Nintendo Switch – Tanzia #195

It is like Vanilla World of Warcraft but without the MMO part…

Tanzia – Nintendo Switch – Released: 7/19/18 – $16.99

Short Review (Review copy provided by Arcanity)

Tanzia is a strange game, it seems as though it pulls from many things but I felt strongly about the connection to old school MMOs. I spend my younger years playing World of Warcraft with friends… sorry parents on the money wasted, and this game felt like a distance memory. Booting it up I thought it was going to be more like an open world game like Super Mario 64 but I found it to be a mix of Banjo Kazooie with World of Warcraft. Tanzia’s world isn’t jam packed with collectables but has enough side quests to satisfy any open world player. While I did find the style and gameplay interesting, there was one issue, enemies can feel unbalanced at time. Any new area could mean certain death if I wasn’t prepared with potions for healing or speed or invisibility. This meant a lot of grinding…. which if you know Vanilla Warcraft is like beating up the level one enemies for a few minutes then moving on to a different colored version until you could take on the big version of the starter enemy. It is a shame that the game isn’t as balanced as it should be but there are plenty of things to do if you aren’t aiming for the end right away. I would find myself doing the side quests just so I wouldn’t have to grind as much but still gain money, loot, and leveling up. The game pads itself a bit with this to make the game seem longer if it was possible to just mow down enemies and do story missions, the game would be finished in a few sittings. This is the only real issue with the game since I would find myself running around from enemies just to get out of range to turn around and they are still following me. Enemies will follow you until you get to the next zone but unlike MMOs, none of the NPCs will help you if you are on the verge of death. I would give this game a 8 out of 10! If the game had a little more polish on balancing then it would be either a 9 or 10. It is a really fun game that a small indie studio was able to produce.

Capt1ure

Story

Strangely enough the story is pretty interesting as typically the hero has something tragic happen and you have to deal with it. Tanzia isn’t as straight forward which is a pleasant surprise. The Akazi is the race that lives on an island when they are attacked by the Skeleton King. He is easily defeated by one person but swears to come back. You are born and show that you are powerful in the magical arts known as arcanity. The Skeleton King recruits a power assassin known as the “Shade” to kill you to end the bloodline. You are slain in the forest and your grandfather comes to your rescue to find that you are already dead. This happens to just be an illusion and you are sent away so you are safe. The Skeleton King decides it is now time to attack once again.

Gameplay

This is just like an old MMO with the multiple buttons on the bottom for picking a spells and menus to use items. I actually enjoyed this a lot since it brought back a lot of memories of sitting at my computer. It is fairly simple to pick up and play as well since everything is controlled easily. The major difference I found with this is making potions yourself which range from healing, recover MP, running faster, etc. Just your standard stuff. Once you go outside of the intro area you are greeted with dozens of enemies that when enraged will attack you. Enemies will attack you if you get close as well. I found it best to use spells from a distance and slowly pick at enemies. You can go in and fight hand to hand but your weapon does little damage. The problem with magic is you could enrage other enemies and they will swarm you. You have missions you can do but you will find NPCs have plenty of side quests for you as well. The map points you roughly where you need to go so you are never lost either. The game is really simple so not much to really talk about, it is a solid game after the first 30 minutes learning how to play.

Personal Experience

Tanzia is a strange mixed bag since the game plays like an MMO and looks like old school N64 games. So many people may not be into it just because of that but personally I had a great time. The fights are nice even if by the end you could either be overpowered or getting beaten no matter what you try. I would say if you think this game looks good check it out since I know I had a great time but it definitely isn’t for everyone. One of my main concerns with the game was the MMO aspect of it since the world if fairly large. You will be using the teleporting to get to locations but that means you are missing out on easy experience to level up.

Final Thoughts

This is greatly a depending on the person sort of game since I was excited once I saw the trailer. It looks so clean and the cutscenes looks amazing so props to whoever did the art work for the game. Tanzia looks amazing even if you may not have the greatest of times. At the moment the game is worth the price since I have put around 20 hours into the game but that was just to rush to fight the final boss and move on. I ended getting side tracked multiple times during the adventure so if you like side quests and looking for items there is plenty of that. NPCs are kind of bland but honestly you will be spending the bulk of your time fighting enemies and going from location to location to even bother the NPCs that much to socialize with them. I would give Tanzia, an 8 out of 10! While not perfect there are definitely some areas of improvement when it comes to balancing the game for people who just want to play for the story. I really hope to see a Tanzia 2 in the future!

My Gameplay Footage: