Foamstars players have called out Square Enix over their “greedy” item shop bundle prices, with many wanting changes.
Foamstars is a 4v4 multiplayer shooter that tasks players with painting their opponents and terrain with brightly colored foam. While it shares similarities to Nintendo’s Splatoon series, the added verticality and character abilities do help to differentiate it.
Despite receiving a rather lukewarm response at last year’s State of Play, players have discovered another glaring problem – the price of cosmetics.
Just like most live service games, Foamstars features a premium Season Pass and various skins that players can unlock. However, it’s the character cosmetic sets that have angered players, with many calling out the “greedy” pricing of the game’s bundles.
Foamstars players slam “greedy” Foamstars item shop bundles
A post highlighting how expensive Foamstars cosmetic skin bundles are has gone viral on X, sparking both shock and outrage from commenters. “For the cost of a single Foamstars cosmetic set you can get the entire Kiryu saga of the Yakuza series,” wrote Falkoopa.
As of writing, players can purchase seven Yakuza games for $44.03/£35.21. While the collection may have only been used as an example, many commenters believe that it perfectly highlights just how “greedy” Foamstars item shop currently is.
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“These are free to play pricing but the game isn’t free. You have to subscribe to Sony’s service,” noted one commenter. “Sony exclusives tied to subscription services rely too heavily on the ‘free’ branding to rationalize the practice. It’s comparable to when a large corporation starts a Go-fundme.”
For the cost of a single Foamstars cosmetic set you can get the entire Kiryu saga of the Yakuza series pic.twitter.com/7fxtbsUZVG
— FalKoopa🌈 (@FalKoopa_) February 8, 2024
Other commenters noted how Foamstars is only free for PS Plus subscribers until March 5, 2024, when it will be available for purchase at $29.99. It’s because of this, that many believe Square Enix should rethink its cosmetic bundle pricing and overhaul the game’s shop.
“$45 for skin when the game cost $30… I don’t understand why people don’t see the problem.” replied one user. “When a cosmetic costs more than the price of a game you should know it’s overpriced and shouldn’t buy it.”
While Foamstars has received some early praise for its take on Nintendo’s colorful shooter, Splatoon, it’s clear that players aren’t exactly happy with its monetization. “The game is cool and all but the greed on the store is next level, tbh I’m not expecting it to last a full year unless a major overhaul is done.”