Gamevil Korean rpgs

[coyotecraft]

Gamevil is a Korean publisher for iphone, ipad, and android games. I've was drawn to them because I was interested in their action rpgs. Unfortunately I can't play any of them because I don't use those devices. I had an android phone 3-4 years ago and I remember playing a demo for Zenonia 1 or 2. I was pretty impressed with the graphics; people making resources for rpg maker should be talking notes.
Apparently K-rpg is a term now. Characterized by lots of quests and grinding. I also think special effects could fit in there; think of lots of flashy battle animations that have a specific overlay look. The games are very attractive, but I don't think I could sink my teeth into them. I've played Crimson Gem Saga on the psp which is also a krpg, and I just couldn't finish it. As pretty as it is, I need a compelling story and characters to keep me playing which (from my limited exposure) is something krpgs seem to lack. What I've seen in videos, you're usually treated to a scrolling wall of text as an introduction and then only brief bits of dialog between quests. It's storytelling at a bare minimum; and you can spend so much time running back and forward killing everything on the screen it starts to feel meaningless and easy to forget what was going on in the story. But it could just be that I've sampled the wrong games. Plus action rpgs probably move a lot faster then turn-base rpgs.

Here are some different action-rpgs published by gamevil. Screenshots don't do the sprite animations justice but neither do the video reviews with low frame rates or trying to record their iphone in a dark room. A lot of these series change their graphic style with every installment, which is kinda surprising.

Wild Frontier

Zenonia 3

Zenonia 5

Inotia 2

Immortal Dusk

 

[Erichermit]

From scanning the pictures, they look like fairly good-quality games for phone.

One thing I will never be able to bear is a on-screen D-Pad or Joystick though. =| I feel like games for phones should be designed about a touch-centric control scheme instead of trying to imitate other platforms.

 

[coyotecraft]

Yeah, that's my thought too. But they also work for ipads and tablets. I'll try playing one on my mom's tablet this weekend, if it it's compatible and has enough storage space.

 

[Daxis]

They made Crimson Gem Saga? Man. Crimson Gem Saga was one of the worst RPG experiences in recent times for me. I kept going playing waiting to see if it gets better - it had that campy, niche feel in the beginning that promised something better. NOPE. Ugh. Just hacked all the gold then beat the bosses up.

In general the KRPGs feel fun, particularly as you start out, and have really good art... but I don't know, besides maybe Zenonia which was mildly decent, they feel kinda hollow or unsatisfying.

 

[coyotecraft]

I was just saying crimson gem was a krpg. Pretty sure it wasn't published by gamevil. I'm not sure about the developers either.
Taking a closer look. I forgot how mobile games are designed around microtransactions. So they aren't that fun. And the animation is hit and miss.
Immortal dusk has a really cool whip animation. Not something you see often in this style. But the walking animation is so slow they might as well be sliding around the screen. And all the sprites have bobbing heads;imo looks bad.

I'm really only studying the pixel art.

 

[Erichermit]

I hate that all mobile games nowadays seem to be built around microtransactions. Is that true for these games?

 

[coyotecraft]

Immortal Dusk has an annoying ad banner covering the start button so you have to follow the ad before you can start playing. If you die you have the option to start back at the last save point or pay $3 to be revived right there. Its like it's testing your patience. Kill things in Forest 1 for this quest, kill things in Forest 2 for the next quest. Not very deep.
The closer I look, the more formulaic they seem.

 

[Erichermit]

I don't have a problem with devs making money. In fact, as a prospective commercial dev, I would be a hypocrite to say so. Monetization is an important part of any successful game.

But something I DO hate is when a game is obviously only made for the sake of money. When I see a game that is trying to sell me cookies or bananas left and right and throws ads up absolutely incessantly, or does stuff like "Pay money to revive (IE pay money to automatically WIN!)" it makes me sick. I find it hard to believe that anyone who makes such a game actually feels truly proud of themselves. If you yourself wouldn't play the game you're making, It's probably not something worth making.

I generally don't mind paying for content however (such as the game itself, game subscription, or for extended game areas/levels.) I also don't mind paying for cosmetics (in a multiplayer game, for example.) Hell, I don't even mind MMOs selling gold or useful items, so long as the game itself isn't built around expecting you to do so. (No +15 best sword of awesome only from cash store, please.) But when the core of the game isn't enjoyment but rather a vehicle for monetization, it falls apart very easily.

Sorry, I think I may have derailed your topic into my own personal monetization rant. =X

 

[Jason]

I wonder if any of their games support the control pad of the Xperia Play...