Is Angry Birds Journey Pay-To-Win?

Three days ago, Rovio Entertainment made a global launch of its much-awaited slingshot-based game, Angry Birds journey. The release comes approximately a year after they launched the game in select regions. While We’re sure many Angry Birds fans want to know how the recent release compares to its predecessors, the most pressing question is if it’s pay-to-win.

If you’ve laid your hands on the game or seen a trailer of its gameplay, you’ll notice many similarities with its predecessors. The game is free to play as you can download and start playing your way through its levels instantly. However, as you progress, it becomes apparent that the developers are still insistent on heavy monetization. 

Truly, we expect some optional in-app purchases but several reviews on app stores indicate that the game is almost designed to push you to make those purchases. The game in its early phase would have you think that things are pretty easy and familiar. As you play further, you’re bound to run into some roadblocks that have little regard for your skills. 

Some have termed it unfair as the only way to get past those levels is to pay or risk the game reprogramming itself to make you lose. Apart from the fact that you’d have to pay up to $99.99 per item within the app for some levels, you’d also likely notice that those purchases were made solely to remove the roadblocks. 

To sum it up, the new Angry Birds Journey is similar to its predecessors in the series, but we think that the heavy monetization could get in the way of fun for most parts of the game.