If nothing else, it has been an interesting experience reviewing Zenonia 5. The last game in the series played by this reviewer was the first, and it's interesting to see what's changed and what has stayed the same. In this latest installment there has been a war brewing between the rich and the poor, so much so that it has attracted the attention of demons. You start off as an apprentice in a small town that has dreamed of this conflict, and embark on a journey to try and put things right. Pretty standard plot as RPGs go, so how does the gameplay hold up?

Well in terms of structure, the only thing changed is the greater focus on narrative. The first Zenonia put you out into the action pretty quickly, but Zenonia 5 has a lengthy intro, and it takes about ten or fifteen minutes before you're allowed to go out and kill things. Aside from that, it's your standard RPG fare; grab quests from a town, kill monsters, level up your stats and gain new abilities, gain new gear, rinse and repeat. Alongside this is the ability to play online PvP or try your hand at the daily challenges in The Abyss to earn loot.

The four character classes available to play are the Beserker, Mechanic, Wizard, and Paladin; pretty much melee, ranged, magic, and healer... although each is a little more specialized than those standard roles. The game touts an innovative visceral combat system, but what this amounts to is tapping the attack button in quick rhythmic succession to unleash a combo, and seeing you'll be doing this over and over again (Zenonia is known to be a grind-heavy RPG) the only thing really visceral about the system is the wear it has on your patience.

Upgraded abilities allow more spectacular and damaging attacks, but these wear down your magic so you'll want to use them sparingly. Also, the analogue stick seems to act more like a directional pad, with your attacks only really having an effect in a horizontal or vertical fashion. The combo finishers are area affect, so you can hit multiple foes that aren't exactly in your line of fire, but this seems more of an oversight than an allowance of the combat system itself.

As always the sprite art is of a high quality with decent musical accompaniment, but everything on the iPhone screen is quite small, especially the text. Definitely not for those with eyesight problems. Really whether or not you'll enjoy the latest in the Zenonia series is how you enjoyed the previous games or the idea of grind-heavy RPGs. Personally, it's not a mechanic I enjoy, but there are plenty that do. The gameplay here will certainly satisfy them. Those that are more interested in a stream-lined RPG experience should look elsewhere.