EA has just relaunched its iOS version of Tetris [iTunes link], the popular puzzle game beloved of all kinds of players, from the casual commuter to the hardcore arcade nerd.
However, the game’s new pricing structure isn’t so beloved, as it turns out.
The game itself costs $0.99, which alone isn’t unreasonable. However, the $30-per-year subscription fee has raised some eyebrows.
The latest version of the game brings along some new features, such as a “Galaxy Mode” and a “Marathon One-Touch Mode,” which was created specifically with touchscreen gamers in mind. You even get the famous 8-bit theme song, Korobeiniki.
But the feature that’s got everyone up in arms is the T-Club, a $2.99-per-month (or $30 a year, if you’re feeling committed) “elite” set of digital ephemera that lets users “gain an advantage with bonus lines and T-Coins.”
Users who don’t opt into the T-Club are required to log into Origins, the software’s social component that is also the only other way to save one’s scores in the game.
The game also packs new social components and in-app T-Coin purchases for extras and power-ups, which some users will enjoy and others will despise.
As one irate review wrote, “This would easily be the best Tetris remake to date, not for the in-app purchases and social network logins.
“To pay for a game then be required to keep purchasing over and over to get five stars on a level is just despicable… And also note if you bought the last Tetris game from EA, they have removed it from the app store for this garbage.”