ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal
Encyclopedia
ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal is an action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...

 computer game by German Funatics Development, released in 2002 by publisher THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...

. An add-on
Add-on
Add-on might mean:* Plug-in , a piece of software which enhances another software application and usually cannot be run independently** Browser extension, which modifies the interface and/or behavior of web browsers...

, ZanZarah: The Lost Village (an unofficial title used by fans), was in development in 2002, but was later cancelled.

Plot

The game follows the story of Amy, a young girl from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 who on her eighteenth birthday receives the strangest present in her life - a magic rune - from an even stranger creature, a goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...

 who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared without saying anything. The rune was one of the teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

 runes that the inhabitants of a magic parallel world
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

 ZanZarah used to travel across their lands.

Upon her arrival in ZanZarah, Amy discovers that she is the one an ancient prophecy told of and that it is her destiny to become the greatest fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...

 trainer of all times and save both her world and ZanZarah from impendent destruction. Of course, to accomplish that she must undertake a long journey but being an inquisitive and optimistic person, Amy readily accepts her destiny. After all, this world of ZanZarah looks so much more beautiful and safe than hers...

World of ZanZarah

ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal features a detailed fantasy world
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...

 called ZanZarah.

History

Long ago, our world and ZanZarah were one. Magical creatures like fairies, elves, dwarves and goblins lived in peace with humans for a long time and magic was an important part of our world. But then came the dark times, the times of Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...

 and a great magic purge. The magical creatures had to flee from our world to save themselves. And the human Druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....

s, the last wielders of white magic, helped them by creating a world suitable for their existence and sealing the way there for the human race.

For centuries, the two worlds were separated and prospering. The creatures of ZanZarah sometimes visited their former home but generally preferred to stay in the new one. For humans, the way to ZanZarah was forever sealed by a mysterious machine called the Guardian. However, as the time passed, the magic world became more and more a prison rather than a paradise for the magic folk. It became harder to cross the border between the worlds even for the inhabitants of ZanZarah. Wild faeries started attacking the travelers for no apparent reason. Strange creatures calling themselves "dark elves" appeared on the roads. And the White Druid, the last of the mighty creators of ZanZarah, seems helpless against them...

Not only ZanZarah is affected by this strange plague. The ancient and half-forgotten by that time world of humans also suffers from a loss of something very important - the magic. A prophecy as old as ZanZarah itself tells that when time comes, a savior will come from the world of humans to restore the balance between the two universes and between the magic folk and the humans will once again reign peace. Until then, however, fairies, elves, dwarves and goblins have to wait and hope...

Geography and ethnics

The world of ZanZarah is inhabited by a number of fantasy races, all of them smaller than humans in size.
  • Elves are short humanoid
    Humanoid
    A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...

     creatures visually nearly identical to humans but about half their size. They are generally very friendly and make great artists and musicians. Elves prefer to settle in moderate woods of the southwest regions of ZanZarah, their biggest village is called Endeva. They prefer to build simple one-room houses out of wood. Their language (which Amy is mysteriously able to comprehend) carries a strong resemblance to French
    French language
    French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

     (phonetically). Elves also appear to be the majority in Tiralin (a city built together by elves, dwarves and goblins in the center of ZanZarah) probably because it is located in the woods.
  • Goblins are also humanoid but have a distinctive face and skin structure which makes them impossible to mistake. Just as the elves, they are about half the size of a human and share the elfish friendliness. However, their habit to settle in swampy regions of eastern ZanZarah makes their village, Dunmore, not very attractive for travelers. Goblins are known as fishers, hunters and explorers - as opposite to mostly home-sitting elves and dwarves. They build their houses on piles to keep them above the swamp surface. Their language doesn't resemble any human one.
  • Dwarves are dwarves in this incarnation just as they are anywhere - short, sturdy, bearded and unwelcoming to any guests. Their settlement is called Monagham and is hidden deep in the caves under the northwestern peaks of ZanZarah. The only way to enter the settlement except for a teleportation rune is through a labyrinth of caves starting not far from the Dwarf Tower, an ancient outpost of the lightly paranoid
    Paranoia
    Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...

     dwarves. As usual, dwarves make excellent smiths and are actually capable of creating fairies out of metal. Their language somewhat resembles German
    German language
    German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

    .


