Elven Chronicles
by Big Blue Bubble
View More by this DeveloperOpen iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
Critically acclaimed winner of the Pop Vox award for best mobile game is finally here.
Now on sale until 1/1/10 !
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If you are fan of old school RPG this is an outstanding game. The turn based gameplay is top notch and truly is the best RPG in the App Store Appadvice
...I found the gameplay to be smooth and easy to figure out. The graphics are good and the replay value was excellent. Appchatter
It gives some good nostalgia to those RPG fans looking for old school experience and I highly recommend it to those people. Mobiletechreview
Zelda meets Final Fantasy in this massive RPG Mobilegamefaqs
All in all a good game, with a lot to offer especially if you want to dedicate it a lot of time Mobilegamereview
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Step into the shoes of a young knight who was unjustly exiled from his kingdom and is seeking redemption. Accompanied by a charismatic spellcaster, travel the world exploring vast new worlds inhabited by mystical creatures. Set out on a heroic adventure to uncover terrifying secrets and vanquish the evil forces plaguing the land!
Features:
Classic Console RPG design
Massive World Maps
Captivating Story
Countless Spells, Weapons, Armour and Accessories
Random Dungeon Maps
Stunning Characters and Scenery
Over 20 hours of Gameplay
What is in new update (1.1):
auto save
better collision detection when talking to people
option to play iTunes music
more balanced difficulty
re-designed menu system
...
What's New in Version 1.1
- Implemented an autosave feature. Game will automatically save when entering a new map area.
- A flashing save notification appears in the top left of the screen during autosave.
- Added a button to the character portraits in the info menu as a hint that clicking the portrait will open the equip/spell menus for that character
- Fixed the problem where it was difficult to activate a NPC dialog sometimes
- Added the iPod MediaPicker so a player can play their own music
- Added an options menu for toggling autosave and for playing game sound/ipod sound
Customer Reviews
The Best Turn-Based RPG in the Appstore
iPhone Game Review: Elven Chronicles
Opening remarks
Even after Apples one year anniversary, rpg's especially Turn based ones are a rarity in the appstore. After the somewhat successful Vay and Arvale came out, few came to follow in the footsteps until this quaint game came along. A port from one of their own cell phone based games brings much needed excitement and gives something to cheer about for those retro rpg fans out there.
Gameplay
The game is more of a complication of quests than an epic journey. The story line is one of its main weak points. When you begin the game, right away the game starts with no real direction as there is only small dialog in the beginning. There is more to it but it just feels a little underwhelming.
The battle system is your standard turn based rpg. You have your basic attack, magic, item, and run options. You gain the standard experience points for each kill and level up to gain new magic (so far I have gained quite a lot and hope it keeps coming at a steady pace). Some added customization as classes or something to separate it from the basic system would be nice to add some excitement to it.
The controls are not the greatest but are very workable and with time it will become second nature. It uses the tap and go method or you can try the dragging along but still the same controls.
Now the game overall is a bit too easy than I had hoped for. For one you automatically regenerate health/mana while you’re not battling, though it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The main trouble is that when fighting there is no grinding, but you level too easily which in turn your fights are quick and easy, not something I look forward into an rpg. Also it is very easy to attain overpowered weapons and armor which add to the easiness and being able to run away in an instant. My thought is that stronger beasts or a slower level up could ease the lack of difficulty.
Graphics
The graphics have the wholesome 16 bit goodness. Being in fact a port from an old cell phone device I found the transition well done. The animations for attack are spectacular. The towns, dungeons and sprites are nicely done as it gives you the 16 bit charm.
Sound
The score is well done and what you would expect out of an rpg. Found myself enjoying to the mixture of sounds it presented. There is though a rather annoying loop that happens when switching songs as at times there are none. While they may not be as catchy as those Final Fantasy tunes that always get stuck in your head, they do deliver the goods.
