u/PlayMelodyWorld

Hi everyone.

A few weeks ago, I launched the iOS version of my 4-Player / 2v2 / 1v1 Card Battler , Grimoria. Shortly after, the game was featured by Apple in Japan and I suddenly had over 100 people playing matches at the same time.

As a solo developer, I was really proud to see that the custom backend and server architecture I built from scratch handled the load flawlessly without any crashes.
Seeing the active player base gave me a lot of motivation to keep improving the game. I just released a new update (which you can see in the video above).

Here is what is new:

• 2v2 Ranked Mode: I am rotating out 1v1 Ranked for this season. You can now queue up for 2v2 Ranked to climb the global leaderboard with a random ally.
• New Card - 'Puca': A new creature with the ability: "Next round, the lowest strength wins." It completely changes the bluffing mechanics for that round.
• Unicorn Rework: I updated the Unicorn ability to: "Gain 2 Life if you have 3 or less Life" to allow for better late-game comebacks.
• Updated Attack VFX: I reworked the attack visual effects so the impacts look and feel much more satisfying on the board.
• In-Game News Hub: A new real-time UI system to keep players updated on patch notes, seasons, and events directly in the app.

For anyone not familiar with the game yet:
Grimoria is a fast-paced PvP card game played in portrait mode with simultaneous 15-second turns. It features 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play and NOT pay-to-win. There are no forced ads. All cards are unlocked by playing, and monetization is strictly for cosmetics.

I’d love to hear what you think of the new visual effects and the new card mechanics.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

Thanks to everyone who has been playing and providing feedback so far!

Hi everyone.

A few weeks ago, I launched the iOS version of my 4-Player / 2v2 / 1v1 Card Battler , Grimoria. Shortly after, the game was featured by Apple in Japan and I suddenly had over 100 people playing matches at the same time.

As a solo developer, I was really proud to see that the custom backend and server architecture I built from scratch handled the load flawlessly without any crashes.
Seeing the active player base gave me a lot of motivation to keep improving the game. I just released a new update (which you can see in the video above).

Here is what is new:

• 2v2 Ranked Mode: I am rotating out 1v1 Ranked for this season. You can now queue up for 2v2 Ranked to climb the global leaderboard with a random ally.
• New Card - 'Puca': A new creature with the ability: "Next round, the lowest strength wins." It completely changes the bluffing mechanics for that round.
• Unicorn Rework: I updated the Unicorn ability to: "Gain 2 Life if you have 3 or less Life" to allow for better late-game comebacks.
• Updated Attack VFX: I reworked the attack visual effects so the impacts look and feel much more satisfying on the board.
• In-Game News Hub: A new real-time UI system to keep players updated on patch notes, seasons, and events directly in the app.

For anyone not familiar with the game yet:
Grimoria is a fast-paced PvP card game played in portrait mode with simultaneous 15-second turns. It features 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play and NOT pay-to-win. There are no forced ads. All cards are unlocked by playing, and monetization is strictly for cosmetics.

I’d love to hear what you think of the new visual effects and the new card mechanics.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

Thanks to everyone who has been playing and providing feedback so far!

Hi everyone, I'm a solo dev from Italy.

Recently, I launched the iOS version of my 4-Player/2v2 Card Battler, Grimoria (it was already out on Android). I had zero marketing budget, but a few days after launch, I suddenly saw a spike of 1000s of installs a day. I checked my analytics and saw that 99% of the traffic was coming from Japan.

I checked the Japanese App Store and found out Apple's editorial team had put Grimoria on the front page under "Games Everyone is Playing" and "Newest Games." It peaked at Rank #11 in Free Card Games, sitting right next to giant studio games like Dragon Ball Legends and Shadowverse.

Here is a realistic look at a few things I learned:

1. Localization pays off: I translated my store page and UI into 17 languages long before the iOS launch. If I hadn't taken the time to do the Japanese translation, Apple Japan would never have featured it.
2. The Backend handled it easily: You always read horror stories of indie servers crashing on launch. I was extremly worried, but because I built the backend as efficiently as possible from scratch using Node.js and WebSockets, the sudden influx of 100+ concurrent players didn't even make the server sweat. Load did not even crossed 1%.
3. The Brutal Review Culture: The spike was great, but it brought a harsh reality check. Japanese mobile gamers are incredibly strict reviewers. I got hit with 1-star reviews from people complaining about "too many ads"—even though the game has zero forced ads and they are 100% optional for bonus loot. Also, they downloaded it expecting a heavy, 30-minute Yu-Gi-Oh style game, but Grimoria is a fast-paced 15-second turn game inspired by a European trick-taking game ("Watten"). Mismanaged expectations equal bad reviews.

