Is Shinobi Strikers Pay to win?

The multiplayer Naruto game recently gained a resurgence of players. Prioritizing 4v4 combat, the team game allows players to utilize a custom character to fight against other ninjas. With a price currently placed at $4.99 on Steam, the game seems a little too good to be true. The general experience and recent Steam reviews being as great as they are, what could be wrong with the game? Well, players may be wondering, ‘is Shinobi Strikers pay to win?’ Here are the things to consider regarding the game’s economy. 

[Related: Is Shinobi Strikers worth it?]

Analysis

So on a base level, the game is pay to win. This may turn a lot of players off, but it’s not terribly pay to win. Skill will, at the end of the day, shine through more so than the pay to win. This begs the question, what aspects of the game are influenced by real money transactions? The biggest aspect will be the DLC system.

DLC

One of the biggest aspects as how the developers add and improve the game is through paid downloadable content. These come through the form of playable characters/mentors, who provide new moves to the game. Once maxing out progress by playing the game after purchasing the DLC, players eventually acquire the character’s moves to place onto their customizable character.

These, a lot of the time, tend to be fantastic moves that inevitably dominate the meta. Not all the new moves end up being overpowered, but there definitely are a lot of instances where the moves become overbearing to deal with. As time goes on, the developers do nerf and buff certain moves, to make  fairer play circumstances.

Each DLC doesn’t cost too much, especially when purchasing on sale through the season pass. And it’s honestly really great that the developers are able to continue supporting the game through more content, allowing the community and game itself to stay alive.

But what else is pay to win?

Loot Boxes

This aspect of the game is undeniably the most disgusting. Similar to mobile games, Shinobi Strikers has loot boxes that allow players to acquire limited time gear. This comes in the form of the Ten Ten shop, where the weapons master appraises scrolls that serve as gachapon rolls. And of course, players can purchase scrolls by using real life money.

These gear aren’t necessarily all overpowered. In essence, there are tons of other viable weapons for various classes that function perfectly well. But it creates a FOMO (fear of missing out) situation, where players feel like they need the newest gear to optimize their builds.

For certain classes, there definitely are some very unique, weapons and items. These could realistically be necessary for some players to play at the very top levels of play. But for those just looking for casual playing, it’s really not that big of a difference.

In conclusion

The DLC purchasing system for Shinobi Strikers really isn’t that bad. Especially when purchasing the DLC on sale, these go for like $2 per character, and even less when opting for the season passes. But the scroll system is where the pay to win aspects get a bit out of hand. For players prone to becoming addicted to Gacha systems, they may want to avoid Shinobi Strikers. But for those who are okay with looking at the system right in the face, and comfortable denying the urge to gamble, the pay to win in Shinobi Strikers isn’t that bad.

Stay Connected

You can find more articles like, Is Shinobi Strikers Pay to win?” and you can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Terry!

“From Our Haus to Yours”