What's Wrong With Reviver:Butterfly?

Just stumbled on this game “Reviver: Butterfly” in the Game of the Day section on the App Store recently.

There was a short article about it:

The article made me feel curious. The art style is so unique for these days.

Point-and-click quest, with a time travel twist. Managing not only locations, but different timelines.

I loved the design and the story. The whole experience is so different from the majority of games I see today in the top charts. It’s like a breath of fresh air.

But who are these brave developers?

CottonGame, the developer behind Reviver: Butterfly, was founded in 2013 in Shanghai.

They’ve carved a niche in the world of atmospheric, story-rich indie games — especially on mobile. Their past works include the quirky Mr. Pumpkin Adventure, the haunting Dad’s Monster House, and the philosophical Isoland series.

Their mission seems consistent: To create visually distinctive, emotionally resonant puzzle adventures — blending surreal worlds, subtle storytelling, and smart game mechanics. Their games rarely chase trends. Instead, they lean into hand-crafted art, unusual narratives, and meditative pacing. And it shows.

According to AppMagic, as of 2025, CottonGame’s titles have collectively amassed over 1 million downloads globally, with “Reviver: Butterfly” contributing significantly to this number since its release. The studio’s games have seen a steady increase in popularity, reflecting a growing appreciation for indie puzzle adventures in the mobile gaming market.

Liang Guo, congratulations to you and your team!

How do they monetize then?

Monetization — good ol’ shareware. Trial with paywall.

And the paywall is soft at first, gradually appearing while you continue pointing and clicking. Then, at some point, it just shows you the purchase window every time. Probably, when all the free actions available are done? Very smart move.

But one detail made me smile — their pricing math.

They suggest buying chapters one by one. Three chapters: $2.99, $1.99, $0.99. Quite an interesting sequence. Then they offer a bundle — all three for $5.99. Which is actually $0.02 more expensive than buying each individually. Not by much — but still.

Bundles are typically meant to be discounted, not slightly pricier. Correct bundle pricing would be $5.49.

Or, alternatively, they could bump Chapter 3 to $1.49 to preserve the pricing gradient and make the bundle actually feel like a deal.

I just wonder what thinking was behind that decision. Anyone knows?

PS. This is Achievements list, isn't it nice?

Michael Khripin has spent 25+ years in online games: LiveOps, monetization and production, including Wargaming R&D and LiveOps on Hero Wars Mobile at Nexters. Author of Game Shops: Ultimate Guidelines. Runs New Perk, a game shop and LiveOps consultancy.