The feature lasted about 1 week before dropping off, which is standard for App Store rotations. The revenue from that spike was nice, but more importantly, it proved the cross-platform server architecture works perfectly under load and helped me cover my development costs.

Hi everyone, I'm a solo dev from Italy.

Recently, I launched the iOS version of my 4-Player/2v2 Card Battler, Grimoria (it was already out on Android). I had zero marketing budget, but a few days after launch, I suddenly saw a spike of 1000s of installs a day. I checked my analytics and saw that 99% of the traffic was coming from Japan.

I checked the Japanese App Store and found out Apple's editorial team had put Grimoria on the front page under "Games Everyone is Playing" and "Newest Games." It peaked at Rank #11 in Free Card Games, sitting right next to giant studio games like Dragon Ball Legends and Shadowverse. https://imgur.com/a/AeJiX7l

Here is a realistic look at a few things I learned:

1. Localization pays off: I translated my store page and UI into 17 languages long before the iOS launch. If I hadn't taken the time to do the Japanese translation, Apple Japan would never have featured it.
2. The Backend handled it easily: You always read horror stories of indie servers crashing on launch. I was extremly worried, but because I built the backend as efficiently as possible from scratch using Node.js and WebSockets, the sudden influx of 100+ concurrent players didn't even make the server sweat. Load did not even crossed 1%.
3. The Brutal Review Culture: The spike was great, but it brought a harsh reality check. Japanese mobile gamers are incredibly strict reviewers. I got hit with 1-star reviews from people complaining about "too many ads"—even though the game has zero forced ads and they are 100% optional for bonus loot. Also, they downloaded it expecting a heavy, 30-minute Yu-Gi-Oh style game, but Grimoria is a fast-paced 15-second turn game inspired by a European trick-taking game ("Watten"). Mismanaged expectations equal bad reviews.

The feature lasted about 1 week before dropping off, which is standard for App Store rotations. The revenue from that spike was nice, but more importantly, it proved the cross-platform server architecture works perfectly under load and helped me cover my development costs.

Hi everyone, I'm a solo dev from Italy.

Recently, I launched the iOS version of my 4-Player/2v2 Card Battler, Grimoria (it was already out on Android). I had zero marketing budget, but a few days after launch, I suddenly saw a spike of 1000s of installs a day. I checked my analytics and saw that 99% of the traffic was coming from Japan.

I checked the Japanese App Store and found out Apple's editorial team had put Grimoria on the front page under "Games Everyone is Playing" and "Newest Games." It peaked at Rank #11 in Free Card Games, sitting right next to giant studio games like Dragon Ball Legends and Shadowverse.

Here is a realistic look at a few things I learned:

1. Localization pays off: I translated my store page and UI into 17 languages long before the iOS launch. If I hadn't taken the time to do the Japanese translation, Apple Japan would never have featured it.
2. The Backend handled it easily: You always read horror stories of indie servers crashing on launch. I was extremly worried, but because I built the backend as efficiently as possible from scratch using Node.js and WebSockets, the sudden influx of 100+ concurrent players didn't even make the server sweat. Load did not even crossed 1%.
3. The Brutal Review Culture: The spike was great, but it brought a harsh reality check. Japanese mobile gamers are incredibly strict reviewers. I got hit with 1-star reviews from people complaining about "too many ads"—even though the game has zero forced ads and they are 100% optional for bonus loot. Also, they downloaded it expecting a heavy, 30-minute Yu-Gi-Oh style game, but Grimoria is a fast-paced 15-second turn game inspired by a European trick-taking game ("Watten"). Mismanaged expectations equal bad reviews.

The feature lasted about 1 week before dropping off, which is standard for App Store rotations. The revenue from that spike was nice, but more importantly, it proved the cross-platform server architecture works perfectly under load and helped me cover my development costs.

Disclosure: GenAI was used in my game to improve art quality.

Hi everyone.

