Gacha Life is probably one of the games that no one expected to be so successful. It was so underrated that most of the mainstream gaming community didn’t even know about it! However, it was only after the game’s initial success that people started to take notice.
Given the massive success of Gacha Life, making a game sequel that ticks all the boxes is definitely a tall order. Still, Gacha Club, the successor to Gacha Life, did just that and even more! On top of the basic features that made Gacha Life successful, Gacha Club also added a plethora of new features for a better gamer’s experience. As a result, not only did Gacha Club fulfill all the requirements, it also built a much larger fan base on top of its already sturdy foundation.
Since its release on October 1, 2020, the game already managed to break the 10 million installs mark and currently ranks as the 19th most popular casual game in the mobile platform. Moreover, these are not just empty stats. The game boasts a huge fan base of engaged players composed mostly of kids and young teens.
If you are a mainstream gamer, you wouldn’t be faulted if you are still wondering what makes this game enjoyed by many. To answer that question, let us first explore Gacha Club’s game features and how these individually contribute to the game’s success.
Gacha for Everyone
The word “gacha” comes from the Japanese term “gashapon”. It is a term used to mean a vending machine that dispenses various toys in Japan. However, what’s unique about these vending machines is that you do not really know what you will get whenever you use them. In a way, it is like a toy slot machine for kids.
Given the mechanics of the gashapon, it is easy to see how this concept could be very addicting. The idea of not knowing what you will be getting adds to the thrill of playing the game. Plus, you also feel a false sense of assurance that you will still be rewarded no matter what. With the variety of fun things and toys usually picked out in gashapon, you’ll feel like there is no risk at all. There is still a possibility of getting a fun toy whether it’s what you want or not. This mix of uncertainty, possibilities, and a hint of false assurance makes gashapon very addictive!
Given this fun concept enjoyed by many people in Japan, game developers quickly caught on with the trend and started incorporating similar features into their games. This is how the gacha system in games emerged and is now enjoyed by a lot of gamers worldwide.
Battle Features of the Gacha Club
Gacha Club features over 180 units or characters that players can use to play and battle. Along with the possibility of getting battle units, you can also collect over 150 pets. These pets are not just for show because they can boost your character’s individual stats in the game. On top of that, you also have the chance of getting the coveted DJ units. However, all is not lost if you end up getting duplicates of common units. This is because duplicates are used to increase the character’s Limit Break (LB), which is somehow a threshold for the unit’s maximum stats.
What is unique about Gacha Club is that it doesn’t hide its Gacha system behind a paywall. Players can roll the dice using various in-game currencies such as diamonds, tickets, and gold to upgrade. Moreover, these in-game currencies are not that difficult to obtain. In fact, you can easily grind for them while playing the game.
This allows players to experience the thrill of rolling the dice on the game’s gacha system without that much risk. If you lose, all you have to do is grind for the currencies again. It’s a dopamine hit where you only have to pay with time and not necessarily real cash.
How to Grind in Battles & Mini Games
Now, onto the grinding part. In Gacha Club, you have two ways to earn in-game currencies for free. One is through the battle mode and the other is through the mini-games. The battle mode has an idle RPG game mechanic where you simply watch each character take turns making an attack. On the other hand, mini-games are Gacha Club’s version of classic arcade and casual games.
Firstly, the battle mode consists of three different sub-modes – the main story, Eternal Towers, and the training mode. The main story mode shares a quirky story of DJs defending the world from evil interdimensional creatures. Although the storyline may seem like a shallow attempt to incorporate an RPG element into the game, the cute chibis do add some flavor to this otherwise bland story.
Then, there is the Eternal Towers mode. Gacha Club took some cues from other popular RPG games and included this mode in the game. However, it doesn’t actually feel like you are climbing a tower while you fight stronger monsters. Instead, the AFK element of the game is your other avenue to grind for diamonds and gold.
The training mode, on the other hand, is where players can level up or grind for coveted gold. Here, you can also collect enhancement stars for leveling up, skill moons for your skills, and awakening records to awaken your units.
Now, if you want to play the mini-games, you can try the Lemo & Yumi Dance, Mascot Whack, Usagi vs. Neko, and Memory Match. Firstly, Lemo & Yumi Dance is like a dance arcade game where you press the arrow keys to make Lemo & Yumi dance in sync. Next, Mascot Whack is Gacha Club’s take on the whack-a-mole usually found in arcade shops as well. Then, Usagi vs. Neko is Gacha Club’s version of classic arcade shooters, while Memory Match is a simple memory game that shows flashcards of popular game characters.
