Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars

Plot

The story of this game could be considered a prequel to the previous Zone of the Enders game. The main character Cage Midwell is a young teenage boy that finds himself in a new experimental LEV when his ship is attacked by a Black orbital frame. He ends up on mars and is quickly accused of being the one that brought down the ship he was on. The story is more in line with the anime version of zone of the enders. The story is mostly about Cage wanting to find the Black orbital frame to seek revenge. In the process he discovers that the LEV he discover is actually a a new experimental Orbital Frame (OF) similar to Jehuty in the playstation version of the Zone of the enders series.

Gameplay

The gameplay consist of a turn-based tactical fighting. This is very different from the action based gameplay that the PlayStation series is mostly known for. The usual game flow consist of a intro story sequence, battling a group or boss and ending sequence. The intro and ending sequence is where most of the story take place except for the very few battle events. In between each episode you have the opportunity to to buy equipment for your LEV upgrade part to improve stats, and obtain new weapons and abilities to use during combat. The fight is similar to that of a tactics game like Advance Wars where the player moves close to the enemy to perform an attack and vice-versa. When you launch an attack you are taken to a screen with the enemy and a cursor and you have to aim at the enemy or at a weak point for more damage. The same is also done when an enemy attacks you except you have to avoid his cursor so he can miss. This can be done manually or the cpu can control the cursor and aim, but the computer uses the character's stats to determine if you hit or miss, increasing the difficulty of the game.

Characters

All information taken from in-game information screens

Cage Midwell

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Blood Type: O

Occupation: Bonaparte III Crew Member

A kindhearted, gentle youth. Began working on board the Bonaparte III along with Ares, whom he met a year earlier. Born 17 years ago to an unknown mother on the cargo deck of the Midwell, which was smuggling illegal immigrants, Cage was raised on the ship by the Captain, who took the boy under his wing. Though he was treated well by fellow Midwell staff, Cage always harbored a feeling of loneliness and isolation in his heart, which translated into low self-esteem and overly passive behavior. When the Captain did and Midwell was deemed unfit for flight, Cage boarded Bonaparte III, where he met Ares. His new friendship with this boy, who was the same age as him and yet seemed so mature, had a profound effect on Cage, and helped him recover from his psychological wounds. However, the knowledge that he owes his rebirth to Ares has proven problematic in itself, as Cage depends on Ares entirely, and suspects that he will never be able to exist independently of him.

Ares Enduwa

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Blood Type: AB

Occupation: Bonaparte III Crew Member

A co-worker of Cage aboard the Bonaparte III, a colonist spacecraft linking Earth and Mars. Having already worked on Bonaparte III for 4 months when Cage first boarded a year earlier, Ares showed Cage the ropes. Something of a genius, the normally taciturn Ares met Cage late one night after work when he was playing a "piano" that he had conjured by altering a program on a PC in the ship's lobby. Cage happened upon his impromptu concert and was so moved that he began talking to him. At first, Ares was irked by the intrusion, but he eventually gave in to Cage's perseverance and found himself, much to his own surprise, becoming Cage's friend and looking after him. Fellow Bonaparte staff dubbed the unlikely pair "The Eighth Wonder Of Bonaparte."

Myona Alderan

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Blood Type: A

A mysterious girl found hiding in a storage room on board the Bonaparte III. Since the accident involving the unidentified object, she sticks with Cage and his group. Having suffered retrograde amnesia since the incident, what little personal information that is known of Myona has been pieced together based on occasional hints about her past. Though she sometimes hints at a determined and headstrong personality hidden deep inside, she is shy and rarely acts aggressively. Serious yet somehow flighty, she also seems slightly imbalanced, which may have something to do with her loss of memory…

Mech Reference

The mechs in Zone of the Enders can be broken down into 2 catergories. The most common are the LEVs (Laborius Extra-Orbital Vehicle), develped to facilitate the building of space stations and colonies. Manned Vehicle used for transportation in space. The other type is the OF, or Orbital Frame, Advanced battle units invented and used by BAHRAM, which run on metatron, making them much faster and stronger then a normal LEV

