If you like the game, I'd recommend getting at least a cheap xbox-like controller

This sort of makes sense, but my experience is that everyone xbox-like controller is horrible and belongs in the garbage. It either doesn't work, feels horribly janky, or is so incredible fragile that something breaks within the first few weeks, sometimes literally minutes/hours. Most common experience is that it just doesn't work the way it is supposed to, either because of drivers being broken or the physical thing being broken/poorly designed/produced from noticeably inferior parts. Anything from buttons not feeling right to the rubber-tipped parts literally crumbling within hours of use, but also weird stick position/resistance/tracking. You think a controller is actually pretty simple but they're really not, and most of us take for granted how they are supposed to work.

Just shell out the extra cash and get an actual branded xbone controller. It seems like a lot of money, but there are so many games these days that basically require a controller and if you spend a few hours with a good controller you start to realize why you shouldn't waste your time and money with an off-brand one.

Also, check and double check to make sure you're buying an actual Microsoft branded controller, or Sony if you prefer the PS controller. Many places, including Amazon, will often ship you a counterfeit.

I've been a PC gamer since the late 80s, I have used literally hundreds of different controllers. I used to eschew controllers, considered them for console peasants but eventually learned that, like all tools, they have their place.