Frankly, it is funny to see how the mini-games somehow take more expertise to play, while the battle mode is a basic AFK RPG game that requires little to no skills. However, these game modes provide players an easy way to grind for in-game currencies, which are also necessary to obtain more gacha rolls. Besides that, they also get to level up, which gives players a sense of in-game progression — after all, that is what grinding is all about! The cute chibis telling the stories and fighting the battles are bonuses.
Although the battle mode and mini-games seem like a generic copy of what other games do, the next two features might be the distinguishing factor that separates Gacha Club from the other casual AFK RPG games.
Gacha Club – The Definition of Fully Customizable Chibis
Now, the main selling point that Gacha Club has is its customizability. You may be wondering how customizability is a unique feature when in fact most games also have this feature. Yet, the biggest difference is that Gacha Club has taken its customizability level to a considerable extent. To fully define it, it’s like customization on steroids!
In Gacha Life, it allowed players to select and customize 10 different characters. However, Gacha Club expanded this to 100 fully customizable characters. Plus, the game developers don’t take the words “fully customizable” lightly!
In the Gacha Club, you can modify almost everything about your characters. There are pages and pages of different character hairstyles, facial features, accessories, clothes, props, and everything else you can think of. You can even adjust the shape of the character’s face and body. On top of this, the game also allows you to choose from 600 different poses. It is difficult to explain the scale of this game’s customization feature unless you play it!
Aside from the fact that the characters are fully customizable, the Chibi art style that the game developers used also had a very good impact on the game. It somehow made the game more relatable for kids and young teens, given that they are already accustomed to anime-style art, without being too serious.
As a result, Gacha Club’s chibi customization feature opens up a lot of possibilities for gamers. Whether you are just looking to make a chibi avatar of yourself or would like to build a whole cast of anime characters, this game has got everything you need and want!
Studio Mode – An Easy Way to Tell a Story
One of the biggest breaks that the Gacha game franchise opened up is storytelling. This is made possible because of the Studio Mode, a feature that is highlighted in Gacha Studio but is also fully available in Gacha Life and Gacha Club.
In the studio mode, your imagination is allowed to run wild and free! In other words, you can lay out different scenes and position your characters along with their pets and all the props they need to make a picture. Aside from that, you can also place dialog bubbles and narrations to go along with your pictures.
Although this feature was most likely intended for making still pictures, creative and enterprising gamers quickly discovered that more could be done through it. Using the fully customizable chibis and the 600 different poses and actions, some gamers started making chibi-style anime skits and stories. Players then started posting their very own Gacha anime stories on Youtube.
This paved the way for the ‘Gachatuber’ to be born! Some have more than a million subscribers as of this writing! This created a perfect loop that snowballed into a huge free advertising machine for the game developers. The Gachatubers continue creating free content which inadvertently advertises the game. Then, as the game gains popularity, more gamers start to become more interested in it. These gamers later become rookie content creators on Youtube, Pinterest, or other popular social media platforms. This again results in free advertising for the game. Thus, the loop of free advertising, game consumer generation, and fan base expansion goes on and on.
Perfect for the “Not so Niche” Gaming Market
There is a possibility that the game developer didn’t fully anticipate this to happen. Whether this is by design or not, still, a great job to them for creating the perfect blend of game features that caters to the next generation of creative minds.
If you are a mainstream gamer who plays AAA game titles, then you might be scratching your head wondering what makes this game one of the best. The number one reason is that it might not be your own niche or target market. This game was primarily intended for kids, young teens, and anime fans who find chibis cute anyway. Either way, this market is a big niche market, and Lunime and the Gacha game franchise are truly lucky to have found the perfect blend of gacha game features for the win!
Play Gacha Club for desktop and learn all these gameplay features and more!
Hello, everyone! My name is Lenny and I love video games. I’m a reviewer and writer for various gaming publications, and I love nothing more than talking about games and helping people find the best ones to play.
I’ve been playing video games since I was a little kid, and my passion for them has only grown over time. I’m excited to share my knowledge with all of you and help you find the best gaming experiences out there.