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iPhone is the new GBA! With all the shovel-ware and nonsense clotting the AppStore I’m reminded strongly of the days when I used to sift through the insane flood of GBA games at Toys R Us. Sometimes, I would find games like the blissful Golden Sun or sweet Metroid Zero Misson. In the case of the iPhone, We’ve been graced by Square Enix, who provide us with this jewel, and masterpiece of an iPhone game that shone brightly beneath all the muck!
A tale of love and loss 10,000 years in the making… A skilled assassin, an eastern princess, a giant axe-wielding warrior, and a fierce female fighter; 5 couples from around the world are summoned by a mysterious being known only as “The Agent”. The agent tells them they must fight to the death in a tournament called the Ark Arena. Should they refuse they will be killed. There is no escape. Thus, each couple, without knowing where they are or why they must fight, are swept away into a battle for their lives. The sole reward for the victors? The promise of eternal life…
Ark Arena is a gateway to dungeons that are mixed indoor and outdoor environments with mid-dungeon and ending boss battles. Characters have the ability to enter and leave dungeons as they please. You’re also able to choose the level of enemies found in them. When not in the field, characters return to a “Home” area, where health points and magic points are instantly recovered.
Navigation and battles are done in a two-person party that is chosen when starting a new game. Navigation takes place in a third-person perspective via a virtual thumbstick that appears anywhere you touch the screen, you’re able to go in any direction.
Combat is controlled using a classic “menu turn-based battle system”. During a player’s turn there is the option of attempting an escape from the battle, or to fight Solo or as a Pair. If Solo is chosen, the player has the ability to choose an individual attack for each member of the party, while Pair allows for a single, stronger attack. However, when in pair mode, both members of the party are open to a hit by a single enemy. In addition to attack, you can use magic known as “genes”, use items, or simply defend against an enemy’s attack. Finally, we have the Break meter! Its the meter in the top left that says Even. Its an indicator that gives you a general idea on who currently has the advantage. Make sure its always you!
The game is really flexible with saving, you can save anywhere in the field or simply hit the Home button and it’ll do a Quicksave automatically.
Magic in this game comes in 4 elements; Non-elemental, Blaze, Aqua, Gale. These follow a “Rock, Paper Scissors” method; Blaze is strong against Gale which is stronger than Aqua which is stronger than Blaze. Non-elemental obviously has no weaknesses or strength, although some enemies are weak against attacking. After casting a spell, your character changes his/her element to the one matching the spells, this applies to enemies too; use it to your advantage!
After a successful battle, the duo receives experience points and Ohnz (abbreviated as “Oz”). Ohnz are the currency in Ark Arena, and can be used to purchase items, weapons, armor, and jewels. Also in the Battle Result page, you see an in-game meter indicating how much of your battery is left.
The game has amazingly smooth 3D graphics, the characters are all in 3D and the environments are a mix of pre-rendered graphics and 3D ala Final Fantasy VIII, minus the blockiness. The textures are incredibly beautiful! In my opinion I’d say they lie somewhere between PSone and PS2; slightly better than most PSP games. Speaking of beauty, this game has an phenomenal soundtrack! The music communicates the game’s themes perfectly.
What We Think: It’s a winning formula of plot, music, graphics, and gameplay that’s optimized for a mobile gaming platform making it by far the best iPhone RPG I’ve played so far! I highly recommend it for any iPhone gamer!
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