u/Gabryyy__

I attached my AdMob dashboard just to show how brutal the reality of my first launch is right now lol.

I’m a CS student and I recently released my first mobile game on Android, a block puzzle game called "Jelly Snap". I didn't expect to become a millionaire, but I’ve hit a massive wall and I’m completely out of ideas.

Currently sitting at around 20-25 downloads. Half of them are my friends/family, and they obviously stopped playing after the first few days, which tanked my impressions and eCPM.

Here is what I've tried so far:

- Optimized the Play Store title/description (added keywords like "Block Puzzle").

- Tried making YouTube Shorts. I tried gameplay clips, the "can you beat my high score" angle, and even some engagement bait. Nothing seems to stick or translate into actual downloads.

- I have exactly $0 for a marketing budget, so Google Ads/UAC isn't really an option right now.

For those of you who released a casual/puzzle mobile game, how did you get your first 100-500 real organic users without a budget?

Is the market just too saturated for a standard block puzzle, or am I completely failing at social media marketing? Any brutal honesty or advice is welcome.

Hey everyone,

I just released my very first indie project on the Play Store. It’s a fast-paced arcade puzzle game called Jelly Snap (you merge blocks quickly to trigger chain reactions and clear the board before it fills up).

I’m super proud of the technical side and the gameplay loop, but I’ve hit a massive wall: marketing. I’m currently sitting at exactly 12 downloads. 😅

Here is what I’ve tried so far:

YouTube Shorts: My first video actually did well for a brand new channel (~1.5k views, 145% retention rate). But the next three videos completely flopped (under 100 views) despite trying different hooks.

I know the mobile market is completely oversaturated and brutal, but I genuinely feel like the game has potential if it just reaches the right puzzle fans.

For those of you who have successfully launched mobile games or have experience in marketing:

1. How do you get past this initial "zero-visibility" phase?

2. Are there specific platforms or communities that work better for casual/arcade puzzles?

3. Should I keep grinding Shorts and hoping for the algorithm to pick me up, or pivot to something else?

Any honest feedback on marketing strategies (or the game itself) would be incredibly appreciated!

Thanks!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChS3dg1Pt8a-KWieF7adFjA
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.studio44z.jellysnap

I’ve attached an image showing the shape I’m referring to: a "Horizontal Grouping Bracket." I believe adding this to the shape library would be incredibly helpful for students like me, especially when creating structural diagrams, grouping related code blocks, or summarizing key concepts in my Computer Science notes.

Having a dedicated, resizable tool for this would significantly speed up my workflow. Would it be possible to consider adding this in a future update?

Thanks for all the great work on the app!

Ciao a tutti. Ho da poco rilasciato il mio primo gioco per Android, Jelly Snap.

A prima vista l'impostazione grafica può ricordare altri titoli con i blocchi, ma l'obiettivo del gioco è diverso. Invece di dover riempire le righe o le colonne per farle sparire, lo scopo è posizionare i blocchi per fondere quelli dello stesso colore.

Unendo i colori uguali si fa evolvere il blocco di livello in livello, fino ad arrivare al colore finale, ovvero il blocco viola. Quando si riesce a formare, il blocco viola esplode distruggendo la riga e la colonna in cui si trova, permettendo di liberare spazio sulla griglia e generare reazioni a catena per accumulare punti.

Il sistema alla base di Jelly Snap analizza la griglia in tempo reale per fornirti sempre un set di pezzi che abbia almeno una mossa logica valida. In questo modo l'attenzione si sposta sulla pianificazione: ogni pezzo va posizionato pensando alle fusioni future. Se si arriva al game over, la causa è legata alle scelte posizionali fatte nei turni precedenti.

Ho inserito una breve clip per mostrare il gameplay. Il gioco è gratuito. Mi farebbe piacere leggere le vostre opinioni sincere sulle meccaniche e ricevere qualche parere.

Il mio record personale attualmente è 138.060. Scaricatelo, fate qualche partita e fatemi sapere se qualcuno riesce a superarlo. Grazie a chiunque dedicherà del tempo per provarlo e per lasciarmi un feedback. ❤️

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.studio44z.jellysnap

Playable Link:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.studio44z.jellysnap

Hi everyone! I just released my first game, Jelly Snap.

I know that at first glance it might look like a Block Blast clone, but it actually has a unique feature that completely changes the pacing and strategy of the game.

How it works and why it's different: The core gameplay is easy to pick up: drag and drop the jelly blocks onto the grid, complete lines (vertically or horizontally) to clear them, and try to set up massive combo chain reactions to rack up points.

The core of Jelly Snap is its "Smart Block Generation" algorithm. The game actively reads your current grid state and guarantees that the set of pieces you receive will always have at least one valid logical move. This shifts the focus entirely from "hoping for the right shape" to pure strategy and planning. If you get a Game Over, it's 100% based on your tactical choices.

I've attached a short gameplay clip so you can see the game in action. It's completely free to play. I'd love to hear your honest feedback on the mechanics and how it feels to play!

My current personal high score is 138,060. Download it, give it a try, and let me know in the comments if anyone manages to beat me!

I'd also love to hear your honest feedback on the mechanics and how the game feels. Thanks!