Description
THE RETURN OF CLASSIC ACTION RPG
AWARDS:
Best Adventure/RPG Game from The Pocket Gamer Awards 2010: iPhone
Best Game of 2009 by Apple's Rewind 2009
Best RPG Game of 2009 by IGN
Best Role Playing iPod Touch and iPhone Game of 2009 by Touch Arcade
Top 10 iPhone Games of 2009 by AppGamer
Best RPG 2009 by TouchGen
Editor's Choice Award by IGN
ZENONIA, has become the frontrunner of the Classic RPG Genre in App Store. It ensures vast amounts of adventure, hours of playing time, hundreds of items, skill and quest which follows an epic storyline.
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CRITICS SAY
Ranked No.1 iPhone RPG
- IGN Game Reviews (9/10)
“ZENONIA harkens back to Link to the Past, the bestselling 16-bit chapter in the long-running Zelda franchise, but with graphics that are much closer to Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS.”
- IGN EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD (9/10)
“If you've been looking for something on the App Store that compares to the classic 16-bit RPG's from days of yore, ZENONIA may just be what you've been searching for. GAMEVIL seems to have designed this game specifically for gamers clamoring for a classic action RPG experience.”
- Touch Arcade
“The game looks like a souped-up version of Legend of Zelda: A Link To the Past for the SNES, with more animation, brighter colors, and more complex game play such as thousands of weapons and items to collect and a full Diablo-like skill tree.”
- SlideToPlay
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FEATURES
NUMEROUS QUESTS FOLLOWING AN EPIC STORYLINE
Extensive playing time of over 40 hours to conquer the main and side quests
CREATE YOUR OWN CHARACTER
Choose your hero from 3 different classes; warrior, paladin and assassin. Customize your attributes accordingly
HUNDREDS OF ITEMS
Collect items from 5 different classes(normal, magic, rare, unique and epic) to enchant or combine them for upgrades
STUNNING EFFECTS AND GRAPHICS
Anime style characters and graphics, along with various stylish skill effects
INNOVATIVE REAL LIFE SYSTEM
Day/night cycle, hunger/weight system and good/evil storyline path to choose from
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OTHER GAMEVIL GAMES
HYBRID: Eternal Whisper - A New Breed of Stylish Action RPG
Baseball Superstars 2010 - #1 Baseball Game on App Store
Boom It Up! - Deceptively Simple and Addictive Casual Game!
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NEWS AND EVENTS
Tips & Tricks @ iphone.gamevil.com
Tweet us @ twitter.com/gamevil
Facebook @ facebook.com/gamevil
YouTube @ youtube.com/gamevil
What's New in Version 1.4
Minor glitches fixed
Customer Reviews
A solid, yet unpolished RPG
Before the hype machine kicked into full gear, Zenonia could’ve been a new kind of pasta for all I knew. After spending a few hours with the game to the dismay of certain people, I can safely say that while Zenonia is a solid RPG, just don’t expect anything groundbreaking nor innovative about it. While content and controls are important for any game, they are especially important for RPGs which live and die on storyline, depth, and replayability. For the most part, Zenonia passes on all levels, but there are definitely quirks in the game.
The game begins with an extensive and belabored telling of the story behind Zenonia, which goes on and on and on. You may want to watch this initially because it spans 15 years and includes some interesting animation sequences. The storyline centers on the conflict between the Dragon Clan and Holy Knights. After the Holy Knights victory, one of knights discovers a boy who was part of the Dragon Clan. Out of regret, he decides to raise the boy, which is why he also goes on to name the boy Regret.
The game takes place fifteen years later when the Dragon Clan has re-established its forces.
The game quality is definitely there when it comes to the cartoonish characters and the soundtrack. The graphics are nicely done with no framerate issues or lags. I will say that the cartoonish characters may be a turnoff for some since they look more like dwarves from pygmy island. Quality control, however, is a separate issue when it comes to the text. There are a few grammatical errors which are fine, but some of the prose can be unpolished especially in the storyline cut scenes and in interactions with other characters. In certain cases, it reads similar to a text message on a cell phone.
The d-pad controls in the lower left-hand corner of the game screen along with an action button on the lower right-hand corner work well once you’ve become acclimated to them. They can be somewhat clunky, and a more ideal control scheme would have been touch and drag. One shortcoming with the current controls is that the character cannot move diagonally, which is more a preference of mine rather than an actual issue with the game itself.
During the load times in between intros and levels, tips are provided, but honestly, they felt thrown together. Several times, I had helpful tips telling me to go to the dev Web site for more tips. The other problem is that the tips disappear quickly, and at first, I thought this was a test to show me how fast the game loads. For the most part, they were random and more or less useless because they appeared out of context.
