(From left) Block game, Sudoku game. /Game screen capture
(From left) Block game, Sudoku game. /Game screen capture

Block games, Sudoku, and others are recently ranking high on the list of domestic game applications. Retro games utilize retro intellectual property (IP) to evoke nostalgia for the 30-40 age group and have the advantage of being simple and enjoyable without stress.

According to the gaming industry on the 8th, retro games are rapidly rising, pushing aside AAA games from large gaming companies. The day before, the classic puzzle game 'Block Game' topped the Google Play Store's popularity chart in South Korea. This game, released by the gaming company Mocha in September last year, involves dragging blocks to fill a grid. Players need to complete rows or columns to clear blocks and keep the board clean. Its gameplay is similar to the globally popular game 'Tetris.'

Another puzzle game, 'Sudoku,' recorded 4th place on the Google Play Store's popularity chart in South Korea the previous day. This game was also released by Mocha in July last year. It allows players to enjoy the globally popular classic game Sudoku online, filling a 9x9 grid with numbers from 1 to 9. Additionally, the classic card game 'Go-Stop M' ranked 8th, the classic puzzle game 'Block Blast' ranked 13th, and the classic card game 'National Go-Stop' ranked 15th.

The common feature of these games is that they evoke nostalgia of arcade games with simple low-resolution graphics. The main user demographic is the 30-40 age group. This generation, which enjoyed retro IP games during their school years, continues to seek similar games as adults.

The hallmark of retro games is their simple entertainment value. Players do not need to be tied to strategies designed by game companies, such as receiving reward items for logging in at certain times or accumulating experience points the longer they are logged in. Additionally, players can enjoy the game entirely as a battle against themselves without competing against others, which makes the game less challenging and reduces stress.

Low expense also contributes to their popularity. Most are free rather than paid. Retro games either consume very little data or can be used without any data at all. This contrasts with AAA games, which recommend using Wi-Fi due to the extensive data use of high-definition video.

A gaming industry official noted, 'Domestic and foreign gaming companies are preparing games that reinterpret past popular games.' However, he cautioned that if retro games are released indiscriminately, they may receive backlash from users.