First Flappy Bird, then Swing Copters, what’s next for Vietnam’s most important indie game studio?

Nguyen Ha Dong has done it again. In less than one week, his newest game for iOS and Android, Swing Copters, has topped the US App Store just like Flappy Bird (it has fallen to number four as of press time).

For Vietnam, this is exciting. For the startup, game, and tech worlds, he is lauded as a hero and an inspiration for young indie developers. After all, Nguyen is arguably one of Vietnam’s most famous individuals, enough to be visited by the vice prime minister of Vietnam. In the small capital city of Hanoi, which numbers around six to eight million in population, a healthy mobile gaming community grows. And the fact that dotGEARS, Nguyen Ha Dong’s gaming studio, has come out with another semi-viral hit, no doubt piggybacking off his fame, is surprising. The jury is still out if he’s a one-hit wonder, but this recent rise might hint at some maturity.

5 Key differences between Swing Copters and Flappy Bird

The following five points reveal that indeed, dotGEARS isn’t simply making new games. It’s also modifying ever so slightly. Does this hint at a larger team? Or at more modifications on its games to come? Can we expect more such modifications?

1. Remove Ads:

One change is Swing Copters now allows users to remove ads to play the game unencumbered. Nguyen has stated on repeated occasions that he has no interest in having in-app purchases in his games, and wants to make sure his games are free. It’s likely removing ads is as far as he’ll go.

2. Vertical gameplay:

Probably the most obvious difference between Flappy Bird and Swing Copters is the fact that the little guy has to fly upwards instead of horizontally. But that has also invited a host of new obstacles.

3. Increased difficulty:

What Nguyen has done with the original Flappy Bird concept is create an impossibly difficult game where people became obsessed with one-upping their friends. The same formula is true with Swing Copters. But Nguyen has made this game even more difficult. Rather than contending with just one level of gravity, the character is pulled left or right, forcing the gamer to contend with two sided “gravity”, switching after each tap. It therefore requires considerable more skill and presence of mind to tap at the right moment. This can all be done with one finger.

Fans of dotGEARS are just addicted to playing horribly difficult games and then mastering them to the shock and awe of their peers. Beating your friends at Swing Copters is way better than beating them at Flappy Bird.

4. Crisper pixels

Despite being simple, this game takes way more skill

But what will the next game look like?