Apparently Final Fantasy Brace Exvius Is a Money Pit
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a traditional Japanese role-playing game streamlined for mobile play and split across episodes that are released around once per month. Its characters pull from almost every Final Fantasy game ever released, and its mix of quick play sessions and series nostalgia has shot it to a leading spot in Square Enix’s 2017 earnings report.
The game definitely isn’t going to sway anyone who frowns upon the increased in-game purchases in today’s games, especially Square Enix games. In fact, the main way that you can improve your character collection in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is by purchasing loot-box like crystals that contain a single random character.
Consider Reddit user Nothing024, who calls himself a “whale,” referring to his big spending habits. Although he has only gambled in a casino a handful of times, he’s spent thousands of dollars on Brave Exvius, highlighting the addictive nature of these kinds of game.
“It was a fresh take on an old classic, my favorite series of all time,” he said, pointing to the fact that he could still invest time into it as a family man. “It didn’t require a console or a TV, just a few minutes to play a couple of dungeon runs or a quick exploration.”
After missing the first chance to get the limited-time promotional crossover character Elza, a patch was released that increased the chances he’d get a rare character.
“I charged $1500 that day to get her,” he wrote.
He also dropped tons of mony into Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy 5.
“I put in my money again, $99….no Greg, $99….no Greg, $99….no Greg…. I took a break for a little bit. My family had plans for the day. I was angry now. How could I have spent $300 and not gotten what I wanted? When nobody was looking, around everyone, I did it again. $99….no Greg, $99…no Greg, $99…no Greg, $99… Finally. I had Gilgamesh. […] Yeah, I spent $700, but I would stop now. I had enough.”
It’s an interesting story, and definitely an example of the dark side of gaming, especially those that tap into gambling addiction.
“Looking back at it now, I don’t know how I didn’t realize it was gambling,” he said. “It came up to a point where I didn’t see purchasing the $80-$100 [of] in-game currency as actual money.”
But he also wishes he was more aware of what he was getting himself into.
“If I realized it was gambling from the start, I wouldn’t have spent a dime,” he said. “I know I have an addictive personality.”
“I understand that it may not fit the legal definition of ‘gambling’, but the motivation of people spending money and effects they can cause are similar to loot boxes. […] People need to stop being hung up [on] the term ‘gambling’ for loot boxes and look more towards the effects.”