Colour in a casual game does far more than make it pretty. It is one of the main ways the game communicates, often faster than any text could. A well-chosen palette quietly teaches you the rules while you are too busy playing to notice you are learning.
The most important job colour does is separate what matters from what does not. The thing you control, the things you must avoid and the things you want to collect should each read instantly, even at a glance. That is why dangers are so often warm and aggressive while rewards glow bright and inviting — the palette is doing your thinking for you.
Mood and restraint
Colour also sets the feeling. A handful of bright, saturated hues feels energetic and arcade-like; softer, cooler tones feel calm and contemplative. Skilled designers usually limit themselves to a small, deliberate set of colours, because a tight palette looks intentional and keeps the important elements from getting lost in noise.
Next time a game feels effortless to read, look at its colours. Chances are the dangerous things, the safe things and the player all live in clearly different colour families. That clarity is not an accident — it is design doing its quietest, most useful work.
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