Before starting the game, you must select the type of character Regret is to be: the warrior, the assassin, or the paladin. Each character class have their own type of weapons and equipment, varying degrees of good and evil, and custom storyline which all add significantly to Zenonia’s replayability. Based on the decisions you make in the game, you mold Regret into a either force for good or a force for evil, thus creating different outcomes.
The game screen has a number of things that will be useful as you help Regret on his journey. A map is located in the upper left-hand corner that shows Regret’s location in relation to roads, people to interact with, and certain landmarks. Tapping on it will bring up a larger version. One of the most important sources of information is the knapsack icon in the upper right-hand corner, which to me is one of the more innovative parts of the game. This provides a wealth of information including quests in progress, item inventory list, accumulated gold, and your HP (health) and SP (special abilities). Note that in the item inventory list, you are limited to how many items you can carry due to weight, and the more you carry, the less speed you have. Of course, as you build up your strength, the amount of space in the inventory list will increase as well as allowing for more items to be acquired. Saving the game can also be accessed through the knapsack icon.
There are three bars that you need to pay attention to: HP, SP and Hunger (yes, Regret needs to eat, but not overly something to worry about). Hunger is addressed by going to certain locations (e.g. inns, pubs) as well as drops left from slaying enemies. This also applies to equipment, which wears out during the course of the game, and there are various item stores where you can buy and repair equipment.
The gameplay in Zenonia is pretty in-depth, and there’s a multitude of content and paths that can be chosen. Battle scenes, interactions with people, and entering various locations are all pretty straightforward and typical of your standard RPGs. The main and side quests are always the fun part of RPGs, and with Zenonia, you can accept up to 5 quests at a time, which are monitored in the quest log. This is accessible through the knapsack icon I mentioned, which keeps track of all the details. By completing these quests, you acquire experience and gold, which appear in a pop-up statistics window upon completion.
As you complete levels (Level Up), 1 skill point is earned, which can be applied towards Active and Passive abilities. Active abilities are new spells and attacks, while Passive abilities are physical characteristics. As you make travel through the quests, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to pick up items such as potions, rings, swords and clothing among other things. Skills as with RPGs are important, and Regret will acquire skills that further unlock further others.
Overall, Zenonia is a solid game for RPG fans, but don’t expect it to convert many non-RPG or casual gamers. Despite its minor flaws, Zenonia delivers significant hours of gameplay, and hopefully it has some lasting power before the next big game appears.
Like SNES RPG's? Look no Further.
First I had to ask myself if I wanted to spend the money on this. I didn't know what to expect as it was the first rpg I played on my Touch. After reading the majority of the reviews, I decided to give it a shot. Now looking back, it is definately, by far, worth the little money it is. Basically, it's an RPG worth 5.99$. Don't see that very often at all for what it offers. Great job Gamevil!
Though some argue that the control panel is hard to use, it will take about a day to get use to. After that, you should be able to avoid running up to monsters or past them, waiting to get hit by them. Occasionally your hero will dash when you don't want him to, but it is just something that's there for now.
Story is "meh". Even though it has some spelling errors, it still makes up for some humor that I found to be funny. It is a typical rpg story, nothing more, nothing less without giving it away.
There are times where I totally forget that this is not a console game and I have to remind myself with that since it is much more graphically than I expected. The sound can get repetative as it plays sometimes 5-8 second loops, but it's easily avoided by just muting the game. There are some "lag" issues every once in a while, but restarting the game usually fixes it. Crashes are minimum that I have encountered and usually automatically saves itself through the next zone if a crash DOES occur. There are bugs so EXPECT to see them. However, the beauty of occasional updates is what's nice about these small devices.
Think of a "Secret of Mana" and "Diablo" game combined with minimal grinding needed to level. This game is far from being really hard, but it can be said to not be the easiest out there. There are some moments of frustration (sometimes concerning the d-pad) where you didn't know how you were killed.
For those that are wondering if character animation art changes with certain equipment in place, it does not. However, there are certain weapons that change your look (some are very creative)
So far 10 hours logged in and have enjoyed nearly all of it. Now remember, do NOT expect a Zelda Ocarina of Time as you will be dissapointed. But as far as a iPod/phone game, it will surely make you find yourself coming back to it. A quick reminder though, this game (if spent more than an hour on it at a time) can drain your battery pretty quickly, so make sure you recharge it after you play.
Summing this review up (by the way my first...), this game should seek individuals that require an adventure, fun, and casual gamer as well as someone that does not mind the snes-type graphics. If you play games for Resident Evil/Gears of War and depend on the picture, do not get this as you will find yourself going back in time. For a single player RPG, anyone that enjoys Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire, and some other snes titles, you will enjoy this one. Great job Gamevil and hope to see some updates in the future. It would be very breath-taking to see an MMO-like program with some snes graphics (Ragnarok anyone?) . That would be my only wish and suggestion. For 5.99$ it's a deal you can't pass up. Take it now before you "Regret" it!
lets get real here...
