Since its release in 2016, Clash Royale has been the go-to real-time strategy game for mobile users. The game incorporates elements of fantasy, trading card games, tower defense, and many more. But, is Clash Royale gacha?
Clash Royale is a free-to-play mobile game that utilizes a gacha system. The game contains various types of chests that offer cards and resources. But the exact content of each chest is completely random. So, the prize you receive when you open a chest is entirely dependent on luck.
In this article, we are going to go over the particulars of a gacha game and discuss whether Clash Royale fits into that category or not. We will also discuss the gacha or loot box mechanics present in the fame in some detail.
What Is a Gacha Game?
First, let’s briefly explain what a gacha game is. A “gacha” or “gashapon” is a type of vending machine originating in Japan. When you put a certain amount of money into the machine, it will randomly select a capsule and give it to you. Inside each capsule is a toy. But you do not have any control over which toy you will get.
So, a gacha game is any game that implements this same lottery system. In these games, you spend in-game currency for the chance of winning an in-game item. The item can vary wildly such as cards, characters, weapons, wallpapers, etc. You do not know which item you will receive until you receive it.
Now, in most of these games, you can acquire the in-game currency by playing the game. But you can also fasten up that process through microtransactions. You can spend actual currency to collect the in-game currency, which you can then use to win prizes.
And this is the difference between your typical microtransactions and a gacha system. In gacha games, you cannot guarantee the item you will get even when you spend actual money. Rather, you spend the money for the chance of winning your desired item in a lottery.
The other key aspect of a gacha system is the exclusiveness of its items. In most cases, the items you get from playing the gacha system you cannot acquire from any other part of the game.
What Makes Clash Royale a Gacha Game?
Now, let’s look at the gacha system in Clash Royale specifically. While not originating in Japan, Clash Royale still utilizes the gacha mechanic in a vital capacity.
Similar to its cousin Clash of Clan, Clash Royale is a tower rush game where you employ various troops, spells, buildings, and other characters. All of these elements are represented in the game by cards. And the higher level your card is for a particular element, the stronger that element becomes.
For example, a level 4 Valkyrie is going to be stronger than a level 3 Valkyrie. And the only way to increase the levels of your troops or buildings is by collecting their cards. And one of the main ways to collect these cards is through Clash Royale’s very own gacha system.
When you complete certain missions or tasks, the game rewards you with a treasure chest. The exact content of the chest is unknown. You can pull various types of cards, gems, or other resources from the chest. You do not know exactly what you are going to get until you open the chest.
And it is this lottery nature of the chest that makes Clash Royale similar to a gacha game. See, better cards have a lower drop rate. Meaning that you need to go through multiple chests to get one of these items. As such, players looking for more premium items will try their luck opening chests again and again.
You can quicken up this process by using gems to directly buy a chest or reduce the waiting time on each chest. But the gems in Clash Royale are not easy to come by. However, you can bypass this limitation by directly purchasing more gems using actual currency. You can then spend the gems to acquire more chests for a better chance of pulling good prizes.
Now, you can get these cards through other means. You can purchase them in shops by spending in-game resources such as gold or gems. This part does not qualify as gacha, as you know which card you are getting beforehand.
But the randomness of the chest system is entirely typical of a gacha game. As such, Clash Royale is a mobile game that implements gacha elements but is not solely a gacha game.
Conclusion
While the gacha system is not the only way of progressing in the game, Clash Royale does utilize this mechanism pretty blatantly. And their strategic implementation of this system has allowed Clash Royale to be a successful and profitable mobile game.
