💎​ ​Brilliant Sort review: The next Hexa Sort?
two & a half gamers · 2026-04-06
💡 Quick Take
1. Brilliant Sword is a puzzle game in a booming category with impressive revenue for its DAU.
2. The game features a "chore-like" core gameplay loop that appeals to a specific audience who enjoy structured tasks.
3. Monetization relies heavily on soft currency (coins) for energy, premium levels, and boosters, with ads as a secondary option.
4. The game's onboarding is typical, unlocking features after a certain level.
5. Boosters in Brilliant Sword are described as "stingy" and not always helpful, sometimes even counterproductive.
6. The core gameplay involves moving segments to complete pictures, which can be extremely tedious and time-consuming.
7. The game's appeal is compared to calming, autopilot activities like tidying or adult coloring books.
8. Energy is not the main gating mechanism; soft currency is the primary driver for progression and convenience.
9. Premium levels require soft currency to enter, adding another layer of monetization.
10. The game allows skipping puzzles to unlock levels for a real-money cost, but this doesn't bypass the core gameplay loop entirely.
11. The game utilizes UGC-style levels, similar to Pixel Flow, featuring recognizable IPs like famous paintings.
12. Monetization is seen as "perfect" in its design, even allowing puzzle skips.
13. The game's scale potential is questioned, with pessimistic estimates for daily revenue.
14. Ad revenue is currently very small due to low DAU.
15. The primary ad placement is rewarded video, often triggered by app opens after closing the game.
16. Creatives for Brilliant Sword are highly varied and employ "fake gameplay" to showcase satisfying, altered experiences.
17. The game's UA strategy is strong, utilizing a wide range of creative concepts and IP.
18. The target audience is predominantly female, around 36 years old, influencing the choice of conventional art in creatives.
19. Triple Dot, the publisher, has a portfolio of similar "chore-like" puzzle games that are also performing well.
20. The future of the "sword category" might involve more "chore-like" games, but a true "Pixel Flow" successor is still a rare event.
📊 Detailed Explanation
1. Brilliant Sword is a puzzle game in a booming category with impressive revenue for its DAU. This is significant because the puzzle genre, especially with a "sword" (likely meaning a merge or matching mechanic) component, is currently experiencing massive growth and profitability. The fact that Brilliant Sword is generating substantial revenue even with a relatively modest 50,000 DAU (Daily Active Users) highlights the effectiveness of its monetization strategy within this lucrative market segment.
2. The game features a "chore-like" core gameplay loop that appeals to a specific audience who enjoy structured tasks. The speakers repeatedly describe the gameplay as a "chore" or "work," but in a way that's appealing to certain players. This isn't about excitement or challenge; it's about the satisfaction of putting things in their right place, a feeling akin to tidying up or completing adult coloring books. This "cleaning your room" effect, as they call it, taps into a desire for structured, low-cognitive load activities that provide a sense of accomplishment.
3. Monetization relies heavily on soft currency (coins) for energy, premium levels, and boosters, with ads as a secondary option. The game's economy is built around a soft currency that players need to acquire to progress. This currency is used to buy energy to play levels, enter special "premium" levels, and purchase boosters. While ads are present, they are described as "stingy" in terms of rewards, and the primary revenue driver appears to be the purchase of soft currency, especially for those who want to bypass the more tedious aspects of the gameplay.
4. The game's onboarding is typical, unlocking features after a certain level. This is a standard practice in mobile games to gradually introduce players to the game's mechanics and features. By starting with a simple puzzle interface and progressively unlocking menus, shops, and live ops, the game aims to avoid overwhelming new players and keep them engaged as they discover more content.
5. Boosters in Brilliant Sword are described as "stingy" and not always helpful, sometimes even counterproductive. The boosters available in the game, such as "complete any part of the picture" or "clear your bench," are seen as underwhelming and not significantly easing the player's burden. In some cases, they can even make the game harder, like the bench-clearing booster that can rearrange segments in a way that makes them more difficult to manage.
6. The core gameplay involves moving segments to complete pictures, which can be extremely tedious and time-consuming. The fundamental mechanic of moving colored segments to form a complete image is highlighted as the main source of the "chore" feeling. The speakers express frustration with the slow, block-by-block process, especially when dealing with large or complex images, noting that it can take a very long time to complete even a single level, particularly on a mobile device without zoom functionality.
7. The game's appeal is compared to calming, autopilot activities like tidying or adult coloring books. This reinforces the idea that the game caters to a player base that seeks relaxation and a sense of order. The repetitive, structured nature of the gameplay allows players to "turn off their brain" and engage in a soothing, almost meditative activity, similar to how some people find coloring or organizing to be therapeutic.
8. Energy is not the main gating mechanism; soft currency is the primary driver for progression and convenience. While energy is used to enter levels, it's not the biggest bottleneck. The real challenge and cost lie in acquiring enough soft currency to make the gameplay more manageable. The high cost of soft currency items, like paying 300 coins for an extra row of segments, indicates where the game is pushing players to spend.
9. Premium levels require soft currency to enter, adding another layer of monetization. Beyond the standard levels, there are "premium" levels that players must pay soft currency to access. This creates an additional incentive for players to spend or grind for currency, further deepening the monetization strategy and offering a slightly different puzzle experience.
10. The game allows skipping puzzles to unlock levels for a real-money cost, but this doesn't bypass the core gameplay loop entirely. Players have the option to pay real money to skip certain puzzles or unlock levels. However, this doesn't fundamentally change the nature of the game or the satisfaction derived from completing the puzzles. It's more of a convenience feature for those willing to pay to progress faster.
