Editorial: Eternity Warriors 2 takes in-game purchases way too far

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Published on Friday, 24 August 2012 10:14

I was very excited for the launch of Eternity Warriors 2. When I woke up Wednesday and saw it wasn’t on Google Play, I actually asked Glu Mobile on Twitter when we could expect to see it. Shortly after I received a response, Eternity Warriors 2 was released. I immediately downloaded it and played until my character reached level 12.

Since I hadn’t been tempted to spend any money at that point, I thought maybe Glu had done right by Eternity Warriors 2 and eased up on the need to purchase Glu Credits. Unfortunately, I was wrong. There came a point near the end of the first demon tower when I knew it would be very difficult to defeat the boss with my current equipment. A few hits from this guy reduced my health by more than half. It was really not a fair fight at all.

Whenever you die, the game suggests you purchase stronger weapons, armor and potions. That advice wouldn’t be too bad if the in-app payments weren’t so icky. The recommended weapon for the level I was stuck on costs 315 Glu Credits.The lowest amount of Glu Credits you can buy is 40 credits for $1.99. That’s nowhere near the amount that’s needed for the weapon. Therefore, you have to buy 640 Glu Credits for $19.99 in order to get the 315 Glu Credits you need. The previous tier is 260 Glu Credits for $9.99. So basically, Glu wants you to spend over $10 to buy a single weapon. Seriously?

I suppose if you don’t want to spend $19.99 up front, you could purchase a subscription to use with Eternity Warriors 2. Glu started offering monthly subscriptions back in May for Frontline Commando. For $10 a month, you’ll get 520 Glu Credits a month. For $5, you’ll get 150 Glu Credits. I’m not saying this is a good alternative. After all, some equipment in Eternity Warriors 2 costs 400 Glu Credits. That’s nearly the entire monthly allowance right there. The most expensive item is a Curse Axe for 3,900 Glu Credits. In order to get that amount immediately, you have to spend $100 on 5,200 Glu Credits. That means the Curse Axe costs over $50 in real money. Interestingly enough, the only person I could find to play with in co-op was carrying a weapon that looked just like the Curse Axe. He was also killing everything with one hit. Developer perhaps?

It boggles my mind how ridiculous these prices are. This is nothing but gouging the customer as far as I’m concerned. I might have been less upset if progress in Eternity Warriors 2 didn’t come to a screeching halt for those who don’t want to spend any money. It’s tactics such as this that give all free-to-play games a bad name. Thoughts on the matter? Leave them below in the comments.

Google Play Link: Eternity Warriors 2

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