded for it, and incrementally progressing through the story provides an engrossing environment which a player can easily get obsessed with.
First-Time Gamers go through a lot of unnecessary stress when encountering challenging games. This is especially true with Arcade games where a player has a limited number of lives and a tough challenge to crack. Some love this and live for it, but many first-time gamers want to play to relax and be entertained. Gamers today are lucky because unlike in the past like the 1980s, Video Games were generally tough challenges. With the current option of free merge games, the fear of losing is practically eliminated.
The majority of merge-type games do not have a fail state. You can’t lose in the game. Should you make a mistake and get stuck, your items just stay on the board until you figure out what to do next. This provides a relaxed atmosphere where a first-time gamer can learn the rules of the game at one’s own pace without incurring stress.
What’s more, the core mechanic of the game is quite intuitive and simple that even a child will understand. Just look for identical items, then drag and drop onto each other and you get rewarded with a new item, easy-peasy! Not only that, Merge Games provide easy to understand goals and provide instant rewards keeping gamers motivated. Rewards come with eye catching graphics and animations accompanied by lively audio-cues and a new item to boot.
Merge Games generally help the players through. It’s like a tutorial that keeps rolling even through the main game. It’s playing with the hints feature “on” eliminating the need to try to guess what to do next. Also, these games provide flexible sessions so a new gamers can easily learn and get used to the game at one’s own pace. Progress can be automatically saved, so if the gamer decides to play for a few minutes or spend hours to complete a session, gaming is done at one’s own convenience.
With the continual rise of Merge Games in both the Casual and Mobile gaming market, the availability, number of title selections, and ease of access makes it the perfect game for first-time gamers to begin with.