Pretty Simple
For casual mobile gamers, primarily fans of detective fiction and mystery-themed puzzle games, who value episodic content and narrative progression.
Criminal Case
Snapshot
Who is Pretty Simple?
Delivering narrative-driven hidden object mysteries to casual gamers worldwide. Focused on episodic storytelling and forensic puzzle mechanics.
Target audience
Portfolio
Free 9Last updated
Criminal Case
v2.44.3
1.2y ago
Publisher DNA
What defines Pretty Simple?
Publisher DNA
Primary focus
Mobile games · narrative-driven hidden object mysteries
Scale
indie
Target audience
Casual mobile gamers, primarily fans of detective fiction and mystery-themed puzzle games, who value episodic content and narrative progression.
Origin
Founded in Paris in 2010.
Signature Patterns
- •Core gameplay loop centered on hidden object investigation, evidence analysis, and suspect interrogation.
- •Freemium monetization model featuring a recurring $2.99/week 'Pizza' subscription for energy and ad-free play.
- •Episodic, narrative-driven content updates designed to drive long-term player retention.
- •Consistent focus on detective and mystery-themed settings across the entire portfolio.
Portfolio momentum
Released 2 titles in the last 6 months, maintaining a consistent focus on their core mystery franchise while expanding into new puzzle themes.
Company profile
medium confidence- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Founded
- 2010
Portfolio
What does Pretty Simple ship?
Apps
9 apps analysed
Nostalgic value keeps long-term players engaged with the title they played during their childhood
- The core investigation gameplay loop provides a satisfying and entertaining experience for long-term fans
- Facebook login failures prevent users from accessing their long-term saved progress and rewards
Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past! - Are you ready to solve murder cases?
High-quality narrative writing sustains long-term player investment
- Engaging narrative storylines and character development keep players invested in solving complex crime mysteries
- Intrusive advertisement frequency disrupts the flow of gameplay and creates a negative user experience
Narrative-first design builds strong character attachment
- Engaging puzzle-solving mechanics provide a relaxing and sharp brain exercise for daily players
- Broken Facebook authentication prevents users from accessing saved progress after reinstalling the application
Immersive narrative settings and character development keep players invested across multiple cases in the series
- Engaging mystery-solving gameplay loop provides a relaxing and rewarding experience for long-term fans of the series
- Persistent failure to connect with Facebook prevents players from saving or recovering their game progress
Criminal Case: Save the World! - Solve murder cases around the globe! Ready?
Procedural detective loop provides reliable daily diversion
- Engaging murder mystery storylines and global investigation settings keep players invested in the long-term narrative
- Persistent Facebook login errors prevent players from accessing friends lists and syncing their game progress
Distributed across 9 markets, strongest in Europe.
Based on 1 of 9 apps with localized market data, more coverage rolling in as scans complete · last scanned .
Americas (3)
- Brazil1 / 1
- Mexico1 / 1
- United States1 / 1
Europe (5)
- France1 / 1
- Germany1 / 1
- Italy1 / 1
- Portugal1 / 1
- Spain1 / 1
Asia-Pacific (1)
- Japan1 / 1
Core markets (1/1 apps)
User Sentiment
How do users feel about their apps?
2
Positive apps
6
Neutral / mixed
1
Negative apps
54/100
Avg sentiment score
Unlock the app dragging this portfolio down.
Access the full report for freeRivals
Who does Pretty Simple compete with?
The rivals identified
Nemeses(3)
Dominates the narrative-driven hidden object space with a massive, highly active user base and consistent content delivery.
It targets the same casual adventure demographic with a focus on collection-based progression and narrative-driven questing.
Both apps compete for the same casual solitaire player base, with the rival capturing users through a broader suite of classic variants and higher accessibility features. The rival's massive review volume indicates it serves as a primary destination for players seeking standard card game experiences.
Contenders(11)
Provides a robust, long-running alternative that emphasizes a vast, ever-expanding world of hidden object locations.
Ravenhill targets the same mystery-narrative audience as Criminal Case but uses a steampunk aesthetic to differentiate its visual identity.
A long-standing title that focuses on exploration and collection within a single, expansive, and mysterious mansion setting.
Directly competes in the crime-solving niche with a strong focus on atmospheric, story-driven mystery gameplay.
Competes by offering a narrative-driven hidden object experience that mirrors the target's focus on mystery and environmental puzzle-solving.
known for
Dark Parables: Jack and the Sky Kingdom HD - A Hidden Object Fairy Tale
This title captures the classic hidden object adventure market, appealing to users who prefer fairy-tale aesthetics over this app's historical detective theme.
Both apps compete for the same casual solitaire audience by layering secondary mechanics over a core card-matching loop. They overlap in their target demographic of players seeking daily puzzle habits.
Competes for the same casual adventure audience by offering an immersive, exploration-heavy experience that contrasts with the target's structured investigation gameplay.
