Free - to - play games often attend appealing , but it ’s hard to know at a glance whether the business model is insidious and fun ruin , or sensible and worth pump a few bucks into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a late free - to - drama iOS plot , put it through its paces , and allow you know if it ’s really worth your time ( and money ) .
There ’s something slimly unsettling about the name “ WarFriends”—like , warfareisn’t a thing you do with pal for gripe . And this is very much a biz about belt down people , even if doused in a cartoonish , big - headed style . The rubric itself just sends a slender chill down my spinal column ; it feels badly - considered .
And yet the literal plot itself is absolutely inviting from the scratch : WarFriendsis lightweight but the right way strategical , and it ’s tactical without being complex or prideful . This is an entertaining combat game that you’re able to play in three - minute spurts , which makes it hone for mobile . Yet WarFriends is also a game in which spending real money brings prompt and significant benefits , and it does n’t do much to veil that obvious advantage .
The pitch
WarFriends seems to find the ideal middle ground between hands - on combat and hands - off field management . You control a single , hardened soldier who must take down the rival soldier on the other side of the mapping , but you ’ll never rush through the bullets and charter in any form of close - quarters action mechanism . Instead , you ’ll hang back and seek to stay safely covered behind shields , only bulge out to enkindle a weapon , lob a grenade , or sprint to another , hopefully less - bullet - riddled buckler .
You ’ll never leave this row of protective binding , but plenty still happens up forward .
Instead , you ’ll summon squadmates into combat on your behalf , and these auto - gunners , shotgun - blasters , and volatile - tossers will gradually advance on the foe situation , attempting to push him / her into manifest sight and ultimately secure your victory . It ’s a one - on - one struggle waged by upwards of a twosome dozen soldiers at once , but again , you ’ll never take dynamic control of anyone except your customizable hero .
succeeder in WarFriends ask a blend of picking the right allies to send into fight at any given time , taking shots across the single-valued function at your foe when possible , and remain out of the tune of fire . It also depends a lot on gradual upgrade , whether it ’s make your allied units more powerful or making your arm more in force .
Each match stop with a slow - Missouri vitality of the kill shot , but WarFriends sure is n’t aiming for naive realism .
The live on-line multiplayer catch are frenzied and entertaining , and as you unlock new artillery , new engagement locations , and finally power - up cards , the confrontation become all the more vivid and varied . But at the same prison term , this free - to - period of play game ’s paid benefits set about to seem all the more essential , especially when face opposition who may have cashed in for their own plentiful benefits .
The catch
As mentioned before , upgrades are a huge part of securing success in WarFriends . True , a less - equipped instrumentalist can win by being more accurate , play more defensively , or using the veracious WarCards welfare . Yet a player who has importantly more muscular weapons , whose allies cause much more damage per shot , and who wields more beneficial power - up cards surely has the better chance if the science level is about equal .
rise are a gradual process … unless you bribe a bunch of currentness to hurry everything along .
Of course , you may pay actual money for speedy memory access to rise . You ’ll earn a decent amount of in - game cash ( WarBucks ) by act as matches , as well as minor parcels of the insurance premium Gold here and there , mostly through completing daily missions . upgrade need a chunk of John Cash to start , and then you ’ll wait for a timer to check off down before it completes — or you may pay gold to skip the timer . That ’s true for both soldier and weapon upgrades .
WarCards can bid crowing in - battle perk , and might turn the lunar time period in combat .
WarFriends also focuses a lot of attention on its high muckamuck membership , which gives you 50 pct more cash and actor XP for playing matches , gives you an extra Lootbox after every fourth battle , offer up two loose day-to-day WarCards , let you bring an spare card into each battle , and extends your energy metre .
dignitary subscription are sold by the timeframe , whether it ’s for as few as 12 hour or as many as 30 days . Paying for 12 hours requires about $ 1 Charles Frederick Worth of in - game gold , while 30 days is about $ 30 . Thirty dollar a calendar month for gradual fringe benefit is pretty significant !
The very important person rank is helpful for speeding up your forward motion . Buy a 12 - time of day block if you plan on take on a bunch for a twenty-four hours .
There ’s another option , too : you could pay $ 1 to be granted 50 gold per Clarence Day for a full hebdomad . You ’ll have to act as day by day to take full vantage of this offer , but it ’s the gaudy way to bit by bit construct a treasure trove of purchased Au for upgrade and buying packs of WarCards . I spent my dollar there … but once the competition seemed to have a unattackable vantage , I drop another $ 5 for a plurality of 275 gold to hurry through some additional upgrade .
The verdict
And if I trifle much more , I think I ’ll be influence to spend again and again . True , upgrades can be unlocked slowly for free with gradual drama , and the free energy beat is n’t too obnoxious . But you ’ll face off against players who have bypass potentially week or month of slow up progress by simply pass a lump of cash , which makes some fight seem hugely skew-whiff .
WarFriends is n’t a pay - to - profits game , since accomplishment still means something in these battles , but you’re able to pay for very important enhancements in a lot of different ways — whether it ’s having the stronger soldiers , more powerful weapons , or more utile WarCards . As such , I ’d say it ’s a tough biz to place to play badly , since there ’s little promise for competitive residue amidst all the freemium opportunities . But toy at times for kicks , WarFriends entertains .
