When I started playing VS, I was struck by how much the chest opening animation FELT like a slot machine - it was weird to encounter what normally feels like a predatory experience and have it NOT be trying to take your money.

I’m torn on whether it’d be good for more games to do this (mimic gambling without the predatory pricing associated with it) - on the one hand, it would provide alternatives to actual predatory games, like Gacha games, that won’t leave people poor, but on the other hand it also normalizes the concept as a legitimate gaming mechanic. This not only opens the door for more publishers to utilize the mechanic maliciously, but I also worry about what it might do to our brains to be constantly exposed to slot machine equivalents (moreso than they already are with gaming).

It’s amazing how addictive VS is without being predatory or manipulative. The feedback loop to play one more game is solid, in the best way.

So it’s just refreshing that Galante actually has principles enough to stay away from micro transactions. I hope we’re at the point where more developers move away from that - I feel like after the 2000s and 2010s, where game monetization went full nihilistic capitalism, we’re all ready for a change.