Cage's LEV - LEV

The LEV used by Cage in his escape from Bonaparte III. Higher-grade then the average LEV, it is equipped with Pharsti, the A.I. who is a source of support to the inexperianced Cage

Testament - OF

The true identity of Cage's LEV. Secretly tested and built by Zephyrs, Bolozof was the intended frame runner. Limitless Capacity. Named "Testament" by Pharsti, which may refer to the covenant between Pharsti and Cage... But there seems to be a deeper underlying meaning to it's nomenclature. Zephyrs and his crew refer to it as the "New Model Animus".

V jaya - OF

OF used by the rebel group BIS, whose compostion allows for ninja-like agility and speed. Comparatively lower in offensive ability, but can perform two types of burst attacks. A very rare model of OF. Piloted by Ares.

Orcrist - OF

First ever OF used by BIS, designed as mid- to long rang-range backup support. Design and weapons resemble an those used by elves in lore. Piloted by Mebius.

Durandal II - OF

OF used by BIS, designed specifically for close-range combat. DUrable and reserved for the best frame runners only. Piloted by Warren, who destroyed the original Durandal I.

Justeen - LEV

LEV used by BIS. Much more agile then the average LEV, and excels in close quarters combat thanks to it's powerful legs equipped for kicking foes. The official name of this LEV is "Francesca"; the name "justeen" was bestowd by the frames runner, Yukito.

Dreizehn - LEV

LEV used by BIS. better at long range, sniper style combat then the average LEV. The name 'Dreizehn', meaning 'thirteen' in German, was bestowed by Yukito. The LEV's official name is 'Torador'. Piloted by Razma.

Caliburnus - LEV

LEV used by BIS. Contains stronger defense structures then the average LEV, but at the cost of power and mobility. Ability to be employed as a support unit. Name means 'Steel' in latin. Piloted by Semyl.

Edge - Tank

Used by BIS to transport people. Unfit for battle due to minimal attack and defensive capabilities. Can replenish ammo and fuel of other units. Driven by Deckson.

Blade - Tank

Used by BIS to transport goods. Maintenance resources on board. Moderate defensive capabilities, but unsuitable for combat.

Neds LEV - LEV

New model LEV customised by Ned. Features include the terrifying Death Masquerade, a maneuver in which a laserblade continually slices everything with which is makes contact.

Bizac S - LEV

Modified LEV used by special task force Acemos. Bolozof's pride and joy, it uses technology develped by Zephyrs. Thick outer shell equipped with blades.

Bizac - LEV

Essentially identical to Bizac S, but with a thinner outer shell and reinforced thrusters.

HarutMarut - Large LEV

Used mostly in riot control, this extremely large LEV utlises metatron advocated by Zephyrs. Roughly 2-3 times the size of an average LEV, assistance intelligence installed enables complex maneuvers to be handled with ease, even by just one pilot. Resembles an octopus. Interior is a direct plagiarism of Tempest. Can reconstruct intself after damage, becomes a LEV known as 'Number 2'. Mechanisms based even more on Zephyrs' research of the Tempest.

Black Frame - ???

The mystery machine that destroyed Bonapaarte, the spine of which is a bony structure reminiscent of a bird's wing. Compltely black, conjures up images of the devil.

Iblis - OF

The true identity of the Black Frame. An older model of the Animus Series, it is equipped with version Alpha of the I.D.O. Mindflow system, making it an imposing enemy even for Testament; it is possible, however, for the pulse to flow backwards and kill the runner inside.

Nerokerubina - OF

OF used by BAHRAM. Same class machine as the 'Tyrant', but features the addition of the Mindflow system as well as extensive interior renovation to counteract the Marlblanke effect. Equipped with gigantic bullet barrels on either hand, it excels in both long and close range combat. Two weapons compatible are called 'Crime' and 'Punishment'.