I Need a Hero is a new smartphone game that has landed on the major smartphone platforms and, like many before it, it forces players to pay real-world money to advance in the game and win.
How do I know? Because I am hooked on it like a back alley junkie, and it is driving me crazy.
This is among the most frustrating gaming experiences I've ever come across, and the reason why I'm having such an extreme reaction to it is because it is actually quite a good game. Based on the mould of games like Puzzle Quest, you play mini-games of tile-matching in order in lieu of physical battles with enemies and farming-style item collecting.
Within these battles you have the opportunity to deploy magic spells to add to your base damage. There are always 3 spell options; a free one, one that costs Gold coins and a third that costs Gems. This same virtual currency can also be spent on items to improve your character. Both coins and gems can be collected in game, very slowly, or purchased for real-world money.
So far, nothing too nefarious. The time it takes to collect game currency is annoying, but not unreasonable, plus half the fun of the game is playing the mini-games to collect the items you need.
Things take a turn for the shady once you advance you character with new armour and weapons, only to discover that the enemies have also improved, and though you have invested time (and maybe money) in enhancing your character so as to beat these difficult foes, the challenge remains impossible to overcome. No amount of player skill or luck makes up the shortfall.
That is, unless you pay to beat it.
I've been a gamer for more than 25 years and I've spent thousands of dollars on games; I'm not adverse to paying for them. But I do flinch at paying to win. This entirely defeats the purpose of playing the game, trying to solve the puzzle and overcome the obstacle.
Before buying the last piece of armour in my kit, I fought and lost all of the next level enemies. I saw how close I was to winning and knew that the boost I would get from the next upgrade should be enough to give me a chance. Now the enemies have 50% more health and I'm twice as far away from succeeding.
Apparently, this is quite a common tactic in the freemium gaming model. On Gamasutra last month, Ramin Shokizade outlined some of the 'best' pay-to-play strategies used by developers, and I Need a Hero ticks all the boxes.
There's the illusion of it being a skill game (one where a player must use skill to win) rather than a money game (where victory and advancement is bought). Shokizade describes how the most successful freemium games lure players in with skill based challenges but then switch the game so that it requires money to overcome impossible challenges. He argues that, if done right, the player continues thinking it is a skill game, but one which they require "a little help" to complete.
For my money, this doesn't need to be the revenue model for games like this. I would have happily paid a few dollars to buy I Need a Hero, and if the game rules were consistent and I felt like I was enjoying the game, I might have even paid for boosters. Now that I know it is a shady ball-under-the-cup trick, I have no inclination to pay or play.
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