Candy Crush Game Analysis

What platform is used to play the game?
Mobile/PC
What is the objective of the game?
Meet the requirements of each level. (Get this score in this many turns, clear all the jelly, etc.)
What three things do you like about the game?
1. The simplicity of it all, just all about swiping and it's very easy to understand and play.
2. I enjoy all the feedback the game gives you whether you're matching the candies, or hitting a long combo it's always satisfying and makes the player want to try and hit those long combos, they look forward to it.
3. The art style is very bright and colorful. It's pleasing to eyes especially as you're moving the candies and hitting those combos and watch everything disappear and reappear.
What three things did you not like about the game? 
1. I feel no sense of progressing as I complete levels as a player, like I've already fallen into the grind as I continue to complete levels.
​2. Very few multiplayer features.
3. No narrative to keep me engaged or stick around once I get bored of the grind.
List three reasons why you think this game is popular and successful. 
1. On very popular devices that most people own. (Phones, mobile, pc, etc.)
2. Is free to download and play.
3. Has very powerful feedback that can keep a player entertained and keep coming back just to get that same satisfaction of hitting those big combos again.
Based on your own observations, create a written plan for modifying the game. .

Your plan should include the following: 

Re-write the main goal of the game.
Well, given that I described the main goal as following each level's criteria to move on in the game. I would say that maybe rethinking on what those criteria might be. How about rather than meeting a score or removing jelly, you simply just want to remove all your candy on the screen like you're eating it? Removing all your candy, maybe in a certain number of turns, or within a certain amount of time.
Describe how you would improve the game. Be as specific as possible!
So to improve the game I would first off change the main goal to the goal I described above. Then I would tackle the feeling of being on a grind or feeling a minor sense of progression that some players do feel while playing the game. I would intend to fix this by splitting up the worlds into separate worlds, right now you scroll up and see a long rail road line of like 20-30 levels ahead. I would try to split the worlds up Mario style by having each world be about 10-15 levels and then the player moves onto another world with it's own 10-15 levels, they can't see what's coming ahead or behind, just their own segregated worlds.

Next, I would add one or two more multiplayer features, Candy Crush has more friendly multiplayer features that are all well and good, but sometimes friends want to mess around or fuck each other up. So I feel adding like a hazard onto someone's level or lowering the amount of turns they have to reach their score requirement would be a good way to spice the game up.

Finally, I would want to tackle this issue of no narrative behind Candy Crush (note, the version I played did not have a story or narrative present in the game. I played it on Kings website.) So tackling this I feel would give players a motivation for continuing who aren't looking to just waste time or just grind out levels. I feel the story would give players motivation to continue playing and have them coming back if they've gotten bored, and more motivation to bring players back never hurts.

List three reasons why your ideas may not have been implemented by the original designers. 
1. This main goal idea isn't necessarily a good one, with having the clear the board of the candies could make it very stressful. With the world segregation idea it could seem very unnecessary to split your world up when you have so many levels to show.
2. Adding these multiplayer features might not have been weighing to heavily on the developers minds. Since you'd have to add unique conditions to someone affecting your friends game and maybe going the more friendly route was a wiser decision in the first place.
3. Finally, a narrative takes time and planning and a lot of energy with creativity. Pumping out a story for such a simple game and world I can imagine was not high up on the priories list, and the game has proven to be successful without an overarching narrative.

List three reasons why you think players would like your changes.
1. I feel as thought some players would get more satisfaction out of clearing away a board of candy rather than reaching some hi-score, it tracks progress and is clear when you are close to winning, and satisfying when you accomplish it. I think players would also appreciate the world segregation concept as it would make them feel like they are actually making progress and feeding them 10-15 levels in small worlds, makes it seem not as long of a journey they have to travel.
2. The multiplayer features wouldn't be for everyone but I think players will always have someone they want to screw over. There's always that one friend you enjoy seeing get angry at stuff, and this can satisfy that evil urge of not wanting your friends to proceed, rather than just helping them.
3. A narrative can hook anyone into a game. It'd be no different for Candy Crush no matter how silly it could turn out. Players love a serious story but also love to laugh at silly ones as well.
List three reasons why these changes would be difficult to implement. 
1. Clearing away the candy would still dramatically change every level of candy crush, and may not work so well in practice without a bunch of testing, otherwise it would probably be easiest to add this on as a whole another objective some levels might have.
2. So with a multiplayer feature about making a level harder on a friend, some issues might arise where a player is unable to finish a level after just purchasing some upgrades, just to be screwed by their friend. I'm sure that would be a PR headache and not go over well with the player base.
3. Then finally like touched upon earlier a story takes time and energy to really form and be made. So, when Candy Crush is so successful without having a narrative or story. There's not too many reasons to actually go out of one's way to actually build a story up.