Card Town - Guess Numbers Puzzle iOS Game

Hello,

My name is Furkan Kaplan, and I’m an independent developer dedicated to crafting unique and high-quality games and apps for the App Store. As a solo creator, I handle every aspect of development—from concept and design to coding and publishing.

While exploring which game ideas to bring to life, one childhood memory kept resurfacing—a simple number guessing game we used to play with pen and paper back in high school. It was more than just a game; it was a shared challenge, a quiet competition between two minds. One player would think of a secret number, and the other would try to uncover it—say, a two-digit number like 79. For each digit guessed correctly but placed in the wrong position, the player would earn a minus sign (-). For digits both correct and in the correct position, they would receive a plus sign (+). These clues would be carefully noted and used to logically work toward the final answer. A guess like 97 might yield two minus signs (--), while 78 might return one plus sign (+). It was a game of patience, deduction, and satisfying discovery.

While the game worked well on paper, I knew that simply replicating it on a phone wouldn’t be engaging enough—it would feel slow and lack long-term appeal. So I set out to reimagine the game with a story-driven experience at its core.

Before anything else, I had to choose the right technology stack. My goal was to create an experience filled with smooth animations and eye-catching, polished visuals—something that would make players feel like they were playing a premium game developed by a full team, not a solo developer. To achieve that, I chose SceneKit, a native framework that gave me the control and performance I needed to bring this vision to life.

As for the game’s story, the first concept I developed was centered around a safecracker theme. You play as a safe thief, racing against time to crack the code. The "safe" is represented by an 8x8 grid—your town—and with each puzzle you solve, you progress one tile forward.Each tile offers a new reward, and if you make it all the way to the 64th tile, you unlock the final prize. To mirror the mechanics of the original paper game, I replaced minus signs (-) with yellow cards and plus signs (+) with green cards, giving players a visual and intuitive way to track their progress.

Using SceneKit, I was able to build a fully functional MVP of the game in just three days. You can see screenshots of the MVP below.

After spending some time playing the prototype with my wife, we both came to the same conclusion: while the 64-tile grid offered a clear structure, it felt limited in scope and lacked long-term value. We also realized that something was missing in terms of fun—it needed more energy, more surprise, more of a reason to keep coming back.

So, I decided to keep the core number-guessing mechanic intact, but rework the overall experience into something that would be both more fun and offer long-term engagement.

One idea that had been quietly present since the beginning—but never fully realized—was a card-based gameplay mechanic, inspired by popular card games.

To bring this feature to the forefront, I redesigned the entire game flow from scratch in Figma, integrating the card mechanic as a central part of both the gameplay and the story.

The result was a fully reimagined game flow. I finalized the design for every screen—from the splash screen to both successful and failed game outcomes.

The game takes place in a whimsical town called Card Town, where you play alongside a clever little girl named Lily. Lily secretly thinks of a number, and as you make your guesses, she rewards you with valuable cards said to be passed down by the ancestors of Card Town.

Each card has a unique meaning and offers clues to help you figure out the secret number. Lily also happily offers wildcard hints to support your journey!

But be careful—not every card is helpful. For example, the purple card is considered unlucky. It duplicates your current hand of cards, making it harder to manage and possibly causing you to fail the level.

Since these cards are said to be heirlooms from the ancestors of Card Town, each one is shrouded in mystery and holds significant value. Every card tells a different story, which is why they were carefully designed and only the most beautiful and meaningful ones were selected.

Although the core mechanic of the game is number-guessing puzzles, the card system plays an equally important role—especially when it comes to long-term engagement.

To support sustainability and replayability, the card mechanic takes center stage with monthly festivals that celebrate real-world themes like Pride Day, Halloween, or the Arrival of Summer.

Each month, four special cards are designed to reflect the theme of that festival. These limited-edition cards can only be found during that month, encouraging players to keep progressing through levels regularly in order to collect them.

Of course, one of the most crucial aspects of a game like this is the app icon design.

From the beginning, I wanted an icon that would capture both the feel of the game and the essence of its story. I explored four different variations to find the right balance.

Until just before launching the Card Town game for preorder, I was using the orange-toned design located in the top right corner as the official app icon.

Later, considering the game’s global release and the need for a design that would resonate universally, I realized that the text on the icon, even though it was in English, wasn’t as globally appealing as I had hoped.

This led to the creation of the new app icon, which embodies a more universal and visually striking design.

What a sweet, clever, yet slightly mischievous-looking child :)

Card Town iOS Game app icon revisions. Final design is the icon located in the bottom right corner.

Of course, this app icon went through several revisions. :)

Designing and choosing Lily’s character was quite a challenge. She needed to be a character that looked clever, slightly mischievous, yet caring, with a slightly sly smile that would fit well with the story’s tone.

After exploring various designs, I finally found Lily in the character with big, expressive eyes—eyes that radiated intelligence and kindness.

As of April 30th, my game is available for preorder in Ireland and Turkey as part of a soft launch. The global launch is planned for June 4, 2025.

I hope it becomes a game that allows you to unwind during the holiday season—fun yet addictive, a game you won’t be able to stop playing.

Card Town is only available on the App Store and will not be released on other platforms.

You can add it to your preorder list via the link below, and when you read this, if it’s already live in your country, you can download and enjoy it.

I’m eagerly awaiting your feedback. Lily can’t wait to play with you!

Download Now: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6743485921