This game advertises itself like its worth being on the front page of ign, so I'll review it like one.
Gameplay: The faux-dpad gets a lot of guff in the ipod world... and it kind of deserves it. It doesn't function really well for Zenonia as the game requires precision in attacking enemies or even trying to talk to a moving person on the street. You can tell time was put in to allow the character to bypass certain flaws of the dpad controls, but these factors only give rise to other nuisances. For instance, in most games, when your player reaches a wall, their movement stops, but since this would stall you quite a bit in Zenonia where you often must travel around obstacles, the character is programmed to move in another direction to keep the flow of the game. This works in theory. Trying to pick up an item or talk to someone can be a real pain when you keep changing course. The dpad and the hotkeys for skills lacks the precision this game demands. You'll find you spend most of the game running around uncontrollably.
Sound: This isn't bad. Hitting enemies and gaining levels all have pretty redeeming sounds. Striking with your sword sounds hearty and landing a critical even more so. However, nice sfx are greatly overshadowed by a terribly repititious soundtrack. Most tunes in the game last all of 8 seconds before looping and are too often repeated in various locales, enough to drive you insane when grinding out sidequests as the game often has you do. Sometimes the game's music doesn't quite fit the mood and often reuses tracks for certain events that give you mixed signals as to the mood of the game.
Graphics: It boasts being comparable to "Phantom Hourglass" but I'm pretty sure they meant "Minish Cap" (Zelda for GBA). The art has an agreeable style to it and is easy on the eyes. Combat is enhanced with a nice spark effect when dealing damage. Often times it seems as though certain characters are jittery, however, and the character concepts look like final fantasy meets pokemon (I swear they ripped a character model right from pearl/diamond).
Script: I only address this because it begs to be addressed. There are minor grammatical errors which, in this day and age, are unacceptable. That aside, I was quite put off by the dialogue. At times it takes itself very seriously and others it doesn't know what to make of anything. You can tell it's trying to achieve that certain charm but then lines including unnecessary profanity or strange references will come up and confuse you. I spoke to the dog in the first town and it told me "I'm an SOB, literally". Make of that what you will, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth. You'll find more lines like that as you play though.
Story: Awful. I hate to be bluntly critical, but my character's name is Regret? Why? Also, the setting is never quite addressed. You live in a world in which a man named Greg and Mr. Brown live, but then you stumble upon the occasional hippy influenced name from the dark ages that just leaves you confused as to who's out of place. The plot is pretty shallow, but I wasn't expecting much. I was just a little disappointed by the Cloud-look alike you play who for some reason everyone hates and is more loyal than a royal lapdog. There's an illusion of good and evil in the game but it boils down to black and white (as most games with good and evil choices do). For instance, a holy knight is beating up on some underdressed sorceress and its up to you to make the choice to help her or not. Well... it was pretty obvious that opposing a HOLY KNIGHT meant taking up the side of evil, but from my vantage point, real goodness would compel me to stop the fight and give peace a chance. Maybe I'm asking too much of the game at that point (or any that uses a good/evil system!)
Mechanics: Diablo-like tree system, huh? Ok, sure. But as I recall, there was a right way to play Diablo, and many very very wrong ways. I spent most of the game saving up all my technique points because frankly I didn't need them. Granted, I really didn't spend them because I wasn't quite sure how to. The game kind of leaves you in the dark about successfully building a character. Hell, the first choice you have to make is one that affects all gameplay before you even know what the devil you're doing. Why would I choose a paladin over a warrior, I don't know difference yet! My thought process was this, I want to be pushing as few different "buttons" as possible, so I'll be a warrior because it seems like the class that makes use of the one attack button and nothing more. The encumberance factor is negligible. When you are carrying too much, eat an apple and go sell all the unecessary items you have. The hunger factor is a nuisance. I dont quite understand why you'd want to add eating to a game and penalize those who dont gourge themselves by capping their MP. Worst of all, the repair factor, where your equipment can just up and die in the middle of a battle. Weight, hunger, item durability, these additions don't make a deeper game, they just increase player frustration. Strategy is not established by forcing the player to avoid punishment. But toss these mechanics out and the game becomes too flat. It may be whats making it different, but it isn't what's making it good.
Overall: Maybe I've been spoiled by Zelda and the like, but Zenonia just doesn't do it for me. Its marketed toward the hardcore and the hardcore demand precise control, detailed strategies, and something they can play for more than an hour before the battery's dead. The ipod isn't the platform for the hardcore, in my opinion (hardcore describing those who consider gaming to be multikilling in Call of Duty or spending hours in front of Final Fantasy). Nice try Gamevil, you had good intentions.
- $2.99
- Category: Games
- Updated: Mar 12, 2010
- Current Version: 1.4
- 1.4 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested)
- 12.1 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: GAMEVIL USA, Inc.
- © GAMEVIL Inc.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 2.1 or later.
