MatchNova: How Can Lightweight Casual Games Break the Circle?
Entering 2023, Web3 games are starting to become lively. Some Web3 game builders are leading the revival of gaming after 2023 through innovative narratives.Author: MatchNova
The Beacon game, a popular RPG type in the TreasureDAO ecosystem, announces its penetration into the social domain, with plans to launch player communication features in tavern venues soon; STEPN has launched a multi-chain NFT marketplace MOOAR, directly airdropping $GMT for genesis shoes, attempting to introduce external revenue into the ecosystem through incentive mechanisms to maintain user loyalty.
With the push from Builders and capital support, new Web3 games are being launched one after another. In February 2023, a Web3 game named MatchNova, developed on the BNB Chain, launched its Alpha version after six months of development. Although the game has not officially gone live, discussions about the game video have begun to spread in the community. What sets MatchNova apart from previous models is its built-in NFT marketplace, allowing users to experience direct trading without the entry barriers of Web3, as everything can be completed within the game.
MatchNova is a match-3 puzzle game developed and published by Supernova Lab Limited, with a team of over 30 members from around the world, possessing extensive backgrounds in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and gaming.
Founder and CEO Nicky Jin graduated from University College London and is a former director of Ourgame, a company with total revenue of $125 million. The development team has 10 years of Web2 game development experience, having developed five match-3 games and four slot games, with total product revenue exceeding $100 million. CMO Raymond Wu is a co-founder of FOMO Dog Club, specializing in adding fun elements to social games.
The project was launched in September 2022, quickly completing a $1 million seed round of financing a month later, led by Aipollo Investment, with participation from LinkVC, Ace Direct International, and others.
Recently, to give back to users, MatchNova has distributed a total of $10,000 in rewards to users who participated in the Alpha version testing. The official plan is to start a more mature testing version to experience new features on April 7. After the closed testing ends, a special airdrop is expected to be conducted to kick off the limited release of 10,000 Genesis NFTs.
Lightweight Casual Game for Everyone
Unlike heavyweight chain games on the market, MatchNova is positioned as a lightweight Web3 casual game.
In fact, casual games have the highest penetration rate among all game types, with a cumulative global download of 20.78 billion as of February 2023, accounting for 78% of total game downloads. The average daily usage time reaches 24.3 minutes, second only to social applications at 55.5 minutes among all app categories.
Match-3 games are classic and mature products in Web2 gaming. With simple gameplay and vibrant colors, they consistently capture players' hearts, appealing to all ages, and there is always a match-3 game among the top sellers in global gaming charts.
The gameplay of MatchNova is very simple and easy to understand. In the game, players match three or more icons of the same color, then clear them from the board and earn points.
In terms of game login, MatchNova is very friendly to Web2 users. The most complete gameplay experience of MatchNova includes five steps: downloading the app, registering an email, creating a wallet, depositing BNB, and purchasing NFTs. However, users can skip the wallet and NFT operations and start playing for free immediately after completing email registration in step 2.
For most users outside the circle, entering the world of Web3 and experiencing a game begins with the login issue. For them, understanding wallet creation and mnemonic phrase management from a zero foundation is quite unrealistic.
Considering the audience's level of understanding, MatchNova does not restrict users to log in using mainstream wallets like Metamask; instead, it provides an email login option that aligns with the usage habits of most users, a familiar Web2 login method.
Rich Tactical Depth and Elements of Luck
In terms of gameplay, MatchNova is not just a single match-3 game; it combines Web3's Token/NFT, bringing sociality, topicality, personalization, and incentive mechanisms into the entire experience through different gameplay.
- PvP Random Matching Mode
In MatchNova, in addition to the free mode, there is a game mode called random matching, allowing users to match real opponents and challenge them directly. In the random matching mode, users need to equip energy to their NFTs to play PvP match-3 games, and regardless of winning or losing, they can earn different incentives after the game.