The three peoples mentioned above are actually the three sentient races that fled our world when ZanZarah was created. In order to keep in touch with each other, they at some point decided to build a city that would welcome anyone, no matter what their race. That city was Tiralin, the biggest settlement in ZanZarah, located in the ancient woods roughly in the middle of the world.
  • Fairies are a semi-sentient race and the pillars of magic in the world of ZanZarah. In fact, they are magic of the world. Fairies inhabit every corner of the world and vary in appearance from angel
    Angel
    Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...

    ic beings of light to fiery dragon
    Dragon
    A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

    s and winged polar bear
    Polar Bear
    The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...

    s. Their size is never greater than a few inches. Usually, wild fairies do not (or do not want to) show any sign of intelligence except taunts and war cries but some, especially the ones associated with light and darkness, sometimes display an ability to learn and speak. Once captured, a fairy is no longer considered sentient, becoming a part of its master's power. See below for more information on fairy training.
  • Shadow Elves are a twisted and evil version of normal elves. They do not belong to the "true" races of ZanZarah and started appearing there only shortly before Amy's arrival. However, they have proven themselves a great disturbance since every one of them is a fairy trainer skilled in using the fairy abominations of darkness and chaos. Their origin apparently lies in the Shadow Realm, a mysterious semi-spiritual space underneath ZanZarah where only the bravest dare to enter. Their distinctive features include black and red robes and glowing red eyes.
  • Pixies are non-sentient creatures that started plaguing ZanZarah roughly at the same time as the shadow elves. They are found all over the world. Many elves and goblins fear and loathe them for no apparent reason, since pixies are absolutely harmless (at least, to a human). Some elves even make a livelihood by hunting them. Pixie hunting is somewhat of an Easter egg in the game (see "pixel hunting").


The Shadow Realm is a place of great evil in the depth of ZanZarah, even deeper than the lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...

 caves of the dwarves. There are a few entrances into it: one is in the pixie hunter Lucius' cellar where he keeps captured pixies. Another one is in the catacombs beneath Tiralin. But the main entrance leading to the s.c. Shadow Realm is hidden deep in the southeastern swamps of ZanZarah.

Fairies

Fairies are the pillars of magic and of ZanZarah itself. They are everywhere in the world of ZanZarah - in trees, rocks, waterfalls, even ancient ruins. In a way, their power keeps the world going.

An occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...

 art of fairy training allows a sentient being - be it a human, an elf, a goblin, a dwarf or a dark elf - to train fairies and use their power to affect the world around them. With fairies' help a skilled trainer can control all elements and even other fairies. More important, though, are the s.c. fairy duels, which are often the only way to deal with one's enemies. These duels follow a certain etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...

 that, for example, states that only five fairies are allowed per duelist of which only one can enter the spiritual dueling arena at a time. Other rules include fighting until total annihilation of all opponent's fairies and a duelist's right to change the fairy in the field at any moment. And last but not least, fairy training is virtually the only way to guarantee one's survival in the regions of ZanZarah where wild faeries are at large.

Fairy trainers name 77 different types of fairies and divide them into twelve categories by their corresponding element. Some of the fairies can be captured in the wilderness using a special fairy sphere; others may only be acquired by training a fairy until it is ready to switch its type, often becoming even more powerful than before. The fairy elemental categories include:
  • Nature. Nature fairies can be found in any wood and anywhere else as long as there are any trees or bushes in the region. They are considered to be the reason behind the blossoming biosphere
    Biosphere
    The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...

     of ZanZarah. Equipped with an artifact called the Fairy Card of Nature, a nature fairy can destroy the prickly bushes that plague ZanZarah and hinder the exploration of the world.
  • Air. Air fairies inhabit exclusively the Cloud Realm high in the atmosphere of northeastern ZanZarah and the surroundings of the White Cathedral also located in the Realm. If an air fairy is equipped with the Fairy Card of Air, it can, under certain conditions, use wind currents to fly its trainer over or onto some locations not accessible otherwise.
  • Water. Water fairies live in all more or less important water entities - rivers, lakes, waterfalls and even swamps. They are known for their lesser aggressiveness compared to other fairies and an artifact called the Ocean Conch shell is used to lure them out of their shelter.
  • Light. Light fairies are probably the rarest and most powerful fairies in ZanZarah. They are also extremely difficult to capture and to train. The only places one can find them are ancient ruins, for example, those beyond Tiralin. Light faeries are indispensable for anyone who enters the Underworld.
  • Energy. Energy fairies are also extremely rare and can only be found in forgotten ruins and the Underworld, as well as in some private collections. It is speculated that energy fairies retain some connection with the electricity-driven human world and the technological dwarves are therefore especially fond of owning them.
  • Psi. Psi fairies are probably the strangest fairies in ZanZarah. Their powers are usually much more subtle than those wielded by other types but very often just as or even more devastating. For example, they are especially proud of a technique that reflects all damage inflicted upon them on the attacker making the enemies kill themselves with their own hands. Another popular magic teleports
    Teleportation
    Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

     the enemy fairy all over the arena until it falls down from it, which constitutes a defeat. Psi are among the most powerful fairies in the world and can only be found in one cave deep in the mountains. Equipped with the Fairy Card of Psi, a psi fairy can locate the nearest wild fairy and report its location to the trainer.
  • Stone. Stone fairies can be found anywhere where rocks are, which means "everywhere". They are generally much sturdier than others but also less agile. If equipped with the Fairy Card of Stone, a stone fairy is capable of moving large rocks out of its trainer's way.
  • Ice. Ice fairies inhabit exclusively the ice peaks of northwestern ZanZarah. Even wild, they are extremely dangerous and difficult to capture. Once captured, however, their impressive spells and powers make them the all-round fairies in most cases. Along with light and psi fairies, the ice ones are considered the most powerful in ZanZarah.
  • Fire. Fire fairies can only be found in the caves filled with lava
    Lava
    Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...

