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Game Design Document

Game Design Document — Alignium

Versionv2.0
UpdatedApril 2026
StatusActive Development

Contents

  1. 1. Overview
  2. 2. Core Mechanics
  3. 3. Product Integration
  4. 4. Progression & Retention Systems
  5. 5. Engagement Design
  6. 6. Technical Constraints
  7. 7. KPIs & Success Metrics
  8. 8. Product Roadmap

1. Overview

Game TitleAlignium
GenrePuzzle / Casual / E-commerce Gamification
PlatformShopify Shop Mini (iOS & Android WebView)
Target AudienceShopify shoppers and casual mobile gamers looking for a rewarding discovery experience
Core LoopSwipe → Merge products → Unlock real item → Save to wishlist → Purchase when discounted
Session Length Target>3 minutes per session
MonetizationFree to play — conversion via product discovery and discount triggers; no ads, no pay-to-win

2. Core Mechanics

Board4×4 grid
Swipe DirectionsUp, Down, Left, Right
Merge RuleTwo identical tiles → upgrade to next tier
Tile Tiers11 product tiers — each tier maps to a real item from the merchant's Shopify catalog, scaling in value
Spawn RuleAfter each swipe, 1 new tile appears in a random empty cell (Tier 1 or Tier 2)
Win ConditionNone — endless, score-based progression
Lose ConditionBoard full with no valid merge available
Score CalculationPoints awarded per merge, scaled to tier value

3. Product Integration

Tier-to-Product MappingEach of the 11 tiers maps to exactly one Shopify product from the merchant's catalog
Unlock EventFirst time a tier is reached → product reveal animation + 'View Product' CTA
Save MechanicUser can save any unlocked product to their in-game wishlist
Recommended ProductsRelevant items surfaced in-game during play, ranked by relevance and discount rate
Discount TriggerWhen a saved product goes on sale → contextual in-game popup fires
Purchase PathPopup → 'Buy Now' CTA → Shopify product page via Shop Mini deep link

4. Progression & Retention Systems

Score SystemPoints per merge, scales exponentially with tier value
High ScorePersistent across sessions via Zustand + in-memory state
MissionsPLANNED (Phase 5) — structured in-game goals to extend session depth
Streak SystemPLANNED (Phase 5) — daily play streak rewards bonus tile spawns
LeaderboardPLANNED (Phase 5) — global competitive ranking to drive return motivation
Score SharingPLANNED (Phase 5) — share milestone score to social platforms for zero-cost virality

5. Engagement Design

Core ProblemUsers play once but have no reason to return the next session
OnboardingFirst-session flow communicates the game's value proposition before the first merge
Discount Popup'Don't miss it' urgency trigger — fires at peak emotional investment when a saved item goes on sale
Streak (Phase 5)Daily habit formation — return each day to maintain streak and receive bonus tiles
Leaderboard (Phase 5)Competitive motivation — players return to improve their global rank
Score Sharing (Phase 5)Virality loop — social sharing drives new user acquisition at zero cost

6. Technical Constraints

Bundle Size Limit<5MB
Load Time Target<3 seconds on 5G
State ManagementZustand — in-memory with session persistence (no localStorage in Shop Minis)
API ConstraintsNo Node.js APIs; sandboxed WebView environment — custom PostgREST client required
UI FrameworkReact 18 + Tailwind CSS v4 + Shop Minis SDK components
Animation Target60 FPS for swipe and merge animations

7. KPIs & Success Metrics

MAU — Phase 3 (Achieved)~500 MAU — 25x growth vs. MVP baseline
MAU — Phase 4 (Achieved)~1,500 MAU — 3x growth vs. Phase 3
MAU — Phase 5 Target3,000+ MAU — 2x current
Average Session Length>3 minutes
Day-1 Retention (D1)>40%
Product Click-Through Rate>20% of unlock events
Discount Popup Conversion>15% of triggered popups
Streak Activation Rate>30% of active users (Phase 5 target)

8. Product Roadmap

Phase 1 — Demo (Shipped)Unity proof-of-concept built in 2022, published on itch.io — core merge mechanic and product placement concept validated
Phase 2 — MVP (Shipped)Rebuilt in React + TypeScript as a Shopify Shop Mini. 4×4 grid, 11 product tiers, merge logic, score system, high score, product unlock reveal, 60 FPS animations
Phase 3 — Engagement (Shipped)Onboarding flow, recommended products in-game, saved products wishlist, product page navigation on unlock, visual effects overhaul. Result: 25x MAU growth
Phase 4 — Conversion (Shipped)Discount display on products, recommended + discounted products sorted by discount rate, contextual discount popup when a saved product goes on sale. Result: 3x MAU growth, #1 in Gaming on Shop Minis
Phase 5 — Retention (Planned)In-game missions, daily streak system, global leaderboard, score sharing, customer analytics for repetitive user segmentation. Target: 2x current MAU
View Case Study →Back to Portfolio

© 2026 Muhammet Ali Kırmızıoğlu