Crypto Ball Z — a blockchain game based on WEMIX that combines idle-RPG, "bullet hell" shooter dynamics, and Play-and-Earn economics. The project is developed by the Korean company JoyCity through its subsidiary Mojito Games as a P&E version of the mobile RPG Hero Ball Z and a continuation of the popular IP Game of Dice, with an audience of over 50 million players. Players collect heroes, fend off waves of enemies and bosses, earning in-game currency Herostone, which can be exchanged for the HERCO token and used for NFT commanders. The game is integrated into the WEMIX PLAY ecosystem: supporting PLAY Wallet, C2C marketplace, and DeFi modules around HERCO. At the end of 2024, the game service on WEMIX was announced to end, but the HERCO token and WEMIX infrastructure continue to operate, serving as an example of the risks of Play-and-Earn gaming.
- Crypto Ball Z and JoyCity: A Brief Overview of the Blockchain Game
- Gameplay of Crypto Ball Z: idle-RPG, "bullet hell", and Hero Progression
- Play-and-Earn Economics: Herostone, HERCO, and NFT Commanders
- Technical Architecture and Integration with WEMIX PLAY Platform
- Market, Audience, and Status of Crypto Ball Z Project
- Conclusion: The Significance of Crypto Ball Z for the P&E Games Segment
Crypto Ball Z and JoyCity: A Brief Overview of the Blockchain Game
Crypto Ball Z on WEMIX — a hybrid mobile game combining idle-RPG and a "bullet hell" shooter. The project is developed by Korean JoyCity through its subsidiary Mojito Games. The game is launched on the WEMIX blockchain platform and was originally designed as a Play-and-Earn version of Hero Ball Z, as well as a continuation of the Game of Dice IP, which has more than 50 million users. Players collect heroes from Game of Dice, redesigned for the shooter and idle-RPG format, and progress through stages, destroying waves of enemies and bosses.
The unique feature of the project is the tight integration with the WEMIX ecosystem. Crypto Ball Z uses the utility token HERCO and mechanics characteristic of WEMIX PLAY: gamers earn Herostone during gameplay and can exchange it for HERCO, as well as interact with NFT commanders through the marketplace and PLAY Wallet. This combination turns a familiar mobile RPG into a full-fledged blockchain project with Play-and-Earn capabilities and integrated DeFi scenarios surrounding the token.
Gameplay of Crypto Ball Z: idle-RPG, "bullet hell", and Hero Progression
Crypto Ball Z combines idle-RPG and "bullet hell" elements. Heroes automatically attack enemies, but the player needs to dodge streams of projectiles and properly use skills. Progression is based on improving heroes and combining them for effective level progression. Characters have different classes, roles, and active skills, and they can be merged to enhance their abilities.
The main goal is to progress through stages and battle bosses, using improved skills and hero combinations. Progress includes upgrading heroes, gear, and utilizing commanders. Players can use a system of daily quests, seasonal competitions, and events to earn Herostone. The game offers flexibility: casual users can play on auto-pilot, while active gamers can maximize skill potential and compete in rankings.
Importantly, Crypto Ball Z remains essentially a free-to-play game (F2P) with monetization through in-game purchases and P&E mechanics. Players can donate to speed up progress or get rare heroes, but they also have the option to gradually earn Herostone through consistent gameplay: progressing through stages, completing quests, and participating in events. This balance between F2P and Play-and-Earn makes the project appealing not only to the crypto community but also to regular mobile gamers, who may gradually familiarize themselves with the blockchain layer.
Play-and-Earn Economics: Herostone, HERCO, and NFT Commanders
The economy of Crypto Ball Z is based on two tokens: Herostone and HERCO. Herostone — an in-game currency earned through daily quests, rankings, and a drone system linked to NFT commanders. Herostone does not reset between seasons, as do NFT assets, allowing players to accumulate resources in the long term and plan for conversion into HERCO.
HERCO — a utility token in the WEMIX ecosystem, which can be exchanged for Herostone via the Refinery system and used in DeFi services. The total supply of HERCO is 1 billion tokens, distributed among various pools: 57% reserved for game operations, 20% for DeFi services, 10% for marketing, 7% for supporting the WEMIX platform, and 5% for the team with a 3-year lock-up period. The conversion between Herostone and HERCO is regulated by algorithms with dynamic commissions depending on supply and demand.