     (which dwarves use to power their forges) beneath Monagham. When equipped with the Fairy Card of Fire, a fire fairy can protect its trainer from extreme temperatures deeper in the lava caves.
  • Darkness. Dark fairies inhabit the Underworld. The only chance to see them in the daylight is when dueling their trainer and, rarely, in some ancient ruins. Together with the chaos fairies, the dark ones are the dark elves' "fairies of choice".
  • Chaos. Chaos fairies also inhabit the Underworld and are the dark elves' favorites, too. However, their powers can be even more devastating since many of them follow the psi techniques and are often just as troublesome.
  • Metal. Metal fairies are not "true" fairies of ZanZarah. Instead, they were forged by the dwarves, either to guard their vaults or just out of pure scientific interest. Metal fairies are very flexible, meaning that given the necessary instruments, a trainer can "upgrade" them to a more powerful form at any time. Metal fairies can only be found in Dwarven works and some other special locations.


Different fairy elements react differently with each other, for example, the calming force of Nature is extremely effective against the chaotic energy of Psi and Chaos. On the other hand, Fire and Ice easily destroy anything Nature has to offer. Only by effectively applying these principles, can a fairy trainer become a true fairy duelist. In addition to usual training and form transformation, a fairy can become more powerful by learning new techniques and spells chosen by its trainer. The techniques may, in some cases, not only deal damage to opponent's fairies but also have some special effects, especially in case of Psi and Chaos.

Gameplay

The overall gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...

 in ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal is a simple example of the genre. Following the tradition of Pokémon series, the game process is divided into battle and exploration phases. In the exploration phase, the player navigates Amy through the world of ZanZarah. The freedom of movement is limited by many obstacles, such as prickly bushes, huge boulders, enemies, doors or elevators one has to find keys for, etc. In the classic adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...

 style, Amy explores the environment, solves various puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...

s, gathers items and interacts with NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...

s. Another aspect of non-battle phase is RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

-like healing, restoring magic powers, assigning spells to the fairies and rearranging the fairy "deck" Amy has with her on her travels.

Traveling via the global map is impossible, but Amy can use magical teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

 runes to shift to virtually any key location - provided, of course, she has already found the corresponding rune. One rune can even teleport her back to London where all fairies she captured but not added to her "deck" stay. It is nearly impossible for Amy to die in ZanZarah (apart from falling from a cliff, drowning in a swamp, and jumping into a river of lava) and even if she "dies", she resumes her journey at the entrance to the location with all the inventory and fairy statistics she had prior to her "death".

The battle phase begins when Amy is attacked by a wild fairy or challenged to a fairy duel and ends when all enemies or her own fairies are defeated. In the latter case, Amy "dies" and respawns at the entrance to the location in the condition she was prior to the battle. While in the battle phase, the player navigates one fairy out of Amy's "deck" through a dueling arena (of which there are dozens of layouts) in a first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...

 style. Each fairy has two offence-defense pairs of spells which it can switch any time. To actually shoot at an enemy with an offensive spell, the player must hold down the left mouse button to accumulate some charge rather than just tap it. It is important to have some knowledge of arena layouts and a good timing to pull off the most deadly attacks.

Soundtrack

Several critics praised the music of ZanZarah: The Hidden Portal Most of the themes were created by a German composer King Einstein (also known for his work on the Cultures RTS
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....

 series). The title theme Come With Me was composed and performed by British-Latvian singer Kariina Gretere (aka Karina Gretere), whom some compare to Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...

.

The entire soundtrack can be freely downloaded from the official site.

Add-on

An unnamed add-on (some fans refer to it as ZanZarah: The Lost Village) to the game has been in development in the second half of 2002. Apparently, it would have featured an entirely new village named Gramire and some new characters including an unlucky King Ironir. However, the project was cancelled due to marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

 reasons and only a few materials remained in its wake:
  • A selection of screenshots has been available on the official site, but all of them were later removed by the administration
  • A short teaser trailer
    Teaser trailer
    A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...

    has been released on the official site
  • The music theme of Gramire can be downloaded from King Einstein's website

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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