My two cents. This game has an incredible community and team behind it. The moderators actually care to answer questions and work with players in creating an environment everyone can enjoy. That alone makes its a very worthwhile game.

The game itself is also very good though. There is much more depth and team building opportunity than other titles where it is simply the highest cost characters are always the best of their time and you have no chance to compete without them. I played free for a while and then decided to put in a bit of money for the Jonin medal, which is definitely a great thing to purchase too if you intend to play for any extended period. However, as this games VIP system and compared to some others, it isn't game breaking and you can definitely manage without it.

All in all it comes down to your budget and how much you enjoy the game as a whole. $40 for 6 months of benefits is a crazy good deal, as most games you can buy nowadays for even $60 usually don't last as long. I would definitely recommend you put a bit of time into the game, even a few days of consistent play can help, to truly decide how much you like it now and consider that it is a growing game, but it is definitely a good game that deserves a shot.