11. The game utilizes UGC-style levels, similar to Pixel Flow, featuring recognizable IPs like famous paintings. The inclusion of user-generated content (UGC) style levels, where players can complete images of famous artworks like the Mona Lisa or Einstein, is a common tactic in this genre. This broadens the appeal and provides a sense of familiarity and cultural relevance, drawing players in with recognizable imagery.
12. Monetization is seen as "perfect" in its design, even allowing puzzle skips. The speakers acknowledge the effectiveness of the game's monetization, describing it as "perfect" in how it's implemented. The ability to skip puzzles for real money, coupled with the constant need for soft currency, creates a robust revenue stream, even if the gameplay itself is considered tedious by some.
13. The game's scale potential is questioned, with pessimistic estimates for daily revenue. Despite the impressive revenue for its current DAU, there's skepticism about the game's ability to scale significantly. The "chore-like" nature of the gameplay is seen as a limiting factor for mass-market appeal, suggesting that it might plateau at a certain revenue ceiling, with estimates being quite conservative.
14. Ad revenue is currently very small due to low DAU. The overall number of active users is not high enough to generate substantial revenue from ads. This is a common scenario for games that rely more heavily on in-app purchases and soft currency, where ad revenue plays a supplementary role.
15. The primary ad placement is rewarded video, often triggered by app opens after closing the game. The most common way players encounter ads is through rewarded videos, which offer in-game currency or boosts in exchange for watching. A specific tactic mentioned is the "app open interstitial" that appears when a player re-opens the game, effectively monetizing the brief moment of transition.
16. Creatives for Brilliant Sword are highly varied and employ "fake gameplay" to showcase satisfying, altered experiences. The advertising for Brilliant Sword is a major focus. The creatives are praised for their diversity and effectiveness, often showing sped-up, simplified, or visually enhanced gameplay that doesn't accurately reflect the actual game. This "fake gameplay" is designed to be highly satisfying and attention-grabbing, drawing players in with promises of a smoother, more visually appealing experience than what the game truly offers.
17. The game's UA strategy is strong, utilizing a wide range of creative concepts and IP. The sheer volume and variety of creatives (over 1000 mentioned) demonstrate a robust user acquisition strategy. They experiment with different IPs, visual styles, and hooks to appeal to a broad audience, showcasing a sophisticated approach to marketing.
18. The target audience is predominantly female, around 36 years old, influencing the choice of conventional art in creatives. Data suggests the game's player base is primarily female. This demographic preference influences the creative choices, leading to the use of recognizable classical art pieces that resonate with this audience, as opposed to more niche or IP-specific content that might not have as broad an appeal.
19. Triple Dot, the publisher, has a portfolio of similar "chore-like" puzzle games that are also performing well. Brilliant Sword is not an anomaly for Triple Dot. The company has a track record of success with games that share similar mechanics and monetization strategies, indicating a well-understood and effective formula for this genre.
20. The future of the "sword category" might involve more "chore-like" games, but a true "Pixel Flow" successor is still a rare event. The discussion suggests that the "chore-like" gameplay loop is a trend that will likely continue in the puzzle genre. However, finding a game with the same breakout success and unique appeal as "Pixel Flow" is difficult and infrequent, implying that while iterations will emerge, a true successor is hard to replicate.
🎯 Expert Opinion
Alright, let's dive into Brilliant Sword from an expert's perspective. First off, it's fascinating to see Triple Dot, known for their hidden object games like Clock Maker, pivot so successfully into this "chore-like" puzzle space. They've clearly identified a potent player psychology: the desire for low-stakes, repetitive tasks that offer a sense of order and completion. This isn't just about playing a game; it's about engaging in a digital form of tidying or mindful activity, which is incredibly appealing to a significant demographic, particularly women in their late 30s, as the data suggests.
The monetization strategy here is textbook for this genre. The heavy reliance on soft currency for progression, convenience, and premium content is a well-oiled machine. They've made it *just* painful enough to grind that players are incentivized to spend, without making it feel completely impossible. The "stingy" boosters are a deliberate choice; if they were too generous, players wouldn't feel the need to buy more. It's a delicate balance, and they've nailed it for their target audience.
Now, the creatives – wow. This is where the real magic happens for UA. The "fake gameplay" is not just clever; it's essential. The actual game, as the hosts rightly point out, can be a tedious slog. The creatives, however, present an idealized, hyper-satisfying version. They're showcasing the *feeling* of completion and order, not the painstaking reality. This is a common and highly effective tactic in casual game UA. The sheer volume and diversity of their creatives, leveraging recognizable IP like famous paintings, is a testament to their understanding of what catches the eye and resonates with their target demographic. They're not just advertising a game; they're selling a mood, a sense of accomplishment, and a brief escape.
The scalability question is the million-dollar one. While the revenue per DAU is impressive, the overall DAU ceiling is likely capped by the niche appeal of the core gameplay. This isn't a game that will likely break into the mainstream casual audience looking for fast-paced action or complex strategy. It's a niche within a niche. However, for Triple Dot, this niche is incredibly profitable. They've found a sweet spot where they can acquire users efficiently with their creative prowess and monetize them effectively through their robust in-app purchase system. The future of this "sword category" will undoubtedly see more games adopting this "chore" mechanic, but replicating the success of games like Pixel Flow or even Brilliant Sword requires not just the mechanics but also the sophisticated UA and monetization strategies that Triple Dot has perfected.
My prediction? We'll see more publishers attempting this. Some will fail because they lack the creative execution or the deep understanding of player psychology. Others will find moderate success. But Triple Dot, with their established infrastructure and proven formula, will likely continue to dominate this specific sub-genre. The real challenge for them will be innovating within this framework. Can they introduce new mechanics or meta-game elements that keep players engaged long-term without alienating the core audience that enjoys the "chore"? That's the next frontier.
Kanal: two & a half gamers