Hyper-casual game developer and publisher Sunday has shared insights about the art style of hyper-casual games. The company’s Game Artist, Süleyman Süzen, explained the process of making a hyper-casual game look more polished.
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The most critical aspects of hyper-casual art have been determined as understandability, color selection, and visual feedback. The design should consist of quickly recognizable symbols and colors, which would fit the general idea of the hyper-casual genre.
Süzen stated that detailed models are not appropriate for the genre. Simple objects are required for the player to understand in an effortless way, as colors and shapes can be used to indicate foes, allies, danger, and reward.
When it comes to coloring the game’s world, Sunday mentions the importance of shadows. Overusing strong shadows might cause the game to look too crowded or complex. Instead, the company advises adjusting the shadows accordingly to prevent the scene from having too much detail.
Checking the game’s contrast levels is also important in a hyper-casual game, as Sunday suggests taking screenshots and greyscaling in order to make sure every color is in the right place. Another suggestion is to use toon shaders, which are easy to use and increase the game’s visual quality.
The company has impressive numbers when it comes to publishing, with over 100 million downloads, eight hit games, 20 million monthly users, and 50 partner studios.