Pro:
Portrait mode which leads to easy play for one hand
No level grinding necessary to beat a foe but necessary for going on to the next quest
Cool magic animations
Great assortment of spells
Con:
Not much customization/options
The game is much easier than I had hoped for
Hard to talk to the townsfolk
Non-immersive storyline
Needs multiple save slots
Conclusion
In the end the games is very simple to the core for a standard rpg. I personally enjoyed the game despite some minor problems and weak storyline. Its gives some good noglostia to those old rpg fans such as myself and I highly recommend it to those people. Well as for the others expecting final fantasy quality, should look elsewhere. It won't offer any new elements but if you can bypass that and enjoy it as the classic it is, then it will be 4 bucks well spent. The Dev plans to have future expansions as micro transactions in which I look forward to. Hopefully success in this app can be found that further investments in these types of games will come to bear fruit.
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Graphics: -number-4/5 For being a port I found it to be very impressive though some may feel it to be a work in progress. The animations for the magic attacks are very eye-catching.
Sound: -number- 4.5/5 Annoying when the music reloops but nonetheless a vibrant score that brings joy to your ears
Controls: -number- 4/5 The controls are fine for the most part but there aren’t great. A bit jerky but in time you ease into it.
Gameplay: -number-3.5/5 Now the gameplay doesn’t deliver a deep experience but is a good game for what it is. It would be a at least a 4 if it wasn't so easy.
Playing Hints and Tips:
Pick your own battles, run away when you’re about to die.
Remember that after each battle your health/mana regenerates itself
-skyye06
(Reviewer for MobileTechReview.com)
Game Review: Elven Chronicles
Elven Chronicles is a turn based RPG, not unlike games from the Final Fantasy series. The game features epic battles against a wide variety of monsters, dragons, and the elements. Story wise you play a young warrior trying to figure out his past, as well as a elf mystic seeking redemption.
The games anime art style offers a rich environment, and having large area maps with generally wondering monsters doesn't hurt either. The one thing I did find is that monsters seem to tend to chase you around some times (wandering monsters are depicted by different coloured twisters). I also noticed that different coloured "twisters" tend to show the monsters level, green being low level, blue meaning close to or around your level, yellow being your level or a little higher, and red which is above your current level.
The main quests story line seems to go around defeating evil dragons. While the story is not all that engrossing, it is from time to time added to. Just don't expect a grand experience at the beginning of the game (I'd even go so far to say that the game is open ended).
Like so many turn based RPG's before it this game has the same standard battle options. You can attack, use magic or items, or run away. The developers where smart to implement this already proven system into there game.
The game boasts a massive 20 hours of game play time. As well as a wide variety of monsters, elementals, dragons and the like that respond differently to different magical attacks (a blue ice golem for example will take more damage from fire spells). This game looks just like an early Final Fantasy clone, which in my opinion is a good thing. Large area maps add to the game as well random dungeon maps (each time you venture into a dungeon it will have a different lay out, which is a nice feature). Also the game seems to offer a ton of new spells, armour, weapons, and accessories.
The good: Great old school turn based RPG action, a wide variety of monsters, armour, weapons, spells, accessories, and quests to keep you busy. Sounds and music are well done.
The bad: The controls are a bit of a hassle (at first, but give it a little time and you'll see they work fairly well). The story is fairly unimportant (for turn based RPG's it's usually very important to have a captivating story line). Personally I would like to see a virtual d-pad implemented instead of, or the current tap controls.
The breakdown: For $1.99 its pretty hard to go wrong with this one! Especially if you are a fan of old school RPG's. The amount of detail that went into the wide variety of monsters and what not is truly quite the accomplishment, and really adds to the games overall polish. While the music tends to loop instead of change from scene to scene (which can get old, fast!), the sound effects are spot on. While this port does seem like it was a little rushed, with all the future improvements and additions, the developer has promised make this game a damn good deal at two bucks. 4/5
Fun game lacking some basic features
This game has great potential as a turn-based RPG but it seems that they rushed it to production. It has no auto-save, a single save slot, no option to turn the (horrible) music off, a joke of a map, and as others have mentioned it is difficult to tap on NPCs to engage dialog. If they fix some of these basic issues I would easily change my review to 4 stars.
- Category: Games
- Updated Nov 06, 2009
- Current Version: 1.1
- 7.5 MB
- Languages: English
- Seller: Big Blue Bubble
- © 2007, 2009 Big Blue Bubble Inc
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
