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Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed

56%Game Brain Score
humor, optimization
story, gameplay
56% User Score Based on 77 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindowsMac OSMac OS

About

"Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed" is a simulator that puts you in a fantasy world to experience the Pay2Win business model firsthand. By making numerous purchases, you'll uncover the secrets behind the system, with all virtual cash provided for free. The game aims to make players think about the value of their spending, as the accumulated cash amount is displayed throughout the game. This game is recommended for those interested in the Pay2Win debate and its impact on the gaming industry.

Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot
Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed screenshot

56%
Audience ScoreBased on 77 reviews
humor11 positive mentions
gameplay4 negative mentions

  • The game effectively highlights the predatory practices of pay-to-win games, serving as an educational tool for players to understand these mechanics.
  • It offers a unique and humorous perspective on the frustrations of grinding and monetization in free-to-play games, making it a thought-provoking experience.
  • Despite its flaws, the game can be strangely addictive and provides valuable insights into the gaming industry's monetization strategies.
  • The gameplay is tedious and frustrating, with excessive clicking required to progress, making it feel more like a chore than a game.
  • Many players found the user interface clunky and poorly designed, which detracted from the overall experience and made it difficult to engage with the content.
  • The exaggerated mechanics and time-wasting quests can lead to a sense of annoyance rather than the intended critique of pay-to-win systems, causing players to lose interest quickly.
  • story
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is perceived as a clever critique of pay-to-win mechanics in MMORPGs, with quests that often feel tedious and overly reliant on real-money transactions. While some players appreciate the humor and the moral lessons embedded in the narrative, many find the gameplay frustrating and the quests to be a chore, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction and boredom. Overall, the narrative attempts to highlight the pitfalls of generic MMO design but often falls short due to its execution.

    • “A cool idea and story, with a good lesson - feels like something a teacher would assign as a click-along homework assignment.”
    • “Even though NPCs clearly say that their quests are BS, you still can get that sense of accomplishment while doing them and feel your place in the game world.”
    • “This game is okay; the idea of the game being funny and ingenious, and the gameplay and quests are rather comedic.”
    • “Hearing the moral of the story is not worth the time.”
    • “The problem with the quest is that no matter what you do, due to rigged chances, it is a massive timewaster.”
    • “Your 'reward' for completing quests is a brief explanation of one concept or trick employed by those shady developers to extract a gazillion dollars from you.”
  • gameplay
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is often described as tedious and lacking in quality, with many players noting that it serves more as a simulation of pay-to-win mechanics rather than providing an engaging experience. While the concept and educational aspects about free-to-play mechanics are appreciated, the execution falls short, leading to a boring experience that some find intentionally reflective of real MMO frustrations. Overall, the game is seen as a tool for understanding microtransactions, but its outdated mechanics and lack of fun detract from its potential.

    • “The game is from 2015, so it's going to feel outdated; there's not a single mention of the controversial loot box mechanics found in free-to-play and premium games alike.”
    • “What I had to say about that in the feedback thread was the following: 'The mechanics for upgrading items remind me of actually doing that in a real MMO, where I had enough upgrade gems to almost certainly get my items to +10, but didn't want to sit there clicking the button for literally two hours per item until it succeeded enough times in a row.'”
    • “I will pick this back up, as it seems there may be more under the surface that I didn't hit in the first 17 minutes of gameplay.”
    • “The idea is actually really good, explanations are well done, but execution and gameplay are poor.”
    • “The whole 'pay to win' mechanic is supposed to get rid of the tedium of leveling and doing all this early-game stuff, and this game doesn't provide that.”
    • “The gameplay is boring, but that's the point.”
  • grinding
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively tedious and poorly designed, with clunky UI and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Players express boredom and frustration with the time-consuming tasks, often feeling that the effort required far outweighs any potential enjoyment or reward. Many suggest that the game fails to effectively critique pay-to-win models, instead creating a grind that feels unnecessarily exaggerated and unenjoyable.

    • “So in my opinion, you are better off watching a video about the psychology of pay-to-win than wasting time and nerves playing this; after around 20 minutes, it becomes so tedious that most will likely miss the 'message' of lectures 4-6.”
    • “It was tedious, uneventful, and I feel as if I could have spent my time better doing anything else.”
    • “Unfortunately, I didn't have the endurance to beat the game myself (the part where the game wants you to upgrade all of your armor is incredibly tedious), but I did watch the rest of the game on YouTube, and I got pretty much the same thing out of it.”
  • humor
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as hit-or-miss, with some players finding it hilarious and clever, particularly in its critique of pay-to-win mechanics. However, many feel that the humor is overshadowed by frustrating gameplay and a poorly designed user interface, leading to an overall experience that is more annoying than entertaining. While there are moments of wit and charm, they are often buried under tedious tasks and a sense of irritation.

    • “Hilarious and pretty much on point.”
    • “It's fine to make a game that mocks cash-grab concepts or pretty much anything as long as it brings something that can actually be considered funny.”
    • “I did grin at the humor of much of the text and the sort of semi-intentional poor craftsmanship of the game.”
  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy in the game is heavily criticized for its reliance on traditional free-to-play and MMO models, emphasizing the need for immediate access to monetization features. Reviewers express frustration over the introduction of battle passes and excessive microtransactions, arguing that the game's quality should be prioritized to enhance player engagement rather than focusing solely on profit.

    • “All of this should be available from the very beginning of the game if the idea is to maximize monetization.”
    • “Basically, it shows the monetization behind the majority of free-to-play/MMO projects, how it works and why, in a very simple manner.”
    • “And all of this should be available from the very beginning of the game if the idea is to 'maximize monetization.'”
    • “Delivering its message with the heaviest hands possible, this attempt to reveal the pay-to-win secrets misses the mark by ignoring that the quality of a game impacts player engagement with microtransactions.”
  • music
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the nice quality and decent soundtrack, others find it repetitive and tiresome, contributing to an overall perception of the game's lacking quality.

    • “The music was driving me crazy.”
    • “The overall quality of the game is very lacking (music, graphics, level design, gameplay).”
    • “Got some okay soundtrack but gets tiresome.”
  • graphics
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally considered simple and adequate, though they are marred by some bugs. While not the primary focus of the game, which emphasizes its thematic lessons over visual quality, the overall graphical presentation is seen as lacking compared to other aspects.

    • “The overall quality of the game is very lacking, particularly in graphics.”
    • “The focus is clearly not on the best graphics or mechanics in the world; the graphics are decent but not impressive.”
    • “While the game does a decent job at graphics, they are not the main focus and could use significant improvement.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally considered to have low replayability, with users expressing that it lacks elements that encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “The game is really not replayable.”
    • “There’s little incentive to play through it again.”
    • “Once you finish it, there’s not much left to explore.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game demonstrates strong stability, successfully avoiding the common glitches often found in lower-budget titles on Steam.

    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced multiple bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
    • “The stability issues are frustrating, as I often find myself having to restart the game.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has been criticized, with some users suggesting that the experience is more enjoyable in retrospect than during actual gameplay, indicating potential performance issues or lack of polish.

Buy Pay2Win: The Tricks Exposed

6h Median play time
6h Average play time
6-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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