https://jjunior.net/articles/ Guides, devlogs and features on mobile arcade and puzzle games, from the indie studio jjunior.net. en Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-get-better-at-match-3-puzzles/ https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-get-better-at-match-3-puzzles/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides The gap between luck and skill in match-3 is mostly what you do in the two seconds before you tap. https://jjunior.net/articles/beginners-guide-endless-arcade-games/ https://jjunior.net/articles/beginners-guide-endless-arcade-games/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides The one-more-run loop, explained, plus five habits that turn a frustrating start into a high score. https://jjunior.net/articles/why-glydra-uses-relative-drag-control/ https://jjunior.net/articles/why-glydra-uses-relative-drag-control/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Devlog The control scheme is the whole game. Here's why we threw out the obvious option and built Glydra around your finger instead. https://jjunior.net/articles/scoring-that-keeps-you-playing/ https://jjunior.net/articles/scoring-that-keeps-you-playing/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides Points are the boring part. The real hook is the little dares an arcade game stacks on top of them. https://jjunior.net/articles/what-makes-a-one-touch-game-great/ https://jjunior.net/articles/what-makes-a-one-touch-game-great/ Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Features Anyone can make a game you play with a single finger. Making one you can't put down is a different craft. https://jjunior.net/articles/designing-fuzzlings-cozy-merge/ https://jjunior.net/articles/designing-fuzzlings-cozy-merge/ Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Devlog Merge puzzles are usually quietly stressful. We wanted one you could sink into. Here's how we kept the satisfying part and softened the rest. https://jjunior.net/articles/mote-and-the-idle-game-problem/ https://jjunior.net/articles/mote-and-the-idle-game-problem/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Devlog Idle games have a reputation for farming your attention. With MOTE we tried to keep the lovely part and drop the dark patterns. https://jjunior.net/articles/quaylo-logic-puzzles-no-language/ https://jjunior.net/articles/quaylo-logic-puzzles-no-language/ Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Devlog Most puzzle games quietly assume you speak a certain language. Quaylo's whole idea is to need no tutorial at all. https://jjunior.net/articles/touch-controls-why-skip-the-joystick/ https://jjunior.net/articles/touch-controls-why-skip-the-joystick/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides The on-screen joystick is the default, and the default is usually wrong. A field guide to what actually feels good in the hand. https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-read-a-difficulty-curve/ https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-read-a-difficulty-curve/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides Most arcade runs don't end because the game got hard. They end because you stopped reading how it was getting hard. https://jjunior.net/articles/free-games-that-dont-feel-cheap/ https://jjunior.net/articles/free-games-that-dont-feel-cheap/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Features Free-to-play earned its bad reputation honestly. Here's how we think about ads without making players resent the game. https://jjunior.net/articles/mobile-arcade-games-2026/ https://jjunior.net/articles/mobile-arcade-games-2026/ Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 News The big shift this year isn’t a new genre, it’s hypercasual growing up. What the move to hybrid casual means for players and small studios. https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-beat-your-high-score/ https://jjunior.net/articles/how-to-beat-your-high-score/ Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guides Your high score isn't a wall. It's a habit. A few unglamorous ways to nudge the number up without rage-quitting.