Burn Baby, Burn!

Against the Fire! (US$0.99), ia rather ominously named adventure application developed by the team at Meridian. Meridian are also responsible for the excellent RPG app Alive 4-ever, of which Against the Fire! bares more than a slight resemblance to. Meridian have stuck to their winning design and gameplay formula in Against the Fire! The basic gameplay premise in Against the Fire! is almost exactly the same as Alive 4-ever and this is not necessarily a bad thing. Both apps offer similar thrills and spills, but come is vastly different visual packages.

Against the Fire! is an adventure application which bases itself around the fact that your character (Andrew, an amateur fireman), must rescue helpless civilians from a hotel which is being invaded by "Fire ball monsters". The idea is great and I was excited to have the responsibility of reviewing this app. Meridian has managed to differentiate this application from the many RPG shooter games out there, both on iPhone and non-iPhone platforms. Against the Fire! is cleverly disguised as a fun and innocent heroism-based app, but if you swap the harmless fire-hose with a loaded a gun and the Fire ball monsters with a living enemy (Zombies, anyone?), this app is RPG shooter to the core. In my mind, this kind of differentiation should be applauded, as it adds depth to a very theme-shallow genre and invites new fans into the RPG world.

Aside from the fantastic premise and inviting aesthetics, Against the Fire! still has some catching up to do before it is on par with its big brother (or sister, depending on what you're into) application, Alive 4-ever. The area which lags behind the most is the actual enjoyment that is received via the gameplay.  I don't like saying this, but, I did not find Against the Fire! particularly enjoyable, which is a shame, as it is loaded with potential. The two main issues which caused this unfortunate letdown are; that I found the character's movements difficult to control and that after the first five levels the game becomes ridiculously difficult. Other members of the MyAppSource team agree with me on the sudden jump in difficulty but not necessarily on my lack of manoeuverability during gameplay.



Luckily, the team at MyAppSource is full of ideas men (or women, depending on what you're into) and we have come up with some simple ways in which Against the Fire! can be altered to make this review redundant. The first idea we had was, if the difficulty of the levels (at least for the first seven or so) be toned down a little so that users can get a better feel for the game and not consider themselves hopeless when they are unable to complete the fifth level. The next, and perhaps most mind-blowingly revolutionary idea we've had, is to change the means of controlling the character. The directional pad is a bit small for my grown-man fingers and I believe that Against the Fire!'s gameplay would only stand to improve if the character was moved by 'tilt' control. Tilt control in this app would, in my opinion, make the gameplay incredibly entertaining and provide another point of differentiation for Against the Fire! as I have not yet played, or witnessed, any accelerometer controlled RPG apps.

All in all, Against the Fire! is not a lost cause by any stretch of the imagination. With a few minor adjustments this app would drastically improve. At less than a dollar and with many positive iTunes Store reviews this app is worth the purchase, if only to prove me wrong in my assertion that the gameplay is a little too tough. Don't hesitate to send us an email or drop us a comment about how hopeless we are at Against the Fire!, and to tell us that the level's aren't that hard, we'll probably ignore you, but it's worth a shot.

MyAppSource Rating: Three Stars!

The Legend of Zenonia

Zenonia (US$2.99 [at the moment it is on sale at half price!]), is a surprisingly good adventure and quest-based application. Though the name may not give it away, this game is a very detailed, polished and action-packed member of the adventure game genre. GAMEVIL has created another superstar of an application with Zenonia. Zenonia brings back memories of the old Nintendo and GameBoy that everyone loved growing up. Zenonia is a much more advanced mix of the Legend of Zelda and Pokemon games.

The game play in the world of Zenonia is tremendous. You have the ability to create your own storyline, which depends on the characters you choose and which quests you accept or decline. This is an excellent feature as it allows for the game to be played numerous times, without it becoming bland or repetitive. Each character has a gigantic arsenal of weapons, items, upgrades, skills and options. All of these features add to a polished sense during gameplay, as each seperate item, upgrade and skill leads to a different level of ability in your character. This game plays like it has been made for a much bigger console. With that I mean that GAMEVIL have not left anything out simply because it is designed for an iPhone or iPod Touch. All the features you would expect on a big budget, big hype PS3 or Xbox game are included.

The graphics are exceptional and each character, enemy and environment is presented in great detail. The options menu may become cluttered and difficult to decipher during your initiation into Zenonia, but as you play on you will fully learn how utilize all of the options and features you are presented with. The detail that is present in every aspect of the app really highlights the effort that must have been made to make this as seemless transition as possible, from traditional console game to iPhone application. The effort has definitely paid dividends.




Zenonia boasts and impressive and useful variety of ways to play. These features give the user total control over their story and in this senario the total control allows the game play to be manipulated in an infinite number of new and exciting ways. Fantasy and adventure games have not always been my favourite and I tend to become disinterested rather quickly (the crazy characters, strange powers and absurd creatures will do that to you). I wish MyAppSource could rate using half stars, but alas, we cannot, so Zenonia will have to settle for a very respectable four stars. This app is a must-buy for adventure game fans. At the moment it is half price, so purchase it before the price goes back up to $5.99, you will enjoy it immensely.

MyAppSource Rating: Four Stars!