Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Visual Novel
Should I ship a Visual Novel Puzzle Platformer?
Puzzle Platformer + Visual Novel
Of 62 developers who shipped a Visual Novel Puzzle Platformer in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 97 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.2k, ×2.5 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×324 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 97 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.2k (exactly $1,198) |
| Top 25% | $8.1k (exactly $8,095) |
| Top 5% | $154k (exactly $153,710) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 62 |
| Released games | 220 |
| Announced | 97 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 45% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Puzzle Platformer
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Visual Novel
- effort 2 / 10 · high · script, choices and static art
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Puzzle Platformer, Visual Novel; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, RPG
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.79 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich, Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.79 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 92% positive over 8,154 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 8 in 10 of the 47 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 97 games are announced against 29 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Puzzle Platformer with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RomanceFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + Life SimFair
- + SimulationFair
- + Grid-Based MovementFair
- + SokobanFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Co-op CampaignPoor odds
- + MetroidvaniaPoor odds
- + SwordplayPoor odds
- + Split ScreenPoor odds
- + Hack and SlashPoor odds
Comparable games
Firework 2021 · $12M 
Murders on the Yangtze River 2024 · $7.1M 
OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition 2021 · $6.5M 
Sanfu 2023 · $5.7M 
Catherine Classic 2019 · $5.3M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Firework | older | $9.99 | 41,172 97% | 1.2M | $12M (exactly $12,339,248) | Shiying Studio |
| | Murders on the Yangtze River | older | $14.99 | 15,833 96% | 475k | $7.1M (exactly $7,120,100) | OMEGAMES STUDIO |
| | OPUS: Echo of Starsong - Full Bloom Edition | older | $24.99 | 8,722 96% | 262k | $6.5M (exactly $6,538,883) | SIGONO INC. |
| | Sanfu | older | $10.99 | 17,323 82% | 520k | $5.7M (exactly $5,711,393) | Shiying Studio |
| | Catherine Classic | older | $19.99 | 8,858 88% | 266k | $5.3M (exactly $5,312,143) | ATLUS |
 | Threefold Recital | $14.99 | 5,117 98% | 154k | $2.3M (exactly $2,301,115) | Everscape Games | |
 | Vanity Fair: The Pursuit | older | $6.99 | 4,014 87% | 120k | $842k (exactly $841,736) | 木焱工作室 |
 | Game Of Fate 3：Clash Of Crowns | $16.79 | 734 85% | 22k | $370k (exactly $369,716) | KARMAGAME HK LIMITED | |
 | Paper Bride 2 Zangling Village | older | $9.99 | 1,010 91% | 30k | $303k (exactly $302,697) | HeartBeat Plus |
 | Lost Words: Beyond the Page | older | $14.99 | 637 94% | 19k | $286k (exactly $286,459) | Sketchbook Developments, Fourth State,… (Sketchbook Developments, Fourth State, Sketchbook Games) |
 | Deer & Boy | $19.99 | 370 94% | 11k | $222k (exactly $221,889) | Lifeline Games | |
 | FUTA RUNNER: Big Dick Edition | $6.99 | 733 66% | 22k | $154k (exactly $153,710) | Evil Boobs Cult | |
 | Paper Bride 6 Nightmare | $9.99 | 369 81% | 11k | $111k (exactly $110,589) | HeartBeat Plus | |
 | Creepy Tale: Snow Child | $11.99 | 248 91% | 7.4k | $89k (exactly $89,206) | Creepy Brothers | |
 | Paper Bride 7 Lethal Bond | $9.99 | 218 92% | 6.5k | $65k (exactly $65,335) | HeartBeat Plus | |
 | Rubbings | $9.99 | 183 87% | 5.5k | $55k (exactly $54,845) | 午夜说书人 | |
 | Beyond the Ice Palace 2 | $19.99 | 77 63% | 2.3k | $46k (exactly $46,177) | STORYBIRD Studio | |
 | Streaming ON! VTuber Training | $6.99 | 105 65% | 3.2k | $22k (exactly $22,018) | Momentum Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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