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Should I ship a Puzzle Platformer Hack and Slash game?
Hack and Slash + Puzzle Platformer
Only 18 developers shipped a Puzzle Platformer Hack and Slash game in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 80 more are announced, ×10.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×4.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $2.7M, ×4358 the market median. Revenue is up 5010% on the market; 80 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $300 (exactly $300) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) |
| Top 25% | $12k (exactly $11,691) |
| Top 5% | $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 92 |
| Announced | 80 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 5010% on the market, supply 25% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Hack and Slash
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Puzzle Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Hack and Slash, Puzzle Platformer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Combat, Action-Adventure
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, Colorful, Retro
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 89% positive over 3,522 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 9 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 80 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×10.0 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Hack and Slash with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Turn-BasedStrong odds
- + Turn-Based CombatStrong odds
- + VampiresFair
- + ModernFair
- + IdlerFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + RomancePoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + DestructionPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + AutomationPoor odds
Comparable games
Hob 2017 · $2.8M 
Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered 2024 · $2.7M 
Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time 2008 · $1.5M 
Greak: Memories of Azur 2021 · $596k 
Fallen Tear: The Ascension 2026 · EA · $166k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Hob | older | $19.99 | 4,667 88% | 140k | $2.8M (exactly $2,798,800) | Runic Games |
| | Legacy of Kain™ Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered | $29.99 | 3,042 90% | 91k | $2.7M (exactly $2,736,887) | Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics | |
| | Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time | older | $9.99 | 5,045 85% | 151k | $1.5M (exactly $1,511,986) | Kudosoft |
| | Greak: Memories of Azur | older | $19.99 | 994 79% | 30k | $596k (exactly $596,102) | Navegante |
| | Fallen Tear: The Ascension | · EA | $24.99 | 222 81% | 6.7k | $166k (exactly $166,433) | Winter Crew Studios |
 | Grindstone | older | $19.99 | 244 93% | 7.3k | $146k (exactly $146,327) | Capybara Games |
 | Armed with Wings: Rearmed | older | $9.99 | 406 87% | 12k | $122k (exactly $121,678) | Sun-Studios |
 | Saviorless | older | $12.99 | 299 85% | 9.0k | $117k (exactly $116,520) | Empty Head Games |
 | Ancient Abyss | · EA older | $14.99 | 163 64% | 4.9k | $73k (exactly $73,301) | Screambox Studio |
 | Skelattack | older | $19.99 | 109 59% | 3.3k | $65k (exactly $65,367) | Ukuza, Inc. |
 | GIGASWORD | $14.99 | 108 75% | 3.2k | $49k (exactly $48,568) | Studio Hybrid | |
 | Mai: Child of Ages | $14.99 | 34 88% | 1.0k | $15k (exactly $15,290) | Chubby Pixel | |
 | Atomic Owl | $12.99 | 30 90% | 900 | $12k (exactly $11,691) | Monster Theater | |
 | Leif's Adventure: Netherworld Hero | $19.99 | 15 86% | 450 | $9.0k (exactly $8,996) | OneManOnMars Art & Games e.K | |
 | Nightfall Empress | $14.99 | 19 84% | 570 | $8.5k (exactly $8,544) | SEEP | |
 | the Shadow of Swallow | $3.99 | 30 76% | 900 | $3.6k (exactly $3,591) | Raine Studio | |
 | Iridescent | $9.99 | 10 90% | 300 | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) | DraymaDev | |
 | Swords & Bones 5 | $5.99 | 12 75% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | SEEP |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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