This game is a lot of fun. I’ll admit, I used to feel sorry for people who spent their time addicted to these types of games so much so that I hide my screen from my girlfriend when I became obsessed with playing it. Eventually, I showed her the game, after which we had a BLAST playing back and forth before bed. It’s, really, an entertaining and satisfying game.
The game likely cheats, though. Many, many times I’ve been stuck in a level, used up all of my lives (at times, up to 19) then bought another 5 with 100 coins and beat the level immediately. I’m fairly sure you’re given a 50% higher chance of beating your current level if you spend the in-game currency, but I don’t think it has to be actual money to give you an edge. Regardless, if that’s true (which we’ll never really know) it’s very wrong and angers me a lot.
I’ve maybe paid actual money twice to pass a level. For my girlfriend, however, I’ve spent in the area of around $30 so we could keep playing before bed and having fun. If it’s something that’s enjoyable in a unique way, then it feels worth it, but I’ve never felt content after doing it just sitting in my chair alone. My girlfriend agrees, though, that paying is really foolish.
All in all, it’s a great game which, clearly, a lot of work has been put into making, but I don’t think it’s ever worth it to pay to win, even if your team is depending on you to beat a challenge. They all have better things to do with their money, too.