Written by Ahmetcan Demirel, the maestro of product management and a podcast host (Game Dev Diary) from Germany! With a knack for puzzle, arcade, and simulation games.

When Ahmetcan isn’t busy crafting analysis or designing killer features for consulting clients, you’ll find him exploring Berlin's vibrant tech scene or writing for Deconstructor of Fun in one of the hipster cafes of the city.

It is no secret that puzzle games dominate a significant share of the mobile gaming market. Over the last decade, the puzzle market has become fiercely competitive, with various subgenres vying to capture the attention of puzzle players. While Match-3 remains the dominant force in this competition, we've seen other subgenres like Merge taking the second place, while others, like Tile Match, showed potential but ultimately fell short.

That said, the second spot in the puzzle market remained largely uncontested until recently. Before Merge games took over the second spot, Blast games were the Pepsi to Match-3's Coca-Cola. There was a significant gap between Match-3 and Blast, with Blast holding a solid second place for a long time. And this space was largely dominated by two major titles: Toy Blast and Toon Blast from Peak. While other Blast games like Lily’s Garden or Angry Birds Dream Blast are worth mentioning, they never reached the household name status that Peak’s titles have.

With the Blast market losing its second-place spot after nearly a decade and no new Blast game making an impact, there is a new game stepping in to revive the subgenre’s former glory: Time Blast. Developed by a Wildlife studio, Playabit, the game offers a contemporary spin on the Blast subgenre. By combining mechanics from both Blast and Match-3 and launching with a complete event cadence, it's clear this isn't just another Blast game. Given that the studio is led by early Toy Blast team members, it is no surprise the game feels very polished and ready to show its full potential.

Visual Style

If you follow the casual puzzle space, you’ll notice a trend among many soft launch titles—they often resemble Royal Match… Naturally, drawing inspiration from the leading game in your sector is common. However, many casual puzzle titles launched in the past 3-4 years share a strikingly similar visual style. Time Blast is not sheepishly following that trend and has its unique art style instead. This style remains consistent across both level items and the metagame, reinforcing the game's unique identity.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint their exact art style, "quirky" is a good attempt to describe it. From the asymmetrical frames to the humorous character interactions, the game creates a distinct and engaging atmosphere. These subtle details often go unnoticed in many games, but the team behind Time Blast has effectively crafted a unique visual style through them.

When we look at the levels, we can definitely say that the level items and overall level visuals are of the highest quality. For those looking to understand the impact of visual style and clarity in puzzle games, I strongly suggest Laura Taranto’s piece on Royal Match. The TL;DR is that the more distinct your items are from each other and the background, the easier and more enjoyable your game will be for players. Laura ranks Royal Match and Toon Blast at the top for visual clarity, and I believe Time Blast deserves to be in that tier too. The team's experience with top-grossing puzzle games may be the most evident in the clear distinction of each item in every level.

We've already covered some unique aspects of the game, with more to be discussed later in the article. However, the metagame isn't among those unique aspects, as it closely resembles what Royal Match offers—which we can call a "Light Meta.". Players need to complete levels to earn stars, which they then use to complete tasks. Finishing these tasks progresses them through various scenes in the game. The unique aspect of Time Blast's metagame is that its scenes aren't static images with random props. The game's narrative follows a family traveling through time, with tasks placing them in various scenes. Their reactions and interactions provide glimpses into their characters. It's not groundbreaking, but it adds a pleasant layer to the Light Meta that many puzzle games use today.

Core Gameplay

As the gaming market grows more competitive, features shared across games and genres are on the rise. A successful event in Monopoly Go today might appear in Royal Match tomorrow, and vice versa. Given this trend, you'd expect the Blast subgenre to adapt nearly every successful feature from Match-3 games. Yet, recently, Blast games haven't significantly innovated their core mechanics. And saying “But you can’t expect top grossing games to just go around changing core gameplay” isn’t enough, as some do introduce groundbreaking changes. A recent example is Project Makeover by Magic Tavern. This spring, they replaced their Firecracker power-up with Propeller, significantly altering the core gameplay and level design. If a 4-year-old top-grossing puzzle game can make such a radical change, we should expect other games to at least attempt some level of innovation.

Playabit seems to have embraced this mindset, as evidenced by their innovative core mechanics. For instance, much like Project Makeover's introduction of Propeller, Time Blast also utilizes Propeller as one of its power-ups. This is a significant innovation in the Blast genre for two main reasons. First, there's no leading title in the space that uses it, meaning there are no established blueprints for implementing it. There are a few games that have tried it before, but none of the top grossing Blast titles have Propeller as a power up. Time Blast not only adopts best practices from other subgenres but also introduces innovation within its own subgenre.

The second reason is more critical: levels in Blast games tend to get stuck more easily than in Match-3 games. Unlike Match-3, where luck plays a key role, Blast games don’t have this advantage. In Match-3, it’s common to win levels with just a few moves left, even when the odds seem stacked against you. In contrast, a bad board position in Blast games often leads to inevitable defeat, since each move only affects the blasted pieces, unlike the shifting board dynamics in Match-3. Therefore, having a power-up like Propeller that directly targets the area where players are stuck is a major advantage. Time Blast introduces Propeller as a power-up, making its core gameplay more akin to Match-3 games compared to other Blast titles on the market.

You might think using Propeller is already a bold move by Time Blast, and you'd be right. But Playabit took it further by allowing players to swap power-ups! The terms "Swap" and "Switch" are often used interchangeably, as they both describe the action of changing items in a Match-3 game. In contrast, Blast games use the term "Blast" for this action (Yes, very shocking). In Time Blast, while you can't swap items, you can swap power-ups, bringing the gameplay closer to that of Match-3 games. Typically, Blast games are known for their deterministic and strategic nature, but these changes make Time Blast stand out as a unique title.

