Tutorials as UX: An Indie Roadmap to Player Onboarding

Tutorials as UX: An Indie Roadmap to Player Onboarding

Let’s face it: your game is probably weird.

Even if you’re riffing on a popular genre, the chances are that your mechanics, your UI, and your overall design philosophy diverge from the norm in ways that will confuse players. So, how do you stop players from bouncing off your passion project after five minutes? The answer is good onboarding, and good onboarding starts and ends with UX-focused tutorials.

Identify the Pain Points

Your game has friction. Every game does. Your job is to find it.

Start by identifying the points where players are most likely to get frustrated, confused, or plain stuck. Don’t rely on assumptions. Watch people play your game.

We ran playtests for our top-down shooter, Neon Ronin, and consistently saw players struggling with the dash mechanic, even though we thought it was simple. They either forgot it existed, or didn’t understand how invincibility frames worked. That was a pain point we needed to address.

Look beyond obvious control schemes. Consider the flow of information. Are players overwhelmed by the UI? Do they understand the resource economy? Do they grasp the long-term goals? If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to all of these, there’s a pain point lurking.

Contextual Tutorials: Learn by Doing

Forget walls of text. Throw out the static pop-ups. Integrate the tutorial directly into the gameplay experience.

Contextual prompts are your best friend. They appear only when needed, and they guide the player through specific actions. Think of Portal. No giant instruction manual needed, just Wheatley occasionally chiming in with gentle nudges.

The “learn by doing” philosophy is crucial. Don’t tell players how to do something, make them do it. Set up scenarios that force them to use the mechanics you’re trying to teach.

In Neon Ronin, we scrapped the initial “dash tutorial” (a static text box) and replaced it with a sequence where players had to dash through energy barriers to progress. Suddenly, everyone got it.

Another example: teaching inventory management in an RPG. Don’t just show a screenshot of the inventory screen. Force the player to pick up items, compare stats, and equip gear within the first few minutes of the game.

Seamless Integration: The Illusion of No Tutorial

The best tutorials don’t feel like tutorials at all. They are part of the game.

Avoid jarring transitions or breaks in the action. Keep the pacing consistent. Design tutorial elements to feel natural within the game world.

Think of Breath of the Wild. The Great Plateau is a masterclass in seamless onboarding. It gradually introduces mechanics, exploration, and combat without ever explicitly labeling itself as a tutorial.

One common mistake is forcing players into a separate “tutorial level” that feels disconnected from the main game. This immediately signals “this is boring” and reduces player engagement.

Instead, try weaving tutorial elements into the first few areas of the game. Introduce new mechanics gradually, and allow players to experiment and discover things on their own.

Analytics: The Ultimate Iteration Tool

Data is your friend. Use analytics to track how players are interacting with your tutorial elements.

Track everything: where players are getting stuck, which prompts they’re ignoring, how long it takes them to complete specific tasks. Use this data to identify areas for improvement.

Unity Analytics, GameAnalytics, and similar tools offer powerful ways to track player behavior. Don’t be afraid to get granular with your data collection.

Did players consistently fail to use a specific ability during a certain encounter? Perhaps the tutorial prompt wasn’t clear enough, or maybe the ability itself needs to be reworked.

Iterate based on your findings. Don’t be afraid to completely redesign a tutorial element if the data suggests it’s not working. We overhauled our weapon upgrade system in Neon Ronin three times based on player feedback and analytics.

Indie Successes and Failures

Let’s look at some examples. Hades features a gradual introduction of its mechanics, often gated by player progression or NPC interactions, making the onboarding feel organic. Conversely, many roguelikes suffer from information overload, throwing players into the deep end without adequate guidance.

Celeste is another great example. It teaches its core mechanics through level design, forcing players to master the dash, climb, and jump to progress. The difficulty curve is steep, but fair, because the game provides the tools needed to succeed.

The opposite of this is Noita. While a brilliant game, Noita’s onboarding is brutal. The game trusts the player to learn by dying, which works for some, but leads to immense frustration for others. This highlights the importance of knowing your target audience.

Beyond the Basics: Accessibility and Customization

Consider accessibility. Are your tutorials accessible to players with disabilities? Can text be resized? Are there alternative control schemes?

Offer customization options. Allow players to skip certain tutorial elements if they already understand the mechanics. Give them the option to replay tutorials if they need a refresher.

Don’t assume everyone learns the same way. Providing multiple avenues for learning will cater to a wider range of players.

The Takeaway

Treat your tutorials as a core element of your game’s UX. Focus on seamless integration, contextual prompts, and data-driven iteration. By doing so, you’ll create an onboarding experience that welcomes new players and keeps them engaged with your game. Ultimately, a good tutorial isn’t about teaching players the rules; it’s about empowering them to have fun.