Have been running this game idle while checking periodically to refill energy occasionally (not necessary after the most recent updates) for 65 days straight. I am a huge fan of idle games, for some reason they just scratch that stupid itch. I didn't think Tap Ninja was anything revolutionary, but the pets, customization for your ninja (different characters, colors, hats, etc.), and the conquest mode, were fun incentives to keep logging in and playing (as well as watching yourself progress of course).

I was completely free to play up until a few weeks ago, when I decided to buy VIP to support the developer. That being said, I never have, and still never will, spend money on any cosmetic upgrades or bonuses. They are unnecessary and or just not worth it at all.

I mention this, because honestly, I am somewhat regretting choosing to support the developer through my VIP purchase. One of the most recent updates has clearly slashed any semblance of progress you would normally be making by: reclassifying certain pets, cutting elixir and gold gains, and restructuring medal rewards in a way that literally locks you out completely of previous upgrades unless you have thousands of medals to spend. I just started feeling like I was making real progress, finishing holiday tasks, leveling heroes more and more, watching my pet levels go up, and then WHAM! Progress basically halved or more.

The developer is always commenting on how if they don't update the game, there is nothing to be working towards, but I disagree. I wasn't even what looked to be halfway through the game, and I have played for 135 days already, 65 of them consecutively. I would also argue that there are better ways to "trick" your audience into feeling like they are progressing other than arbitrarily cutting income (basically in half) and taking away many upgrades a player (like myself) had already unlocked.

To me, after the most recent updates, it seems as though the developer is trying more and more to halt progress with the hope of encouraging people to spend real money on gems that they can then spend on extremely overpriced temporary boosts. Not to mention, both of the temporary boosts and the "bag of goods" are based on your current elixir and gold gains. This means that after the last few updates, YOU SPEND the SAME AMOUNT of gems, FOR LESS of a boost. To me, this is hard to see as anything other than greed. Although I was never going to spend actual money nor buy any boosts, this is upsetting.

I personally find it a tad bit irksome that I chose to support the developer SOLELY because I felt that this game was so free to play friendly, and now, as of the last major update, it seems to me that the developer is choosing to move in the opposite direction. What was once a game I looked forward to opening each day and progressing in has very quickly turned into feeling like a chore, and to be honest, it really isn't fun now.

For the developer:

I HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT SPEND REAL MONEY ON THIS GAME. I BOUGHT VIP TO SUPPORT YOU BECAUSE I WAS HAVING SO MUCH FUN AS FREE TO PLAY. I AM NO LONGER ENJOYING THIS GAME.

Too expensive

I feel survival mode is a waste of time because no way to progress through it plus enemies can use duplicated characters and we can't which makes it more frustrating and challenging. like i do enjoy the game but survival just ruins it for me.