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Zanzarah: Hidden Portal
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RPGDot Forums > CRPGs General

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Northchild
Fearless Paladin
Fearless Paladin




Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 232
Location: New York, USA
Zanzarah: Hidden Portal
   

Hi all,

I downloaded and installed the demo for this PC game today. It took over two full minutes to load when I first started it up, leaving me to wonder if my PC had crashed.

The graphics, audio, and movement are great. When I got into my first battle, my display went blank. The music kept playing, but the game never came back, forcing me to reset.

Does anyone have any in-depth opinions about this game? The Gamespot review was a little lukewarm... mostly interested in opinions from people who like turn-based games like myself.

Many thanks!
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Post Fri Oct 17, 2003 7:58 am
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Bach & Baroque
Village Leader
Village Leader




Joined: 02 Jul 2002
Posts: 86
Location: United States
   

As you noted yourself, the graphics and audio are great. In my mind, fantastic, some of the best I've seen for the PC. The music is utterly sublime, and unlike any other I've heard used in game. If you ever decide to purchase the game, keep an ear out for the music in the town of Dunmore ... perhaps the best PC game track I've heard! It aids in creating a vibrant fairy-tale fantasy atmosphere. The sound effects are equally impressive. Ambient noises are life-like and varied. And the graphics are awesome. The bucolic villages are lushly rendered. Rustic homes and shops, waterfalls and streams, trees and vegetation ... I don't think any other game keys in so well to those child-like, nostalgic ideals of fantasy and fairy-tales as Zanzarah.

On the flip side, the character development is unforgivably shallow. I feel like I don't have any better idea of the heroine Amy at the end of the game than I did at the beginning. Dialogue choices are limited to the very occasional Yes and No. In addition, there are few consistent NPC's that you see frequently enough to become in any way connected with.

And, oh, the fairy fights ... They *quickly* become tedium. I too often found myself avoiding the trees and stones that enemy fairies usually sprang forth from ... which would only come back to haunt me, as unpassable boss characters would annihilate me in seconds.

One doesn't usually say this, but if the game were shorter, I might recommend it. It is, in fact, a pretty lengthy game (especially given all those danged fairy fights). I found myself slogging through the latter half of it. (Like a book, I hate to start something and then not finish it!)

EDIT: Cool signature, by the way, Northchild! I love Travis. Especially the song "Love"!
Post Fri Oct 17, 2003 2:02 pm
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Zephyr Elvirion
Baron of the Court
Baron of the Court




Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Posts: 336
Location: New Zealand.
   

I've not heard of the game, but thanx for the wonderful review Bach & Baroque. Do you review for a living? If not, you should. Anyway, back to the game, sounds like something I might buy just for the music.
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Post Fri Oct 17, 2003 8:38 pm
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Gorath
Mostly Harmless
Mostly Harmless




Joined: 03 Sep 2001
Posts: 6327
Location: NRW, Germany
   

This thread should be moved to General CRPG.

You can find Zanzarah in the RPGDot data base. I think GamesDomain had a very detailed review. Seems to be a weird genre mix of everything except RTS.
Exceptional game for a female audience with a preference for adventure games.

It´s still on my to buy list, I´m still waiting for it to sink below 10 EUR.

For the stability problem you should visit the official forum. Maybe an older graphics driver can help.
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Post Sun Oct 19, 2003 9:32 am
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Ariel
Harmonious Angel
Harmonious Angel




Joined: 21 Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Location: Germany
   

quote:
Originally posted by Gorath
Exceptional game for a female audience with a preference for adventure games.

Hush! I've played it too, and it's on my list of most memorable games, just for its childhood-dreamlike atmosphere.
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Post Sun Oct 19, 2003 11:37 am
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HiddenX
The Elder Spy
The Elder Spy




Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 749
Location: NRW / Germany
   

Very nice game for fans of turn based combat and character leveling.


PS:

Gorath: I think it is a low-price game already.
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Post Mon Oct 20, 2003 7:14 am
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