After almost 3 years of grinding, learning, and over 4,000 hours of work late into the night, my passion project Grimoria is officially live on iOS starting today.

First, I want to say a massive thank you to this community. The feedback and support you gave me during the pre-order phases and android launch helped me polish the game, and get across the finish line. As a solo developer from Italy, seeing people showing interest and playing my game is amazing.

I wanted to create something new, not just another big studio copy. The core gameplay is actually inspired by a popular local card game called "Watten," which is heavily played where I live. I wanted to bring that social, bluffing energy to a digital format, but with much more accessible rules and mythical creatures.

I tried my absolute best to hit "Studio Quality" visuals and effects. One of the biggest challenges was making it a true real-time multiplayer experience. I built the entire backend server architecture and code completely from scratch to ensure smooth, fast-paced PvP, all while keeping a tiny install size and minimal data consumption.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play. There are no forced ads. There is exactly one optional ad for bonus loot, which you can permanently remove with a single premium purchase. There is absolutely zero Pay-to-Win.

For those seeing Grimoria for the first time, here is how it plays:

• Its a fast-paced PvP Card game with multiple modes: Classic 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.
• The Basics: Everyone starts with 10 Life. Each round, all players play one card simultaneously. Highest strength card wins. The loser takes 2 damage. Last one standing wins.
• Strategy: Cards have abilities like Shield, Heal, Negate, or bluffing cards that only reveal at the end of the turn.
• Elements: Ties are broken by elemental counters: Fire > Earth > Water > Fire.
• Teamwork: In 2v2, you actually share a life and shield pool with your ally!

Overall, Grimoria takes few minutes to learn but offers strategy for competitive, ranked gameplay.

Grimoria features full Cross-Play, so iOS players can instantly match with the Android player base! (A Steam PC version is planned next).

Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516
Downlaod on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame

Hi everyone.

After almost 3 years of grinding, learning, and over 4,000 hours of work late into the night, my passion project Grimoria is officially live on iOS starting today.

First, I want to say a massive thank you to this community. The feedback and support you gave me during the pre-order phases and android launch helped me polish the game, and get across the finish line. As a solo developer from Italy, seeing people showing interest and playing my game is amazing.

I wanted to create something new, not just another big studio copy. The core gameplay is actually inspired by a popular local card game called "Watten," which is heavily played where I live. I wanted to bring that social, bluffing energy to a digital format, but with much more accessible rules and mythical creatures.

I tried my absolute best to hit "Studio Quality" visuals and effects. One of the biggest challenges was making it a true real-time multiplayer experience. I built the entire backend server architecture and code completely from scratch to ensure smooth, fast-paced PvP, all while keeping a tiny install size and minimal data consumption.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play. There are no forced ads. There is exactly one optional ad for bonus loot, which you can permanently remove with a single premium purchase. There is absolutely zero Pay-to-Win.

For those seeing Grimoria for the first time, here is how it plays:

• Its a fast-paced PvP Card game with multiple modes: Classic 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.
• The Basics: Everyone starts with 10 Life. Each round, all players play one card simultaneously. Highest strength card wins. The loser takes 2 damage. Last one standing wins.
• Strategy: Cards have abilities like Shield, Heal, Negate, or bluffing cards that only reveal at the end of the turn.
• Elements: Ties are broken by elemental counters: Fire > Earth > Water > Fire.
• Teamwork: In 2v2, you actually share a life and shield pool with your ally!

Overall, Grimoria takes few minutes to learn but offers strategy for competitive, ranked gameplay.

Grimoria features full Cross-Play, so iOS players can instantly match with the Android player base! (A Steam PC version is planned next).

Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516
Downlaod on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame

Hi everyone.

After almost 3 years of grinding, learning, and over 4,000 hours of work late into the night, my passion project Grimoria is officially live on iOS starting today.

First, I want to say a massive thank you to this community. The feedback and support you gave me during the pre-order phases and android launch helped me polish the game, and get across the finish line. As a solo developer from Italy, seeing people showing interest and playing my game is amazing.

I wanted to create something new, not just another big studio copy. The core gameplay is actually inspired by a popular local card game called "Watten," which is heavily played where I live. I wanted to bring that social, bluffing energy to a digital format, but with much more accessible rules and mythical creatures.

