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What belongs on a first-session tutorial?
One action, named in plain language, with the matching control highlighted. Flomob’s examples are from shipping games.
Scroll for moreFirst-Session Tutorial Patterns in Mobile Games
A first-session tutorial is the screen that teaches the game’s main verb before the player is on their own. Strong ones highlight one control, say what it does, and let the player perform it immediately.
What repeats
- One highlighted control, with the rest of the screen dimmed.
- A short instruction in the player’s language: press, swipe, or match.
- A way out, usually Skip, so a returning player is not trapped.
What varies
- Candy Crush Jelly Saga and BitLife teach with a character or a labeled button.
- Among Us and Angry Birds 2 teach inside the live scene, with a pointer on the control itself.
Questions
How do BitLife and Among Us teach differently?
BitLife isolates a single button on a dimmed screen. Among Us compares two control schemes on the live view and pages through steps.
How should a designer use these references?
Watch what is highlighted and what is dimmed. Copy the hierarchy, not the character art.
Examples from shipping games
More Tutorial stills
BitLife
The Age button is the only bright control. The copy says press it to grow older.
Candy Crush Jelly Saga
Tiffi explains a T-shape match. Skip sits beside the tip, and the board stays visible.
Bus Escape: Traffic Jam
A gloved hand taps the blue bus on the live level. The lesson is the gesture, not a modal.
Among Us!
Joystick and tap-to-move are shown side by side, with step pagination.
Angry Birds 2
The slingshot lesson happens on the level, with a score HUD and a yellow Skip.
Broken Sword: Reforged
A carousel slide, 3 of 7, shows a finger cue for sliding to reveal points of interest.
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The 6 screens above are the public sample of tutorial screens. An account opens the rest of the library, including flows and mechanics.
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