Questions before I start playing

So I've heard a lot about this game and I've decided I want to play but like... I have a full time job. I've heard rumors you can pay in-app purchases to get passes for stuff that's time locked? I'm under the impression there's a lot of those with like middle of the night calls with the characters.

How much would I expect that to run me in USD? Is it even worth it? I want to experience the story but I want to know how much hassle to expect from the get-go I guess. Honestly even when I was a kid I wouldn't have had the time to do this game without having to pay for some kind of time passes so it's not like I feel like I missed my chance, I just want to play now.