I tried my absolute best to hit "Studio Quality" visuals and effects. One of the biggest challenges was making it a true real-time multiplayer experience. I built the entire backend server architecture and code completely from scratch to ensure smooth, fast-paced PvP, all while keeping a tiny install size and minimal data consumption.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play. There are no forced ads. There is exactly one optional ad for bonus loot, which you can permanently remove with a single premium purchase. There is absolutely zero Pay-to-Win.

For those seeing Grimoria for the first time, here is how it plays:

• Its a fast-paced PvP Card game with multiple modes: Classic 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.
• The Basics: Everyone starts with 10 Life. Each round, all players play one card simultaneously. Highest strength card wins. The loser takes 2 damage. Last one standing wins.
• Strategy: Cards have abilities like Shield, Heal, Negate, or bluffing cards that only reveal at the end of the turn.
• Elements: Ties are broken by elemental counters: Fire > Earth > Water > Fire.
• Teamwork: In 2v2, you actually share a life and shield pool with your ally!

Overall, Grimoria takes few minutes to learn but offers strategy for competitive, ranked gameplay.

Grimoria features full Cross-Play, so iOS players can instantly match with the Android player base! (A Steam PC version is planned next).

Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516
Downlaod on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame

Hi everyone.

After almost 3 years of grinding, learning, and over 4,000 hours of work late into the night, my passion project Grimoria is officially live on iOS.

First, I want to say a massive thank you to this community. The feedback and support you gave me during the pre-order phases helped me polish the game, and get across the finish line. As a solo developer from Italy, seeing people showing interest and playing my game is amazing.

I wanted to create something new, not just another big studio copy. The core gameplay is actually inspired by a popular local card game called "Watten," which is heavily played where I live. I wanted to bring that social, bluffing energy to a digital format, but with much more accessible rules and mythical creatures.

I tried my absolute best to hit "Studio Quality" visuals and effects. One of the biggest challenges was making it a true real-time multiplayer experience. I built the entire backend server architecture and code completely from scratch to ensure smooth, fast-paced PvP, all while keeping a tiny install size and minimal data consumption.

The game is 100% Free-to-Play. There are no forced ads. There is exactly one optional ad for bonus loot, which you can permanently remove with a single premium purchase. There is absolutely zero Pay-to-Win.

For those seeing Grimoria for the first time, here is how it plays:

• Its a fast-paced PvP Card game with multiple modes: Classic 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale.
• The Basics: Everyone starts with 10 Life. Each round, all players play one card simultaneously. Highest strength card wins. The loser takes 2 damage. Last one standing wins.
• Strategy: Cards have abilities like Shield, Heal, Negate, or bluffing cards that only reveal at the end of the turn.
• Elements: Ties are broken by elemental counters: Fire > Earth > Water > Fire.
• Teamwork: In 2v2, you actually share a life and shield pool with your ally!

Overall, Grimoria takes few minutes to learn but offers strategy for competitive, ranked gameplay.

Grimoria features full Cross-Play, so iOS players can instantly match with the Android player base! (A Steam PC version is planned next).

Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

Hey everyone. I'm the solo dev of the upcoming card game Grimoria, dropping in exactly 1 week on July 4th!

Since I don't have a massive budget or a team like established studios, I have to rely heavily on creativity and uniqueness. I used copyright-free assets like sound effects and spent hours hand-coding animations (LeanTween) and custom visual effects (Unity Shader Graph) to make the game feel alive.

I think the result isn't too bad, and I am incredibly proud of what I've built over the last 2-3 years.

In the short clip above, I’m showing off:

• The new card, 'Kamaitachi' (along with its VFX, animations, and sound effects).
• The brand new Collection page I finished a few days ago, showing the animation flow when a newly obtained card "snaps" into your collection.

Feel free to pre-order the game now and dont miss the Launch reward when the game drops next Saturday!

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

Hi everyone.

We are exactly two weeks away from the iOS launch of my passion project, Grimoria (July 4th!) i have been working on 3 years.
The response to my announcement post 2 weeks ago was amazing, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who pre-ordered.

Instead of spamming another trailer, I wanted to show you some cool actual updates I'm finishing up for the iOS launch:

• The 'Ascendant Path': A brand new progression system I built, alongside an updated main menu. This path is designed to reward players with card packs, essences, coins and more just for playing matches.
• Collection page: A brand new feature where you can track your collection much more clearly (sorted by Element), with a cool new animation when you get a newly obtained card.

