This is a follow up from my last post - see I told you I'd report back soon.
I've started to note some rough themes for some of the more successful games on the free portal sites:
- Many had the element of buying stronger or faster items or abilities, catering to the level-up player compulsion.
- Some had a twist, where you were not getting the experience you were expecting when you started the game - sometimes implicit commentary on a game's genre.
- Games using sex appeal often had high view counts (although not necessarily high ratings)
It was also noteworthy that the two portals that I was looking through (Kongregate and Newgrounds) seemed to have slightly different preferences in terms of what was successful in each location.
Thanks for reading! I'm off to write my next little game, "Schoolgirl Quest I - Sauna of Doom".