Zenonia garnered high praise when it hit the iPhone last year. Gamevil's action role-playing game packed an astounding number of gameplay options into a bite-sized platform, to say nothing of its 40-hour main quest. And now Zenonia is available on the Nintendo DSi through the DSi Shop.
DSi owners will have a good time with the game's colorful graphics, fast-paced battles, and complex skill-branching system. The improved controls and navigation options make the DSi version of Zenonia the easiest to jump into.
Developer/Publisher: Gamevil
Genre: Action role-playing
ESRB Rating: E10+
800 Nintendo Points
DSi owners will have a good time with the game's colorful graphics, fast-paced battles, and complex skill-branching system. The improved controls and navigation options make the DSi version of Zenonia the easiest to jump into.
Developer/Publisher: Gamevil
Genre: Action role-playing
ESRB Rating: E10+
800 Nintendo Points
THE BASICS: A Boy Named Regret
Zenonia stars a spiky-haired boy whose adoptive father afflicted him with the name "Regret." The odd moniker turns out to be prophetic, as Regret's father is slain by a demon, leaving the boy orphaned. Regret quickly finds himself aimless, and unsure even of his allegiance. Meanwhile, the Holy Knights and the Dragon Clan wage war across the countryside, and Regret sets out to find out more about his heritage--and whom he stands with.
Zenonia is an action RPG. Comparisons have been drawn between it and the Super Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, though truthfully Zenonia plays far closer to the Korean massive multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) Ragnarok Online--minus the "online" elements, of course.
Regret can begin the game as one of three job classes, including an assassin (for high speed attacks), a warrior (for stronger, slower attacks), or a paladin (for a mix of physical attacks and magic-casting). Each class has its own passive and active skills that can be leveled up and unleashed against enemies.
Zenonia's inventory system is also detailed and features dozens of weapons and items that Regret can equip on his person. Weapons, however, wear down over time and require repairs. Regret also needs to carry a supply of food: If he neglects to scarf something down when he gets hungry, his ability to perform skill-based attacks will decline and fizzle out.
Zenonia is an action RPG. Comparisons have been drawn between it and the Super Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, though truthfully Zenonia plays far closer to the Korean massive multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) Ragnarok Online--minus the "online" elements, of course.
Regret can begin the game as one of three job classes, including an assassin (for high speed attacks), a warrior (for stronger, slower attacks), or a paladin (for a mix of physical attacks and magic-casting). Each class has its own passive and active skills that can be leveled up and unleashed against enemies.
Zenonia's inventory system is also detailed and features dozens of weapons and items that Regret can equip on his person. Weapons, however, wear down over time and require repairs. Regret also needs to carry a supply of food: If he neglects to scarf something down when he gets hungry, his ability to perform skill-based attacks will decline and fizzle out.
PROS
It's huge! - Through Zenonia's North American origin is the iPhone, the game was initially released for lesser mobile platforms overseas. Despite its restricted heritage, the amount of content found within Zenonia is pretty much equal to what you'd find in a full-blown retail RPG for the Nintendo DS. The main quest is 40 hours, plus there are countless sidequests to take on.
Lots of opportunity for character customization - Regret has a backstory, but he ultimately becomes whatever you make of him. His actions in-game determine his allegiance, but that's just a start: The class you choose to play as at the start of the game determines your fighting style and the nature of your skill tree.
Lots of weapons and items to tinker with - Enemies in Zenonia are always dropping weapons, armor, and items. You can experiment to determine what best suits Regret.
Cute graphics - The enemy and character sprites in Zenonia are rendered in an Asian "chibi" style (i.e., squashed-looking and cute), but are well-animated and generally fun to engage. Environments like towns are well-rendered, though sometimes lack the details necessary to make each one unique.
Lots of opportunity for character customization - Regret has a backstory, but he ultimately becomes whatever you make of him. His actions in-game determine his allegiance, but that's just a start: The class you choose to play as at the start of the game determines your fighting style and the nature of your skill tree.
Lots of weapons and items to tinker with - Enemies in Zenonia are always dropping weapons, armor, and items. You can experiment to determine what best suits Regret.
Cute graphics - The enemy and character sprites in Zenonia are rendered in an Asian "chibi" style (i.e., squashed-looking and cute), but are well-animated and generally fun to engage. Environments like towns are well-rendered, though sometimes lack the details necessary to make each one unique.
CONS
It's repetitive - You'll need to do a lot of grinding in Zenonia to achieve the levels necessary for victory, particularly since the game's difficulty jumps very quickly in some instances. Slaying enemies is quite fun thanks to the game's fast-paced battle system, but there's another small problem: Weapons wear out as you use them, and you must spend money to get them repaired. It's a small annoyance, but it's constantly at the back of your mind as you play the game. Also, Regret has to stop and eat quite often in order to keep his skill points topped up. Food isn't hard to come by, but again, the repetition of feeding him becomes annoying.
The translation is bizarre - To be perfectly honest, it's difficult to decide whether or not this point is a positive, or detracts from the game. Across its platforms, Zenonia has maintained a very "unique" English translation from its native Korean. Typos are common, sentence structure is loose, and punctuation is hopeless. Normally, such flaws would render a game an unreadable mess--but it adds a certain charm to the characters in Zenonia, as if they're perfectly aware that they're trapped in a role-playing game with sub-par translation, and don't care. The game's sense of humor is undeniable; it's just written haphazardly.
The music is forgettable - Pop in your iPod ear buds, because the in-game soundtrack offers very little in the way of good fighting music.
The translation is bizarre - To be perfectly honest, it's difficult to decide whether or not this point is a positive, or detracts from the game. Across its platforms, Zenonia has maintained a very "unique" English translation from its native Korean. Typos are common, sentence structure is loose, and punctuation is hopeless. Normally, such flaws would render a game an unreadable mess--but it adds a certain charm to the characters in Zenonia, as if they're perfectly aware that they're trapped in a role-playing game with sub-par translation, and don't care. The game's sense of humor is undeniable; it's just written haphazardly.
The music is forgettable - Pop in your iPod ear buds, because the in-game soundtrack offers very little in the way of good fighting music.
CONCLUSION: Fight for Everlasting Peace--or War
Let's face it, pickings on the Nintendo DSi Shop are a little slim, and it's nice to have something worth going online for. Zenonia isn't perfect, but for a portable, downloadable budget-priced RPG, it's impressive. The Nintendo DSi's dual screens and d-pad also offer improved mapping and control options over the iPhone version of the game. If you want a solid action role-playing experience, you won't regret the time you spend with Regret.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
