This Genshin Impact-like game is trying out a new gacha-free model to resurrect its player base

Published by Perfect World Games, developer of the massive MMO hit, Perfect World, and developer Hotta Studio, a subsidiary of Perfect World Games, came together to release Tower of Fantasy. Described as an open-world action RPG with MMO elements, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic future where humans have left Terra and settled on a new planet called Aida. In an effort to harness the power of the comet Mara, they built a tower to capture the comet’s energy. This leads to a catastrophic failure that devastates the inhabitants of Aida and causes the “Omnium radiation disaster.” The player assumes the role of a survivor.

The game was not well-received; players complained about its buggy performance, leading to mixed reviews. However, above all else, the egregious monetization mechanics that it implemented were the final straw for many. While Gacha games are known for horrendous microtransactions, a common issue with MTX-based games is that the game itself is designed to annoy or persuade players into spending money for the sake of progress or ‘buffs’. This means one’s experience is often focused not on gameplay or story, but on money-making mechanics that can become increasingly aggressive as they target big spenders, also known in the industry as ‘whales’, something that did not go down well with its current and potential player base. The game currently has a sub-66% review rating on SteamDB, even as Steam states that recent English-based reviews for the title are ‘mostly negative’. 

To counteract this, the company announced a new server, called ‘Warp’, that would remove the gacha aspects of the game and let players experience it more as an MMO. In their post on X, they claimed, “To meet the expectations of Authorizers for MMO gameplay.” The post stated that the server, “featuring a brand-new system and progression mechanics,” would go live on the 25th of November, with patch 5.5, and would be “offering a freer and more authentic adventure in the MMO world.”

Players have yet to form opinions on the new changes, as they’ve only taken place on the 25th; however, an increasingly vocal minority is already quite unsatisfied with the game, complaining about bugs that have existed since the 2022 release. One of the more concerning problems was the loss of people’s accounts because of a server migration. Players claim the game didn’t do enough to warn them about the changes, leading to the loss of their accounts, many of which they had spent real money on. 

This shift in the monetization model is mainly seen as the developer grappling with an unsatisfied, dwindling player base. “It's not just a new server; it's a revolution in the game. We've removed the draw system of weapons and Matrices - you can just play and obtain all the weapons, Simulacra, and basic appearances for free,” they announced on their X account. Tower of Fantasy can be played for free on Steam currently, with the new update kicking in yesterday.