Overview

Precision mechanics. PvP competition. But it's the first few minutes that determine if a player stays or quits.

To sharpen that early experience, the studio partnered with Lysto to evaluate its onboarding through a single-session first time users (FTUE) playtest. Using our AI-powered platform, we analysed real game play videos to analyse where players clicked, where they froze, and where friction replaced flow.

The goal: translate raw player behavior into insight—fast.

Challenge

The studio needed answers to:

• Can players understand the core mechanics from the tutorial alone?

• Do players feel guided through match formats and game modes?

• What technical or design gaps are slowing down the first session?

Players were casual, many of whom were unfamiliar with archery games—ideal for testing real FTUE friction.

Lysto's Playtest Strategy

We evaluated the First-Time User Experience through a structured, remote single-session playtest with 10 participants. These were real players from Tier-2/3 cities on low-end Android devices—matching the game’s intended reach.

What is a Single Session Playtest?

A single-session playtest puts players into the game’s early experience and observes everything—from first tap to first quit. It’s ideal for testing tutorials, UI clarity, performance stability, and core mechanic comprehension.

Our AI-powered platform:

• Captured gameplay with event-based friction tagging

• Synced player feedback with session behaviors

• Auto-annotated where players paused, got confused, or dropped off

We didn't just ask players what happened—we saw what they couldn’t articulate. Each session was analysed to highlight:

• Where players paused, hesitated, or dropped off

• When confusion emerged without user reporting

• Which features were accessed, misunderstood, or ignored
  
  

Key Findings

1. Strong first impressions, undone by instability

• Avg. enjoyability rating: 4.3/5

• Players praised visuals and feel, but freezes and crashes broke momentum

"Nothing is opening." – Rhytham7

2. Tutorial Looked Clear, But Left Gaps

• Players rated it well, yet key mechanics like wind or match rules weren’t internalized

"Where can we check our level?"

3. Matchmaking Friction + Turn Logic Confusion

• Players experienced long wait times and unclear turn transitions

"Why did I lose? I didn’t even shoot." – Ramu45

4. UI Misled Players

• Clickable elements like Battle Pass & Events appeared live, but didn’t work—leading to assumptions that the game was broken

"Is this a beta version? Everything is off." – Kingpubg80

5. Reward Systems and Challenge Mode Resonate

• Early progression felt generous and fair; dynamic targets kept gameplay fresh

6. Visuals Landed, Audio Was Split

• Themed art direction stood out; music was polarizing

Impact Delivered

Technical Fixes

• Resolve onboarding and match-mode crashes

• Address disconnection bugs and mid-match logic errors

Tutorial Refinements

• Explain wind mechanics, turn rules, and level progression clearly

• Surface XP gain and gear impact early in the flow

UX Improvements

• Flag inaccessible features as gated or coming soon

• Add subtle feedback to dead taps or disabled buttons

• Balance early matchmaking for skill parity

Conclusion

Strong core gameplay only matters if players stick around long enough to enjoy it.

This single-session FTUE playtest—powered by Lysto’s AI-assisted analysis—revealed the key blockers between “this is fun” and “I’m out.” Fixing tutorial blind spots, connection issues, and false UI signals will tighten the early loop and reduce unnecessary churn.

Because in PvP, every shot counts—and that includes your first impression.

If you’re a game publisher or developer with a title in the pre-production stage, want help to test concepts, or simply have any questions on how a playtest can improve your chances of a successful game, let’s talk.