Royal Match vs Royal Kingdom
Dream Games has released a new (and oddly familiar) game and it’s worth talking about.
They both have similar mechanics, match 3 games with familiar obstacles and boosters
Identical narratives- collecting resources to help a king restore his palace/kingdom
The same primary leaning palette
And often identical layouts
But before we get upset and assume it’s just another game clone, let’s talk about what they did change in the UI in their latest release and the impact of those changes. I’ve gathered a few screenshots of various features from both games to compare the 2 side by side and I’d like to do that through a few specific lenses: contrast, hierarchy, and color.
Shop UI Changes
The updates to the shop here change the overall look pretty significantly. I love the more intentional use of color here to create a visual hierarchy that makes it easier to digest the information. Each type of shop bundle is color-coded and organized under a header banner of that color, which makes them easy to identify and will, potentially, allow them to advertise multiple bundles of each category in the future. And they have also simplified the color palette, reducing it down to primary colors- the purples removed almost entirely. This has helped reduce visual noise and make everything look more cohesive
I’m of 2 minds on the numerical change of the actual boosters. If you take a look at the items within the top bundle, in the newest version they have placed the amount of each booster below all of the included boosters rather than on each icon. This does make for a cleaner read and allows the icons to be larger but this also seems limiting from a product side as they would have to give the same quantity of each item
Card Album UI Changes
I love Royal Kingdom’s approach to the main Card Album layout. Visually overall I find it more appealing.
A few minor changes I noticed right away with the info and duplicate card buttons up top were the addition of that gold, beveled outer stroke. This really helps make those look more tapable and helps them stand out from the busy bg.
The backing of the small progression bars beneath the set icons are darker and this really helps push them back in the space, better emphasizing the set rewards and creating greater depth in the composition.
The header is more successful in this update, it has much better contrast- that bold red color helps both the title and the grand prize (what the players are working towards) stand out.
The use of hexagons for the set icons is a wonderful use of shape to create contrast because that shape isn’t used anywhere else, visual interest and an element of playfulness. The images within the set icons have also been scaled up so there is a lot less weird negative space and their overall legibility is improved.
Dream Games made a second game notably similar in conceit and visuals of their earlier one but also chose to make some significant UI changes. These sometimes subtle changes in hierarchy and contrast helped produce a more accessible and visually polished game. Royal Kingdom effectively used a combination of depth, scale, and color to increase contrast in their UI and improved both legibility and information hierarchy. They made some smart color adjustments, particularly with the contrast of warm and cool elements, to organize information and call attention to important elements.