- NFT Characters
The game initially generates 10,000 Genesis NFTs. Apart from the founding NFTs, all other NFTs are minted by players; NFT characters generate energy daily, and equipping NFT characters is a prerequisite for entering the game, except for the free mode. The first public test version features four different NFT characters: Merlin, Milo, Leo, and Dexter. Each NFT character has its unique ultimate skill that can be used in the game. For example, Merlin's "ultimate action" randomly clears a row of tiles, while the highest-level Dexter can randomly clear five tiles forming a cross.
MatchNova's unique NFT system adds significant tactical depth to the game. Each NFT has a different "ultimate action." Deciding when to use which character combination will become an exciting part of the game! Users can also freely trade their NFTs on the marketplace or choose to upgrade their NFTs by burning tokens.
- Element of Luck
MatchNova also features a creative element called "Lucky Spin." After the game ends, players can choose whether to spin the wheel, which may offer a 10x reward or reduce the reward to 0.1x. This gameplay has a strong gambling element. MatchNova will also randomly airdrop prizes to users to increase fun! This will certainly add extra excitement to an already thrilling game.
- SocialFi System
MatchNova has designed rich social features, including invitations, gifting, NFT customization, clubs, and badge honors. Among these, gifting and NFT customization are particularly interesting. MatchNova encourages players to gift NFTs, allowing them to attach a gift message of up to 50 characters. Additionally, NFTs that reach the highest level can activate the NFT customization feature, enabling users to determine the initial attributes, rename, and describe their NFTs.
- Tricks Random Special Skills
At the start of the match, various small tricks will be randomly provided to each player, such as "reshuffle the map layout" and "remove a single block." The system may also airdrop different levels of special skills during the game based on the player's NFT luck attribute points.
Can Web3 Games Bridge the Gap?
For Web3 games to bridge the gap, they must escape the gravitational pull of Ponzi economic mechanisms and ultimately become "fun" games rather than short-term "money-making" games. MatchNova has made many attempts in this regard.
- A Broader Audience
Existing GameFi projects like Axie Infinity require players not only to purchase items but also to continuously engage in gameplay and deeply learn the game's mechanics and economic models, which can be complex and beyond the comprehension of many novice and Web2 players. In contrast, MatchNova's audience is broader, allowing even Web2 users who are unfamiliar with wallets to play smoothly.
- Emphasizing Strategy and Luck
Of course, lighter products need to strongly appeal to players' enjoyment points, meaning that the benefits players gain from the product, aside from earning, should be more apparent. Although the entry barrier is low, it must meet some of the players' potential needs to encourage ongoing participation.
One reason why Web2's "match-3 games" can be popular among players of all ages is that, despite their simplicity, they possess addictive qualities that cater to players' competitive psychology and provide timely feedback. Additionally, the balance of strategy and luck in the game allows players to have a better gaming experience. Therefore, MatchNova, which integrates Web3 mechanisms, can better provide a more interesting and in-depth product.
- Easy to Start Anytime, Anywhere
As a match-3 game, MatchNova originates from Web2, simplifying the game login process and allowing users to log in using just their email, resulting in almost zero user education costs. The ease of starting anytime and anywhere brings many expectations to MatchNova's narrative and can serve as a foundation for broader storytelling. Currently, the closed testing is set to start on April 7, and players can participate in the testing by obtaining a whitelist.
Of course, a reasonable economic model is also necessary and important. MatchNova adopts a dual-token model, including the game token $MCC and the governance token $WCC, where $MCC is a functional token that users can earn through playing PvP modes, battle game rewards, and opening loot boxes. The consumption scenarios for $MCC are rich, including NFT character activities, treasure hunting, upgrading, and more than ten other scenarios. $WCC is the governance token with a fixed total supply of 2 billion, reflecting the overall value of the project and representing the core interests of the community.
Currently, the Web3 game track has become a hot topic in the industry, and a qualitative change in this track is necessary to drive long-term narratives. With the official version of MatchNova's launch, more features will be revealed, and we look forward to MatchNova refreshing users' previous experiences.