The NFT commanders play a key role in the game's economy. They enhance the squad, contribute to Herostone mining through the drone system, and can be exchanged or sold on the WEMIX PLAY marketplace. Commanders increase mining efficiency, and the rarer the commanders, the more powerful drones are available to the player.
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Herostone: earned through
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daily quests,
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Drone Mining,
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seasonal rankings,
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Refinery operations (exchange Herostone → HERCO).
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NFT Commanders: rare characters that can be converted into NFT, enhancing the squad and providing bonuses in mining.
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Staking and DeFi: the ability to stake HERCO in DeFi services and earn passive income.
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Seasonal Rankings: rewards of Herostone and HERCO for season leaders.
This structure makes the economy of Crypto Ball Z multi-layered: casual players earn Herostone, while advanced gamers gain advantages through rare commanders and participation in DeFi.
Technical Architecture and Integration with WEMIX PLAY Platform
Crypto Ball Z operates within the WEMIX PLAY ecosystem, allowing for the integration of the HERCO token and NFT commanders with the blockchain through PLAY Wallet and WEMIX marketplace. All blockchain logic is handled at the WEMIX level, separating heavy blockchain functions (transactions and NFT storage) from gameplay. Players interact with the blockchain via the WEMIX API to exchange tokens and use NFT commanders.
Integration with WEMIX PLAY enables players to perform token transactions and participate in DeFi mechanisms, such as staking HERCO. This helps maintain the performance of the mobile client, while blockchain functions remain hidden from the user, ensuring convenience and accessibility.
Below is a table showing the distribution of the HERCO token and key economic mechanisms:
| Parameter / Mechanism | Details / Description |
|---|---|
| Total HERCO Supply | 1,000,000,000 tokens |
| Distribution (by pool) | 57% for game operations; 20% for DeFi rewards; 10% for marketing/airdrop; 7% for WEMIX platform support; 5% for the team (3-year lock-up) |
| Conversion Herostone ↔ HERCO | Through in-game Refinery, with a commission (default 16%) and dynamic coefficient based on supply/demand balance |
| Ways to earn Herostone | Daily quests; Drone Mining (with drones linked to NFT commanders); seasonal rankings |
| Role of NFT Commanders | Enhanced mining efficiency, ability to mine rare drones, trade on WEMIX PLAY marketplace |
This scheme emphasizes that Crypto Ball Z is not just "game + blockchain", but a comprehensive system where the game client, economy, NFTs, and DeFi are interlinked, but blockchain logic is handled separately, providing scalability and long-term sustainability, provided the game's demand and user activity remain strong.
Market, Audience, and Status of the Crypto Ball Z Project
Crypto Ball Z was launched in 2022, attracting both mobile players and crypto enthusiasts. The game offered a free-to-play mechanic with Play-and-Earn potential and WEMIX support. However, by the end of 2024, WEMIX announced the termination of the game service on its platform. Despite this, the HERCO token and part of the infrastructure continue to operate, allowing players to continue using NFTs and participating in DeFi services.
The audience of the game consists of mobile users and crypto investors interested in monetization through the P&E mechanics and NFTs. Due to the shutdown of the game service, the project continues to attract attention as an example of the flexibility of blockchain games and potential risks in the fluctuating market.
Conclusion: The Significance of Crypto Ball Z for the P&E Games Segment
Crypto Ball Z has become an example of a hybrid approach in P&E games: traditional RPG mechanics combined with blockchain economics, where in-game currency Herostone is linked to the HERCO token and NFT commanders. Despite the shutdown of services on WEMIX, the game demonstrated the possibilities of integrating tokens and NFTs into the game mechanics, which could become the foundation for a successful model in the future.
The failure of the service shows the vulnerability of the Play-and-Earn model, which depends on audience retention and platform stability. Nevertheless, Crypto Ball Z's experience remains a valuable example of how to create cohesive ecosystems in blockchain games, balancing between gameplay and blockchain functionality.