And a few features I implemented recently:

• Global Ranked System: You can climb the ladder in Solo mode. I added a full in-game leaderboard to track the top players and a monthly reward based on achieved rank.
• New Card - Kamaitachi: A new creature with the ability 'Gain 2 Strength when played first.'

Based on the feedback i recieved i am working on more cool progression features coming up after launch.

For anyone new, Grimoria features 1v1, 2v2 Co-op, and 4-Player Battle Royale modes. It's played entirely in portrait mode with fast 15-second turns.

Pre-order the game right now so you don't miss the launch week reward.
Pre-Order on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

I'd love to hear what you guys think of the new changes in the screenshots!

Hi everyone.
I am an Italian solo dev. I quit my job 6 years ago and started working full time on my gamedev projects. My first game was a GPS music game in the style of Pokemon Go. My second game, Grimoria, I started 2-3 years ago with over 4000 hours of work, and it now finally comes to iOS on July 4th. Since I code entirely on a Windows PC, fighting through the Apple ecosystem was an absolute nightmare 😅, but after a lot of back and forth I'm really happy to see the iOS page live now.

With Grimoria I wanted to create something new and unique. Where I live, there is a very popular local card game called "Watten", which is played 2v2. I tried to extract the essence of it and make something that works for everyone on mobile. I also added 2 additional game modes: Battle Royale and 1v1. Gameplay feels a bit like a mix of Uno and Marvel Snap.

Grimoria basics:

• You start with 10 Life. Each round every player plays one card. Highest strength card wins. The loser takes 2 damage. Last one standing wins.
• In 2v2, you share life and shield with a random ally or friend.
• Cards have abilities like Shield, Heal, Negate, Strength buff or bluffing (reveal cards at the end of the turn). I am planning to release new cards and abilities each month.
• Skin Cards can have elemental counters: Fire > Earth > Water > Fire. (You start with neutral Wind cards).

Overall, Grimoria is easy to learn but still offers strategy for competitive gameplay (Ranked).

Monetization:
The game is Free-to-Play. There are no forced ads. There is one optional ad for bonus loot, and you can permanently remove it with an ad-free support pack ($5). There are microtransactions for customizations (skin cards, icons, card backs, emotes, board backgrounds). The game is 100% no pay-to-win, as neutral cards can be obtained relatively quickly just by playing, and skin cards are not stronger than neutral cards.

Apple approved the build yesterday, and the official release is set for July 4th!
You can pre-order the game right now so you don't miss the launch week reward:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516

I want to thank you all for the support <3.
For a solo dev it's hard to reach studio quality, as it requires a lot of learning and effort in multiple professions. I tried my absolute best to get as close as possible. I hope you enjoy it.

Hi everyone! (Attached is a quick clip showing newest card, ranked and visual updates!)

For the past 2 months, my solo-developed card game, Grimoria, has been out on Android.

First off: Thank you all! The feedback from the Reddit community during the Android launch helped me fix a lot of issues and balance the game faster than I ever could have alone.

A lot of you asked when it was coming to iPhone. Since I code on a Windows PC and haven't touched the Apple ecosystem before, getting an iOS build approved was an absolute nightmare. 😅

But today, I can finally announce that the iOS Pre-Order page is officially LIVE!

To celebrate, anyone who Pre-Orders on iOS and plays during launch week gets 160 Bonus Coins. The release date is set for July 4th.

For anyone new here, here is what the game is about:

• Unique Modes: It features 4-Player Battle Royale, true 2v2 Co-op (you share health/shields with your partner), and regular 1v1 mode.
• Zero Pay-To-Win: It is 100% Free-to-Play. All cards are unlocked by playing. Monetization is strictly cosmetics. There are no forced ads, with an optional premium upgrade if you want to remove the optional reward ads.
• Mind Games: Simultaneous 15-second turns, elemental counters, bluffing, and unique card abilities.
• Portrait Mode: Built to be played comfortably with one hand during a commute.

The Links:

• iOS Pre-Order: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grimoria-online-card-game/id6761027516
• Android (Playable Now): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emberveilgames.onlinecardgame

Thank you again for supporting a solo dev. I'll be in the comments if you have any questions about the game or the iOS porting process!