Summary
New RPGSword of Convallariais heavily marketed as a free-to-play game, but the truth of that statement is somewhat complicated.Sword of Convallariais a strategy RPG in the style ofFinal Fantasy Tacticsand therecently remasteredTactics Ogre. It promises over 120 hours of story gameplay, a diverse roster of unique characters, and a series of choice-based story paths that affect how the in-game nation of Iria develops.
That’s a lot to promise for a free game. While it may seem like an embarrassment of riches for frugal players,games like this often come with a catch. WhetherSword of Convallariais actually free depends entirely on each individual player’s preferences.
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Is Sword Of Convallaria Really Free?
Yes, But Microtransactions Are Available
In the broadest sense,Sword of Convallariais indeed a free game. It can be downloaded from Steam or the player’s mobile app store of choice without paying a single cent. However, it is a gacha game, and as its store pages warn, it has in-app purchases available. Yes,Sword of Convallariahas microtransactions, which can be used to purchase everything from additional character pulls to equipment to consumables. These aren’t strictly necessary, though, and the game can technically be played to completion absolutely free.
Is Sword Of Convallaria Pay-To-Win?
Stamina Drain & Story Keys
Butsome of these microtransactions do have a significant amount on gameplay, andSword of Convallariadoes its best to make them irresistible. Besides the usual “pay for extra chances at pulling rare characters” gacha shtick, there’s the stamina system. Each character has a limited amount of energy that they can expend to participate in levels. This runs dry very quickly, especially at lower levels, and can take almost a full day to recharge. But players can pay a premium to reset the timer. In this way,Sword of Convallariadoes encourage players, especially new ones, to spend money to progressmore quickly and unlock new features.
In addition,much ofSword of Convallaria’s content is locked behind consumable, time-limited keys. Although some game modes are always free-to-play, players must expend keys to progress in Spiral of Destinies. This is the main way players unlock new features, character upgrades, and additional summoning pulls. They only get two of these keys per week, but can choose to buy more. However, there’s no stamina requirement in Spiral of Destinies, so once players spend their keys, they can go as long as they want.
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A premium currency called Hope Luxites is required to buy Keys of Destinyand a variety of other items. It can’t be purchased directly, but can be exchanged for stacks of the regular currency, Astral Gems, at a rate of 1:1. Astral Gems can be bought with real-world money, but come in irregular denominations, so players are almost always forced to buy more than they want.
The least expensive Astral Gems bundle provides 60 at $0.99 USD, and the second least expensive contains 300 Gems at $4.99. Each Key of Destiny costs 100 Hope Luxites, so in order to buy one, players must either buy two of the $0.99 bundles and have 20 Gems left over, or buy a $4.99 bundle and be able to purchase three keys at a time.
So, whileSword of Convallariais technically free-to-play, it includes more than a few ways for players to spend their money. It’s entirely possible to enjoy the game without doing so, but long wait times and rare character pulls certainly incentivize microtransactions. Even so, the ultimate decision of whether to spend money onSword of Convallariarests with the player.
