Kairosoft, a game developer that’s been producing since 1996, has withstood the test of time in the gaming industry. Despite consumer interests changing and technology advancing over the years, the company sticks to its niche style of game design and has been quite successful nonetheless. Titles like Dungeon Village 2, Boxing Gym Story, and Basketball Club Story are all beloved titles, rated highly on both mobile and Nintendo Switch. That’s not to mention their flourishing in the PC market, with the likes of Dream Town Island and High Sea Saga DX receiving high praise from players on Steam. Kairosoft doesn’t craft the type of high-quality graphics that wow in trailers or complex gameplay that attracts hardcore gamers, so what do they do that their contemporaries don’t? The answer is simple: Kairosoft has mastered the art of progression. Every title of theirs contains strong systems to communicate and reward furtherment, making for some of the most enjoyable gameplay loops one will ever find. By breaking down Kairosoft’s methods, the principles behind their great progression systems can be understood.

What Is A Progression System?

For those not in the know, a progression system simply refers to one or multiple features in a video game that signal to the player that they are getting further and/or reward them for doing so. Progression systems are absolutely vital in game design, as they are responsible for evoking feelings of satisfaction within players, which will cause them to sink more time into the product and view it more positively. For a real-life example, look no further than the classic high score system popularized in the arcade era of gaming and still prevalent in modern mobile games (such as Kairosoft’s games). Titles like Pac-Man, Tetris, and Subway Surfers utilize the famous system to make themselves incredibly gratifying to play, with the ever-rising integer both symbolizing in-game progress and rewarding that progress with virtual currency or high standing on a leaderboard. Progression systems can take many forms, but the basic functionality exemplified by the high score system always remains. Their job is, first and foremost, to communicate and reward progress in a title.

Kairosoft’s Approach to Communicating Progress

Kairosoft’s titles all communicate in-game progression similarly, using the standard rising integer and a more unique news element to that end. This is for good reason, as their tried-and-true methods never fail to inform players. Dissecting each one sheds light on what Kairosoft does to consistently signal progress while adding other positive elements to their games.

Rising Integer

Much like the aforementioned Tetris and Pac-Man, Kairosoft’s games use a rising integer to communicate progress to players, but they don’t do it through a high score system (they do use a high score system, but not for communication). Instead, the integer is a general representation of how successful the player is, taking the form of money. Its ebb and flow clearly displays a player’s progress, performing its intended role perfectly. Furthermore, attaching that type of meaning to the number allows it to constantly bring feelings of fulfillment out of players, showing them that their efforts in the title are yielding fruit. Conversely, if their integer happens to be dipping, it shows them that they need to change their approach to the gameplay, hinting at a need for improvement in a way most progression systems fail to do. By adding an extra meaning to the integer, Kairosoft bolsters the quality of their games, satisfying players and emphasizing a need to improve while still effectively signaling progress.

News

The news feature present in Kairosoft games communicates progress through recognition, publicizing the achievements of the players in the game’s world. The developer does this through newspapers, and while it is a seemingly minor addition to their titles, the news is very beneficial. It accomplishes its communication job splendidly, always informing players if they’re doing the right thing. Additionally, these little newspaper articles establish a small sense of depth in Kairosoft’s games, producing the illusion that groups exist outside of the players. This helps to immerse people in the experience, making getting lost in a Kairosoft game very easy. Information and immersion—that duo of traits makes the developer’s news feature phenomenal.

Kairosoft’s unusual rising integer and unique news feature clearly convey to players if they’re progressing and how much they’re progressing, accomplishing their basic job well. However, the developer didn’t stop there, adding elements to take them above and beyond their intended purpose. The integer’s additional meaning allows it to evoke fulfillment in players even before they’re rewarded and encourage improvement when necessary. The news immerses players, adding a sense of depth to the world of Kairosoft’s titles. Both features reveal a key principle Kairosoft employs when communicating progression: never settle for the bare minimum, but rather get the most out of a progression system’s communicative features.

Kairosoft’s Approach to Rewarding Progression

The way Kairosoft rewards progression in their titles is ingenious, using practicality to leave players satisfied while playing. The approach is, much like their communication features, very consistent and manifests a bevy of extra benefits for gameplay. Unpacking these reward features highlights another key principle Kairosoft follows to make their progression systems great.

New Mechanics

Kairosoft’s primary way of rewarding progression is through new mechanics players can utilize in gameplay. This leaves players extremely satisfied since they get that type of “new toy” feeling as a result of their efforts, and it doubles as a method to stop play from getting stale. Moreover, these new mechanics naturally make progressing further easier, allowing their effects to compound and keep players sated more frequently. It’s a reward that works together with itself to improve Kairosoft’s titles from a gameplay standpoint.

Awards/Medals

Kairosoft doesn’t just use recognition to communicate furtherment, they also use it to reward furtherment. The awards and/or medals players receive are the instrument for that—a symbol of stellar play in some aspect of a title. The small benefits that come with getting them, such as increased fans or stat boosts, make them worthwhile to acquire. Their difficulty to obtain makes finally getting one incredibly fulfilling, and their in-game nature helps immerse players just like the news feature does. Kairosoft’s awards and medals weave positive emotion, engagement, and goals into titles, making the developer’s games that much better.

With new mechanics and awards and/or medals, Kairosoft is able to keep players routinely satisfied while playing their games, encouraging them to sink more time into their titles. The compound effect of added mechanics and their contributions to variety are infinitely fulfilling, while awards and medals immerse while sating consumers. Both are more than effective in rewarding players and illuminate a design principle of Kairosoft: satisfy to the fullest with rewards that truly add to the gaming experience.

The combination of Kairosoft’s communicative features and their rewards forms a unique, highly effective progression system. It makes their titles fulfilling to play, understandable, immersive, fun, and a bevy of other great qualities. The developer’s principles of getting the most out of their features and utilizing satisfying and beneficial rewards allow their titles to be nothing short of masterworks in game design. Kairosoft, perhaps more than any other game developer today, has mastered progression systems, and any aspiring developer should take note of their methods.