Both apps target casual solitaire players with narrative-driven progression and offline-first capabilities, creating direct competition for users seeking low-connectivity card games.
Targets the same casual mobile gamer segment by blending exploration with collection mechanics, creating a secondary overlap in player time-share.
Both apps target casual gamers through solitaire-based mechanics, creating direct competition for the same player base seeking narrative-driven progression.
Same space(35)
Focuses on escape-room style logic puzzles rather than pure hidden object search, serving the same mystery-loving audience.
Find It Out® targets the same visual-search audience as Criminal Case but leverages offline play to capture low-connectivity segments.
Enigmic competes for the same logic-puzzle audience as Criminal Case by automating manual deduction tasks.
Competes for the puzzle-solving adventure audience by using interactive, high-tension scenarios that mirror the 'detective' investigation feel.
This app captures the same casual puzzle audience as Criminal Case but uses a 5-lives system to pace sessions instead of energy meters.
Detective Files targets the same mystery-themed audience as Criminal Case but narrows the gameplay to grid-based logic puzzles.
Shares the target's focus on narrative-driven gameplay, appealing to players who value story-rich experiences over pure mechanics.
Find Em All! competes for the same casual hidden-object audience as Criminal Case by emphasizing a relaxed, non-competitive pace.
Silvan House targets the same mystery-discovery audience as Criminal Case by emphasizing atmospheric, detailed environments.
Hidden Journey targets the same casual seek-and-find audience as Criminal Case but adds virtual pet customization as a retention sink.
This app targets the same strategy-focused demographic but utilizes a community-led balance model to maintain engagement.
Occupies the same casual mobile gaming ecosystem, competing for daily active user time through similar ad-supported monetization models.
Bright Objects competes for the same casual mystery-puzzle demographic by removing the time pressure found in Criminal Case.
A legacy platformer that competes for the same casual gaming demographic by offering a recognizable, high-IP adventure experience.
Murder Matrix targets the same mystery-logic audience as Criminal Case with a daily puzzle cadence.
This title targets the same mystery-puzzle audience as Criminal Case but differentiates through a darker, haunted-house narrative theme.
While mechanically different, it competes for the same 'adventure' category attention by offering high-stakes exploration and crafting.
Competes for the same adventure-seeking audience by leveraging idle mechanics to capture users who prefer low-intensity progression.
This app targets the same casual detective-puzzle audience as Criminal Case with a focus on concentration-based search tasks.
Found It! serves the same casual puzzle base as Criminal Case but uses interactive maps to differentiate from static scenes.
known for
Around the World in 80 Days – Extended Edition - Based on a Jules Verne Novel
Shares a similar historical-adventure premise and appeals to players looking for narrative-rich puzzle experiences.
This app occupies the same casual solitaire space but monetizes through a premium upfront cost rather than freemium progression gating.
Hidden Objects: Find and Spot serves the same casual puzzle audience as Criminal Case with a focus on offline accessibility.
Uses hidden object mechanics as a vehicle for a renovation-based meta-game, appealing to the same casual puzzle demographic.
This app competes for the same casual card-game audience but faces similar retention risks due to aggressive ad-monetization.
This app competes for the same casual observation-puzzle audience as Criminal Case by focusing on detailed scene exploration.
This app shares the turn-based strategy focus but uses a card-degradation mechanic to force deck turnover.
This app competes directly in the TriPeaks solitaire niche by emphasizing a magical narrative theme.
This app provides a distraction-free alternative for the same casual solitaire audience, though it lacks the RPG meta-elements of the source.
Hidden Hotel competes for the same casual mystery audience as Criminal Case by adding a renovation meta-layer to the search loop.
This app competes for the same cozy-aesthetic audience by blending solitaire puzzles with a renovation meta-game.
This app targets the same RPG-card hybrid space but leverages established IP to drive higher production value.
Matching Story competes for the same casual audience by replacing detective investigations with a garden restoration loop that eliminates forced advertisements.
This app serves as a high-production-value alternative for players seeking deeper card-based strategy than the current solitaire-RPG hybrid.
This app offers a similar hidden object search experience but removes competitive pressure by eliminating timers and providing unlimited hints.
New entrants(3)
Dokuverse competes for the same mystery-logic audience as Criminal Case by offering a curated, ad-free experience.
While a different sub-genre, its high-velocity update schedule and massive user base make it a threat for casual puzzle time-share.
Rapidly iterating with a high-velocity release schedule, targeting a more casual, hyper-casual-adjacent audience.
The Analyst's Read
The bottom line on Pretty Simple
Bottom line
Pretty Simple is a specialized studio with a proven, repeatable model for narrative puzzle games. Their long-term viability hinges on resolving current technical stability issues to protect their massive legacy user base.
Frequently asked questions
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What fed this analysis
- Apps analyzed:
- 9
- With full intel:
- 9
- With overview:
- 9
- Website scraped:
- yes
- Social presence:
- yes