Another notable feature borrowed from the Match-3 space is how power-up combos are handled. In a traditional Blast game, when power-ups touch each other, they form one big combo, with the most powerful one activating when the combo is triggered. For instance, in Toon Blast, if a Rocket is placed between a Disco Ball and a Bomb, the combo will activate the Disco Ball & Bomb effect, with the Rocket simply acting as a link and being overridden by the stronger power-ups. In contrast, Match-3 games don't stack power-up combos. Instead, they trigger only the combination that the player chooses. So, in the example above, the player could activate either the Disco Ball & Rocket or Bomb & Rocket combo based on their selection.

By now, it probably won't surprise you that Time Blast adopts the Match-3 method for triggering power-up combos. The combos aren’t stacked, allowing players to choose which one they want to activate. The biggest downside is that Blast players are accustomed to planning their moves around the interconnected power-ups. Because Blast games rely more on strategy than luck, knowing that the interconnection will trigger a Disco Ball & Disco Ball combo, for instance, can make it easier to clear a level. However, because Time Blast already leans towards a Match-3 style of gameplay, this concern isn’t as critical as it would be for a traditional Blast game. The advantage, though, is that players can choose to trigger a specific power-up combo while leaving the others intact for potential use on their next move. While it's difficult to determine which version is superior, I believe not stacking power-ups aligns well with the other design decisions Playabit has made.

Considering all these core mechanic changes, it's fair to say that Time Blast isn't purely a Blast game. It's more of a hybrid between Blast and Match-3, and it actually looks quite promising at first glance. It certainly feels different, and we’ll dive into how that could impact their marketing later. But ultimately, the result is a fast-paced Blast game with more randomness and player freedom than any other successful Blast game on the market.

Live Events

As we’ve noted, competition among puzzle games is intense, and as it grows fiercer, players become accustomed to increasingly higher standards of gameplay. In 2020, a new game could get away with launching without events, focusing solely on core gameplay and its metagame. Now, it’s tough to succeed without offering more right from the start. Time Blast seems to have taken that lesson to heart.

The game offers a full range of events, including team tournaments and win streak challenges, allowing players to deeply invest both their time and money if they choose to. While this might be the new standard, it highlights just how much more effort is needed to launch a new game. Developers now have to nail not only the game mechanics and storyline but also establish a fully operational event cadence from day one. The bar for new games keeps rising, and there's no sign of it slowing down…

Speaking of win streak events, one of the most powerful ones is introduced early in the player journey. In a previous article, we discussed how the Super Lightning Ball event in Royal Match significantly boosted revenue, quickly followed by games like Toon Blast and Homescapes. Time Blast introduces its version of the Super Lightning Ball at the 100th level, earlier than most competitors who unlock it around level 300. This makes sense since the game is new and its level design probably accounted for this feature from the beginning. We anticipated Super Lightning Ball becoming standard in puzzle games, and Time Blast supports its value for new titles. It’s likely this feature will become so prevalent that every new game will include it as a permanent unlock early on.

The game clearly excels at leveraging the most popular events in the puzzle genre, but it doesn't stop there. It also introduces events that are uncommon in this space, setting it apart from the competition. Time Blast places significant emphasis on simple appointment mechanics like daily tasks, rewarding players for completing a few levels each day. While Royal Match has introduced a similar event, it features a more complex design. Time Blast simplifies this and lets players maximize their in-game time. And unlike basic daily login gifts, it encourages regular engagement with its daily tasks instead of simply opening the game.

The other appointment mechanic is "Daily Deal" that offers free in-game currency and the opportunity to spend it on power-ups and boosters. It's a noteworthy addition, as it’s not commonly seen in puzzle games. The fact that the Daily Deal is featured in the shop is significant, as it encourages players to open the shop regularly and could potentially boost conversion rates. The only top grossing puzzle game with a similar feature is Candy Crush Soda Saga that offers daily deals on power-ups or boosters, but it does not provide in-game currency like Time Blast does. Additionally, the consistent presence of offers that can be purchased via in-game currency can help players become accustomed to spending, even if it’s through the in-game currency itself.

Final Verdict

Time Blast brings a much-needed breath of fresh air to the Blast subgenre, which has long been dominated by a few titles and recently lost its second-place spot to Merge. It's surprising that we haven't seen a modern Blast title like this in the top-grossing charts before, but time will tell if it can make its mark. Not only is Time Blast a refreshing take, but it also offers a more dynamic and enjoyable gameplay experience compared to most other Blast games. The inclusion of propellers, the ability to swap power-ups, and the early introduction of the Super Lightning Ball place it in a unique middle ground between a Blast and a Match-3 game.

Alongside its dynamic and modern gameplay, Time Blast offers just as many events as any top grossing puzzle game, ensuring players always have ample motivation to keep playing. This approach suggests the team is confident in the game’s long-term success, as they invested significant time to ensure a robust event cadence was in place from day one.

On the other hand, despite its modern look and feel, it could pose a challenge for User Acquisition. Since Time Blast deviates from the typical Toon Blast or Toy Blast gameplay, attracting experienced Blast players might be difficult. Long-time Blast players might resist these drastic changes, but what could cause this issue might also be the key to overcoming it. If Time Blast manages to draw puzzle players from other subgenres, particularly Match-3, it’s a trade-off that could work in their favor.

Overall, Time Blast is a game to watch, both for its market performance and how its innovative approach will be received. The challenge with innovation lies in striking the right balance—too much can alienate players, while too little may leave the game feeling unremarkable. You never know how the market will react to it, but I’m optimistic about this one’s future.…