Years before the iPhone debuted in 2007, Square Enix began developing Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games for Japanese mobile phone networks. Games like Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII were built for Japan’s then-advanced flip phones, with gameplay mechanics reliant on hardware like a camera phone.
It took only a few years for touchscreen smartphones to eclipse the popularity and viability of flip phones for video games. RPG franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Fire Emblem all have wildly popular mobile entries. But one RPG franchise, developed natively for mobile phones, is often overlooked. Over 15 years ago, Zenonia proved that mobile phones could run complete, console-worthy games — without ties to an outside IP.
Developed and published by Gamevil, Zenonia first launched in 2008 for mobile phones in South Korea. It reached the United States’ App Store in 2009 and the Google Play Store in 2010, before getting Nintendo DSi and PlayStation Portable ports. A few years after dropping off several mobile game stores, such as the iPhone App Store, gamers can once again experience Zenonia’s classic RPG gameplay on PC.
Graphically, Zenonia 1 resembles early Zelda games — like an upgraded version of A Link to the Past. The main character, Regret, looks like an early Cloud Strife design, with spiky blond hair and a massive greatsword. Regret is a fairly typical RPG protagonist, embarking on a fairly typical RPG story: he’s a 17-year-old boy trying to find out how his adoptive father died.
Zenonia 1 features rapid, overhead action. The new PC port swaps an on-screen D-pad for keyboard and controller support, though the core combat mechanics of attacks and equippable skills remain the same. You pick one of three classes: Paladin, Warrior, or Assassin, each with a full skill tree. From there, you can customize your playstyle further with hundreds of weapons.
The game stands apart from similar mobile RPGs thanks to its dynamic alignment system, where player choices can determine whether Regret leans “good” or “evil.” For example, completing NPC-requested side quests can push your alignment toward “good.” In addition to managing Regret’s moral compass, you also need to make sure he’s well-fed and not saddled with too much gear — hunger can decrease his SP, while too much armor can hinder your movement speed.
Zenonia 1 can take anywhere from 15 to 30 hours for a full playthrough. The game’s real-time combat, emphasis on exploration, and clever dialogue can eat up a lot of time. For the first time ever, you can officially play Zenonia 1 on Windows PC.