Unpacking Royal Kingdom’s Design

It seems like everyone’s talking about Royal Kingdom, and I’m no exception!

As a big fan of both Dream Games projects, I couldn’t resist diving in. Need proof?

I’ve conquered Level 7075 in Royal Match (RM)
And in their newest hit, Royal Kingdom (RK), I’ve made it past Level 400

Think you can beat my score? 😉

💡This article is a Must-read for both Game Designers and Level Designers. By the end, I’ll deep-dive into ALL 50(!) Gameplay Mechanics from Royal Kingdom and show you exactly what makes its design tick.

Royal Numbers: A Data Dive

In autumn 2024, Dream Games wrapped up the soft launch and officially released their second big "Royal" project: Royal Kingdom. The game launched with nearly 1 million downloads right out of the gate.

Impressive start, right?

They even slightly reduced downloads for Royal Match in November - by around 100K, bringing the total down to 300K.

When it comes to Revenue, though, both games show impressive dynamics:

Royal Kingdom is earning around $250-300K Daily.
Meanwhile, Royal Match continues to dominate, raking in an incredible $5-5.5M Daily.

From PvP to PvE

The initial version of Royal Kingdom was similar to the current one but had some differences. Originally, the Kingdom Mode was designed as a PvP mode. However, Dream Games later pivoted to a PvE version.

As a result:

The game initially leaned towards a social mechanic, resembling titles like Coin Master and Monopoly Go, with player interactions.
Now, it feels more like 'Super Simple and Casual' Empires & Puzzles, where the focus is on fighting Bosses (only during the specific levels).

However, compared to Empires & Puzzles - Royal Kingdom remains Much More Casual. Players in Royal Kingdom don’t need to upgrade characters or craft deep strategies to defeat the Boss.

In Royal Kingdom, the Kingdom Mode is simply a special type of Level - Fun and Engaging, BUT without the intricate strategy or progression systems seen in Empires & Puzzles.

Royal Match VS Royal Kingdom

What are the Similarities and Differences between these 2 projects from Dream Games?

And most importantly - what’s the key difference, the one that might not be immediately obvious, that sets Royal Kingdom apart?

(1) Leveraging the Royal Brand

Royal Kingdom leverages the strong reputation of Dream Games, giving it a clear advantage in Branding and Marketing.

For example, I was on the waiting list for the preinstall, a testament to the anticipation they generated even before launch.
Plus, the audience likely trusts Royal Kingdom's Ads right away, thanks to its connection to the success of Royal Match.

(2) Tutorials, FTUE (First Time User Experience)

2.1 I was surprised when I saw the 1st level. Why?

Because it kicks off with the 1st Game Blocker right away!

In the Match-3 genre, it was common just 2 years ago to have an easy, drawn-out FTUE lasting up to 40–60 minutes, complete with detailed Tutorials.

But now, in Royal Kingdom, we see the difference. The very 1st level doesn’t teach players how to play a Match-3 game - it focuses on introducing the Blocker mechanic instead.

Does this mean that players now have so much knowledge and experience with certain genres, like Match-3, that detailed Tutorials are no longer necessary?
Or is this a strategic choice by Dream Games, betting that their audience would primarily consist of Royal Match enthusiasts who already know the basics?

2.2 The first paywall

I encountered the 1st Paywall at level 9 (!). Pretty early, right? But I still love this game :)

2.3 Introducing new features

New features are introduced using basic hints, arrows, and shadowing tools - keeping it simple and clear.

(3) 'Aggressive' Level Design

We’ve already noted that Level 1 introduces the 1st Blocker, and the 1st Paywall shows up as early as Level 9. Now, let’s dive deeper into the Level Design itself.

First, let’s look at the principles Royal Kingdom shares with Royal Match:

Fast dynamics
Joyful and structured Level Design
Variety of Mechanics
Extensive use of Power-Ups

These elements work together to create an atmosphere of 'Show and Entertainment' for the Player - fireworks, cascades of wins, and haptic feedback that make every moment feel exciting. It’s all about the Boom, Bam, WOW factor!

Before diving into the most interesting topic, let’s take a closer look at the Level Structure:

There are 2 NEW types of Levels in Royal Kingdom: Royal Kingdom and Dark Kingdom. They start off easy but quickly become more challenging after just a few appearances. Meanwhile, the Hard and Super Hard levels remain as tough as ever.

As a result

while Royal Match typically includes 2 hard levels per 10
Royal Kingdom ups the numbers with 4 hard levels per 10.

And it’s not just a visual marker - it reflects the actual increase in difficulty.

In my opinion, the next part is the most important: The Complexity of the Levels.

Even with a generous use of Boosters, upgraded to their Maximum potential, it’s often not enough to consistently beat the levels. In fact, I find myself needing to purchase a Level Revive (+5 Moves) roughly once every 8-12 Levels.

I have a Hypothesis:

Dream Games initially created an excellent Basic Level Curve for Royal Match.
Over time, they introduced mechanics that provided players with Additional Boosters or Upgraded versions of them (e.g., the Lightning Ball).
They also added more LiveOps and Features that increased the income of Hard currency (Coins) and Boosters.
As a result, the Basic Level Curve became easier than originally intended.

While this adjustment likely improved Retention and Engagement, it also impacted Monetization.

Rebalancing the level curve in an older game with an established audience is a challenging and risky task.

However, with a new game like Royal Kingdom, Dream Games has the opportunity to adapt the Level Curve from the start, compensating for the effect of additional boosters and LiveOps incomes.

(4) Gameplay Blockers

Another key factor in Level Difficulty is the Level Blockers.

Below, I’ve prepared statistics on ALL the blockers in Royal Kingdom. To save your time, I’ve deconstructed and categorised them for you!

The specifics of these blockers play a significant role in shaping the challenge. For example:

Some blockers can only be destroyed with the help of Power-ups.
24 from 33 have Blockers have multiple stages, requiring the player to clear ALL stages to progress.
- Some Blockers reaching 8+ layers, allowing designers to control the "depth" of difficulty with just 1 blocker.

Categories:

Layers(X) - blockers have multiple layers that players must remove (X = number of layers).
Power-Ups - removed only with power-ups
Hidden - hide tiles under certain conditions
Bottom - requires bringing something to the bottom.
Moving - can move or rotate within the field
Color - removed by matching specific-colored tiles or power-ups
Produce - produce something (sometimes - exactly to the field)
Helper - once removed, these blockers trigger helpful actions to assist the player

The second category of blockers is the special 'Dark Kingdom' Blockers.

There are 17 unique types, and each level can feature a combination of 2-4 different types at once.

Categories:

Layers(X) - blockers have multiple layers that players must remove (X = number of layers).
Power-Ups - removed only with power-ups
Block - blocked under certain conditions
Moving - can move or rotate within the field
Trick - produce Blockers under certain conditions
Helper - once removed, these blockers trigger helpful actions to assist the player

Final Take

From the early days of Royal Match to the launch of Royal Kingdom, Dream Games has proven their ability to evolve and innovate. Royal Kingdom takes familiar mechanics and reimagines them, blending new challenges like complex Blockers and a steeper Difficulty Curve.

By carefully balancing Innovation and Familiarity, the game offers both engaging gameplay for players and valuable lessons for designers