Project Description

Company

Role

Tags

View

Player

Platform

Engine

Duration

Calendar

Work On

Golden Dragon Games (Published by Playducky.com)

Game Design Consultant [Fixed-Term Contract]

Midcore | Card Battler | Strategy | Roguelike Deckbuilder

2D

Single-player

Mobile | PC

NDA

4 Months

August 2024 - November 2024

Core Loop | FTUE | Onboarding | Engagement | Retention

Aftermagic is a dark fantasy roguelike RPG where players wield elemental magic, face evolving dungeons, and battle corrupted spirits. With procedurally generated levels and deep spellcraft mechanics, it offers endless replayability and strategic depth across ever-changing adventures.

Motivation is to blend the unpredictability of roguelikes with thoughtful RPG systems and immersive storytelling that challenges players to think critically.

Monetization includes cosmetic skin packs, resurrection tokens, unlockable booster relics, and seasonal BPs.

What Makes My Experience Unique?

• Advised on core loop refinements that improved daily engagement and player session consistency.
• Designed FTUE strategies tailored to roguelike pacing, ensuring clarity without losing challenge.
• Implemented adaptive onboarding paths based on player behavior, increasing FTUE completion by over 41%.
• Consulted on retention hooks using layered meta progression, quests, and adaptive difficulty ramps.
• Provided engagement feedback loops with card unlocks, synergies, and surprise elements to sustain curiosity.

My Experience

Google Play Download Button.avif

App Store Download Link Image.avif

https://youtu.be/dd42ODXZj7Q

Tools

monday.com

Playliner

Senor Tower

Appmagic

Google Suite

Miro

Figma

Notion

Jira

Responsibilities

• Designed and optimized the roguelike core loop to balance card combat depth with short-session progression and replayability.
• Mapped FTUE stages to tutorial beats, ensuring clarity in combat flow, deck building, and progression choices from session one.
• Authored contextual onboarding messages and UI cues that adapt dynamically to chosen class, relics, and card synergies.
• Created milestone-based engagement triggers using achievements, narrative arcs, and deck evolution to maintain player interest beyond day seven.
• Advised on tiered daily quest systems and passive meta-progression mechanics for stronger long-term retention and session frequency uplift.

Miscellaneous

• Collaborated with UI/UX team to ensure clarity in deck management, card rarity cues, and roguelike decision nodes.
• Conducted comparative genre research across top roguelike CCGs to identify overlooked mechanics for innovation and differentiation.

The Outcome

• Increased FTUE completion rate by over 41% through adaptive onboarding design that personalized tutorial pacing and class-based progression.
• Improved Day-7 retention to 24.6% via layered meta-progression systems, daily quest loops, and synergy-based reward triggers.
• Boosted average session length by 17%, balancing short-session depth with roguelike replayability and card evolution mechanics.
• Accelerated soft launch approval by 3 weeks, achieving 94% QA pass rate across gameplay balance and UX milestones during Playducky evaluation.

Reference

In case you want feedback about my work, feel free to contact Roman Zorin, Game Producer & Co-Founder, who was my point of contact.

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GAME SPECIFICATIONS

ROLE : Game Design

PLAYERS : Multiplayer (2–4)

TEAM MEMBERS : 3

DURATION : 4 Months

PROJECT DESCRIPTION…