A History of Korean Gaming

노리맥스 영웅전 (Norimax Yeongung-jeon) / Norimax Heroes - Mobile (December 2005)

Poster

The War of Genesis vs Astonishia Story: The hottest thinkable crossover in Korean games is... a mobile game, developed by Sonnori's (still) mobile game division Ironnos.

Astonishia Story 2: Fate to Unhorse One (어스토니시아스토리2) / Crimson Gem Saga / Garnet Chronicle - GXG (October 2006), PSP (October 23, 2008), iOS (August 3, 2010)

Korean PSP Cover

Sonnori had announced plans for a follow-up to their debut hit as early as 2001, but nothing came out of it until much later, after the team was divided into three companies. Ironnos' first release after separating from their mother company is probably one of Korea's longest awaited sequels after Starcraft 2. Originally made for the gaming cellphone standard GXG and only available in Korea, Ironnos eventually brought the game to the PSP, and to the world, together with Ntreev.

Known in the west as Crimson Gem Saga (and in Japan as Garnet Chronicle), the game itself is closer to a typical JRPG, the PSP version adds more content, more graphics, more bosses, and an automap. The combat also got changed, from a typical ATB system to an "ordinary" turn-based one33. In 2010 the PSP version als ogot ported for iPhone.

TV Heroes (TV히어로즈) / 전파소년단 (Jeonpa Sonyeondan) - Windows (June 1, 2006)

Poster

A side-scrolling multiplayer action game by Sonnori, provided on Gravity's portal Stylia. Shut down on September 19th, 2008.

Love Forty (러브포티) - Windows (May 1, 2006)

Cartoon tennis game, also provided through Stylia and shut down September 2008.

시프리는 괴로워 (Sipeuri-neun Goeroweo) - Mobile (March 5, 2007)

Ironnos' final mobile title, a 1st person reaction combat game.

Fantasy Golf 팡야 Portable (Fantasy Golf Pangya Portable) - PSP (December 24, 2008)

Korean Cover

While Tecmo is responsible for the Wii episodes of Pangya (known in the west as Super Swing Golf, Ntreev took care of the PSP port themselves.

Ghost Face (고스트페이스) - Mobile (November 26, 2009)

Artwork

Based on a dark and edgy manhwa series of the same name, Ntreev's Ghost Face looks like it could make a truly great sidescroller, if it wasn't held back by mobile phone controls and the fact that one one outside Korea can ever play it.

DJMax Mobile - Mobile (December 2009)

싸이 한대맞고 (PSY Handae Matgo) - Mobile (January 14, 2010)

엑소더스 (Exodus) - Mobile (February 23, 2010)

More mobile games by Ntreev. DJMax Mobile is a version of Pentavision's rhythm game series, PSY Handae Matgo a goofy hwatu ("flower card" game) simulation, Exodus a casual adventure puzzle.

Clickr (클리커) - Windows (December 24, 2010)

Clickr is a neat little flash puzzle game developed by a small team at Ntreev with an "indie game spirit." The concept is genre-typically simple: Just click to let same-colored connected blocks disappear. Several obstacles and additional elements make it more challenging than it looks like, though.

Alicia / 말과 나의 이야기, 앨리샤 (Mal-gwa Na-ui Iyagi, Alicia) - Windows (February 24, 2011 [open beta]; March 31, 2011)

Artwork

In Ntreev's most girlish game yet everything revolves around keeping horses. Players can take part in races, take on various jobs and even have their hourses mate for breeding. Microtransactions allow to turn a horse into a Pegasus for a limited time. It should be save to assume that Alicia beats the crap out of Barbie Horse Adventures.

Power Rangers Online (파워레인저온라인) - Windows (December 20, 2012 [open beta])

Artwork

A multiplayer brawler/rpg mix based on the world's favourite sentai show (although it is actually based on the Japanese sentai show Power Rangers was based on, which was also called Power Rangers in Korea).

다함께 차차차 (Dahamkke Chachacha) - Android (December 31, 2012)

Dahamkke Chachacha (Android)

After being turned into TurnOn games by CJ E&M, the former Sonnori team members were put onto this casual racing game in the Dahamkke ("everybody together") line, which is almost a carbon copy of a mini game in Minna no Sukkiri for the PSP. The title was thus harshly criticized as an "ambitionless rip-off" by the Sonnori fanbase34, but that couldn't diminish its tremendous success: the game was downloaded six million times within a week after release35.