Monkey King: The Adventure Begins
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About the Project Overview
Based on the legendary Chinese tale and modern motion picture franchise, Monkey King: The Adventure Begins is a cinematic, cross-platform action-fighter that blends story-driven level design with animated battles in both 3D and Augmented Reality (AR).
The client had a bad experience with a previous developer and came to Zatun to develop the game further according to the industry standards.
Zatun handled the full pipeline: gameplay, AR integration, animation, monetization, and LiveOps. Built using Unity, the game delivers an immersive mobile combat experience enhanced by special powers, environment-based particle FX, and strategic score mechanics.
Client Challenge
Zatun’s Solution
⚔️ Core Gameplay
- Battle System: Turn-based 3-round combat with gesture-drawing inputs
- Tutorial Level: Mandatory Subhuti Temple intro level
- Character Unlocking: Based on victories (e.g., Rock Monster at 5 wins, Jade Emperor at 15 wins)
- Environment Unlocking: Sequential through points or purchases
- Profile System: Unique username, Facebook login, guest options
🎯 Point System + Leaderboards
- Scoring Mechanics:
- +5 points: Successful attack
- +10 points: Clash win
- 0 points: Miss/pass
- Leaderboard Modes:
- Daily Top 10
- All-Time Scores
- Personal Best
- Score visibility: In-game, Facebook wall, TheMonkeyKing.com
🎰 Slot Machine System
- Triggered by collecting 3 “Super Coins” during play or by watching 3 ads
- Rewards include:
- 2x, 3x, 5x score multipliers
- Enhanced attack (double damage for 3 rounds)
- Enhanced defence (invulnerability for 3 rounds)
- Extra spins
- 2D slot wheel design themed to each board
📦 In-App Purchases
| Bundle | Content | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flaming Mountain, Mt. Huago | $4.99 |
| 2 | Heavenly Stable + Monkey King Stable Outfit, Peach Orchard | $9.99 |
| 3 | Bundle 1 & 2 + Roxue + Ape & Dragon special powers | $14.99 |
| 4 | Golden Elixir Furnace + Erlang Shen Character | $6.99 |
🧠 AR Mode: 3D Augmented Reality Battles
- Battles can occur on any flat surface using a device camera.
- Avatar-sized characters rendered in 360° space.
- Players can interact and view the match from multiple angles.
- Seamless switch between 2D and AR with environment-aware UI.
🎨 Visual/UX Enhancements
- ✨ Custom particle FX per board: fire pits, clouds, mist, lantern glows, rain
- ✨ Revamped UI: new loading screen, tutorial screen, intro/outro animations
- ✨ Character FX: win/lose animations, shader improvements, texture updates
- ✨ Skippable intro videos (except main game intro)
🔧 Key Technical Highlights
- Facebook login with leaderboard sync
- User profile auto-linked to a unique email ID
- Web-friendly scoring logic (no dependency on Apple/Google Game Centre)
- Ads integrated into reward slot spins
- Score unlock logic tied to environment availability (displayed on level select)
🔐 Backend & Support Infrastructure
- Phase 1–3 milestone-based delivery (6–7 weeks + QA)
- Phase 4 planned for multiplayer plugin (cross-platform compatibility in progress)
- Warranty: 1-month post-launch support + Chinese version prep
- Android OBB files for builds over 380MB
- Chinese asset prep with layered PSDs for translation
Game Screenshort
Results
| Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|
| Cross-Platform Game Launched | On iOS & Android, with monetisation live |
| Slot Machine Engagement | Boosted retention via ad-spin rewards |
| Revenue Features Live | 7 monetized bundles + consumables + AD-Free |
| AR Battle Mode Delivered | One of the first real-time AR fighting games in its genre |
| Web + App Score Sync | Consistent user data across app, website, and social media |
| Full localisation pipeline | Ready for Chinese launch with pre-translated art flow |
Client Testimonial
“Zatun didn’t just deliver a fighting game. They created a fully commercial ecosystem—from AR gameplay to monetisation to leaderboard logic. Their attention to detail and deep involvement made all the difference.”
— MK Games LLC, CEO