Zenonia Review – Very Poort

[Atariboy]

Gamevil’s Zenonia, an action RPG which almost instantly draws comparison with Zelda, was a phenomenal success in the iPhone app world. It already spawned a sequel, and the third title is set to be released next year. Often, successful iPhone apps get ported to the Minis program, and thus we have the Minis version of Zenonia.

One of the serious concerns when an iPhone app crosses platforms (specifically to the PSP) is the control scheme. The controls are one of the two main problems you will find in this port. Yes, the controls are somewhat disappointing, but the shaky framerate multiplies the tiniest frustrations you’ll be experiencing in the game. Zenonia promises 40 hours’ worth of content, but it actually has more because of its depth, replay value, secrets, sidequests and worst of all: the lags and the freezes.

The obvious fault is the bad framerate that fundamentally impedes gameplay. The cutscenes are quite laggy, so much so that the sprites seem to be moving underwater. The framerates get better during the game proper but not enough to yield a pleasurable gaming experience. The controls weren’t considered for the PSP; the analog nub is basically disabled. You’ll be using the D-pad for movement, which is physically painful. Granted that your character cannot move diagonally, the analog nub option is still needed because it is the PSP.

Zenonia has great graphics, an average soundtrack and top-notch gameplay.  The story is basic, but it is enough. It has the familiar “waking up in your room” opening and the “magical seals of the world” plot that had their run with past JRPG titles a lot of times already. “Regret” is the name of your character, a spiked-haired, sword-wielding young boy who finds himself in a large scale battle between the Good and the Evil. Well, I wasn’t expecting a narrative on a Xenogears level from a Mini after all, so I wasn’t disappointed.

The tone of the game is light, not the hardcore serious type, due to humorous dialogue and situations you will stumble upon. But the real deal here is the class system and its skill tree. You have three classes to choose from (Assassin, Paladin and Warrior), all of whom provide totally dissimilar experiences. Also, the classes’ respective skill trees branch into different styles of game, allowing you to choose how you want to play. I first chose a Paladin, whom I built to deal low damage but who had high SP (skill points). I spammed a lot of skills, buffs and restorative magic (you choose what skill, both passive and active, to learn and upgrade) to counter my low damage and low HP (every level up, you will be given points to allot to your statistical categories). This turned out not to be a good experience at all. Playing this style of a Paladin requires a lot of animation, and there is a significant delay when using skills. Then add up the framerate issues = HORROR.

Playing as an Assassin can help you get over at least a fraction of the framerate issues, because this class walks fast (and can also inflict high damage; I finished off a boss in seconds, against whom the Paladin took longer, but I wasn’t struggling anyway) . Warrior is also very good in the laggy land of Zenonia, because you can take more punishment. But I want to play as a Paladin. Is that too much to ask?

There is also a combination/enchantment process to further customize your character, but it wasn’t explained thoroughly in-game. You have to learn the craft, and it seems like it’s random. Combat is very well implemented, with quick-keys for using the skills (L + face button), and you can access your items by pressing R (replacing your skill slots) so that you can use your potions if ever you get caught in tight situations. You can save your game anywhere, but the problem is you can’t save your game without a considerable amount of waiting. There is an auto-save function, but I didn’t turn it on. That was my greatest mistake; the game froze, and I had to go back and solve the freaking dungeon puzzles again. Turning the auto-save on also has its negative side: once you’ve upgraded the wrong skill and then had auto-save kick in, it’s permanent.

There is such an amazing array of possibilities playing the game that you can actually ignore the lag times. However, the game’s current state will enrage players who are not willing to invest time and effort in a very laggy game. If you just want to relax, stay away from this game. The lag is unforgiving and unforgivable. If you are a hardcore RPG enthusiast, this is a must-buy, but wait for the patch to fix the framerates up.

6/10

POSTED BY JASPER NIKKI ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 AT 8:50 PM