Bringing Eastern Games to the Western Market

Lucky Defense, developed by 111%, is a tower defense game that emphasizes luck-based mechanics, particularly through Gacha elements.

Players must defend their base from waves of enemies by strategically placing various towers and defenses. What distinguishes this game is its incorporation of random elements, such as spinning a wheel or opening chests to gain bonuses, towers, or upgrades, adding an unpredictable twist to the gameplay.

Core Gameplay Loop

In Lucky Defense, you strategically place units in your base while competing against an opponent to eliminate as many enemies as possible. After every few rounds, a Boss wave emerges, and the waves continue only if both players defeat their respective bosses. While this introduces a ‘team effort’ element, the final outcome is determined by the unique damage each player inflicts, with the total damage deciding the winner.

One key feature is the ability to move your units during waves, with the most intriguing aspect being the option to gamble on your units to strengthen your defense. Gambling allows players to assign weights to their units, influencing the probability of drawing specific ones, effectively turning the player into an Economy Designer, strategizing the best combinations. For a complete guide to unit gambling, check here.

On the meta layer, the game incorporates RPG elements, allowing players to upgrade units and recruit more to expand their collection. Units are ranked by rarity, which affects their availability and impact in the game.

Game Economy

This is the game’s most crucial aspect: the structured economy within and between battles. As previously mentioned, players can gamble on their units using Lucky Stones. Let’s break down the system:

• Diamonds (Hard Currency): Used to purchase Lucky Stones and Gold. Primarily obtained through completing Quests.
• Gold (Soft Currency): Used to upgrade units. Mainly earned by completing Quests and can also be purchased in the shop using Diamonds.
• Lucky Stones (Soft Currency): Used for gambling to draw units. Primarily acquired by purchasing them in the shop with Diamonds.
• Invitations (Soft Currency): Used to recruit new units. Typically earned from completing battles and Quests

Game Monetization

Lucky Defense places a strong emphasis on in-app purchases (IAP), with limited options to watch rewarded videos (RV) for regenerating currency in the shop.

In-App Purchases (IAP):

• Battle Pass and VIP Passes
• Bundles for purchasing various in-game currencies
• Daily offers featuring units and other currencies

Ad Monetization:

• Rewarded videos (RV) for replenishing currencies and refreshing daily offers
• Interstitial ads shown after unit recruitment

Conclusions

Lucky Defense combines a robust monetization strategy with unique gameplay elements like gambling mechanics and a structured economy. While it offers a compelling experience, there is potential to further enhance social and LiveOps features to drive long-term player retention and engagement.

• Monetization Focus: Heavily geared towards in-app purchases (IAP) like Battle Passes, VIP Passes, and currency bundles, with minimal reliance on rewarded videos (RV).
• Structured Economy: Multiple interlinked currencies (Diamonds, Gold, Lucky Stones, Invitations) create a deep, engaging system that encourages both progression and spending.
• Unique Gambling Mechanic: Allows players to strategically influence unit draws, adding a distinctive, risk-reward element to gameplay.
• Replayability: The gambling mechanic and structured economy encourage thoughtful, strategic play, enhancing replay value.
• Potential for Improvement: Expanding social features and LiveOps (e.g., adding teams or more events) could boost player engagement and long-term retention.