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Snowbound Home

A story, a choice of a wish and match-3 to furnish a snowed-in house.

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Mechanic

The story starts from the first frame: the heroine is thrown out into the cold and finds an abandoned shelter with a baby.
The player picks one of three wishes: a comb, a dress or a window.
Then match-3 on a 5×6 board: matched tiles bring the chosen wish closer to coming true.
The two unchosen wishes come back locked and lead to the button. If you do not touch the screen, the heroine starts to freeze.

0–2.8 s
Story: the heroine in the snow, the door slams, a blizzard.
2.8–4.2 s
Shelter: the heroine shivers in an armchair with the baby; a touch skips the story.
4.2 s
Hook: three wish bubbles, a hand points at the comb.
5.5–8.6 s
Core: a line of 4+ tiles blows up a row, tiles fly into the counter.
~9 s
Wow moment: a whirl of stars, the wish comes true (messy hair turns into a braid).
12.4 s
“One wish granted!” endcard, a full-screen button.

Times are from the automatic demo run.

Story, a choice of three wishes, match-3.
Three wishes right away: is the story worth its seconds before the first touch?
The hint points at the dress instead of the comb: which goal gives the strongest reward.
The hint points at the window instead of the comb.
Only the button text: the cheapest test.
A goal of 9 instead of 6: invested play versus completion.
Freezing after 4 seconds instead of 6: more urgency.
Control: the wish is picked automatically, the viewer sees an unplayed board.
No smile at the end: what hooks more, relief or an unmet need.