The game's title screen
Overview[]
Red Wolf box (showing game box art)
Evil God Revived! ~Genobreaker Story~ (邪神復活！ ～ジェノブレイカー編～ jashin fukkatsu! ~jeno bureikā hen~) is a Game Boy and Game Boy Color game, originally released in August, 2000. Like other hybrid regular/color cartridges, it plays in black and white in an original Game Boy, and in limited color in a Game Boy Color.
Red and Midnight Command Wolves
The first run of the game included a red command Wolf model, recolored in Guylos style. The second included one in midnight blue. Both Zoids' boxes mention the game on them; besides the Japanese text identifying which Wolf is inside, they can be distinguished by color (the red Wolf comes in a blue box, the midnight blue in a black box). The game is easily found separately secondhand, possibly thanks to people buying it to obtain the limited Wolves.
No doubt since it featured many Zoids not released outside of Japan and Chaotic Century was dubbed later, Genobreaker Story was never translated into English. The game plays in any Game Boy, but the text is entirely in kana, making it difficult to navigate menus without some basic Japanese knowledge.
Gameplay[]
Facing off against some wild Zoids
Combat is turn-based, and aside from bosses consists of random encounters (and the rate for these is quite high, leading to one of the more common complaints about the game). The player forms a team of Zoids up to a certain size limit, with Zoids divided only into small, medium, and large. Turn order is determined by a number of factors among all Zoids present, with flying Zoids most often attacking first.
Zoids' moves can be customized. Besides each Zoid having part slots similar to Zoids Saga, parts are divided into categories: assault (melee), gun, missile, radar, cannon, and extra (healing or other status effects). Unique parts learn different attacks using skill points earned in combat, and all attacks for a category are shared among any parts the Zoid has that match. For example, if you equipped an Iguan with a charged particle cannon and taught it Judgment, the Iguan's other laser-based guns would now be able to use Judgment. Combined with eight move "slots", this allows for two examples of a Zoid to be very different.
Organoids learn moves the same as any other Zoid, but upon fusion they replace any learned moves a Zoid has with theirs. Zeke comes with self-healing by default and learns moves suited to Van's Liger; interestingly, Blade Attack will transfer to any Zoid with a thruster-based part upon fusion.
Stats screen for Kentauros/Centaur
Dungeons consist entirely of mazes and caves which you visit by heading out from Wind Colony. Each time you enter an area, the staircases are randomly generated along with a selection of items and "Z" circles (which you can pick up for a chance to fight a random wild Zoid, including some extremely dangerous ones in some areas, such as self-healing Death Saurers). When venturing deeper into a cave or higher into a tower, you run an increasingly higher chance of that level generating a nasty side effect. Rare Hertz is common everywhere, the others include a variety of damage-causing effects and a strong "wind", which both blows your character across the map and stuns your Zoids on the first turn of any random encounter.
Story[]
"In the south of the continent Europa, there lived a boy who loved Zoids. The Helic Republic and the Guylos Empire had brought about peace. And I returned to my birthplace, the village Wind Colony..."
Van defends Maria from a wild Zoid
Genobreaker Story is set during the time between Chaotic Century and Guardian Force, though aside from featuring its cast of characters it has little connection to the anime. Instead, it features Van telling of his time at home after Prozen's defeat, and of a tragedy that came about because of the war.
Fiona, sensing something strange one day, leads Van out into the grass, where he and Zeke encounter an attacking Hellrunner, driven mad by Rare Hertz. When another Zoid attacks Van's sister, he sets off for adventure and answers.
Van meets and teams up with Irvine, and they encounter a Geno Saurer underground as they attempt to trace the source of the Rare Hertz. It attacks and drives them off, leaving Van wondering if it's Raven or something else. By the time they get back to Wind Colony, Maria's been poisoned by Bull's Guysack (also driven mad by the Rare Hertz), forcing him to seek out a rare herbal remedy on Mount Iselena. More Desert Gang encounters and cave-wandering later, Van ends up going to Herman for a chat.
Hermann is not pleased about the Geno Saurer
Herman is being attacked by the same Geno Saurer as before when Van arrives, and after his Command Wolf is destroyed, the pilot introduces himself as Io. His Geno Saurer starts going berserk, and stammering about it rejecting the core, he retreats...and Fiona starts getting a feeling that reminds her of the Death Saurer, one both ominous and sorrowful. It turns out Zoids are going mad all over the place, as if Rare Hertz is being transmitted from everywhere, and it's now obvious who's responsible.
The Desert gang don't want to share the Mad Thunder
Eventually, Van locates Io's base, and has to get help from Doctor D and a Mad Thunder to take down the hellfire-spitting Death Saurer guarding the front door. Working his way through the maze, he confronts the mad scientist, who tries to stop him a Rare Hertz-spewing Geno Breaker, the reason for the game's title. When it falls, he tells them there's more, and retreats to a room with a tank.
Van confronts Io's Gilvader
In it is the real final boss: a Gilvader, which Io claims is carrying the genes of his son who died in the war. He wants revenge, even as Fiona feels sorry for him and the Gilvader. When the Gilvader is defeated it shakes and explodes, throwing Io clear. He says that for him, everything is over, and the Gilvader was linked to the tower's core. It all comes crashing down, Van and company escaping with their lives and Io dying with the Gilvader.
Available Zoids[]
Genobreaker Story features the entire original Japanese line with the exception of the 1/24-scale Zoids and Transfighters. Also included are:
Blade Kong and Forest
- A number of custom variations based off old Japanese boxes and fanbooks, most notably Helic's personal ride Kentauros, aka Centaur (an Ultrasaurus, Gojulas, Gordos, and Salamander combined that carries a large bow and arrow).
- A few Zoids from the new Japanese line: Moonbay's Gustav, Irvine's Command Wolf, Karl's Iron Kong, the Blade Liger, and Geno Saurer and Breaker.
- Zeke and Shadow, who both act as regular battleable Zoids with an additional fusion ability.
- Two unique custom designs, winners of a custom model contest for the honor to appear in the game. They are the Blade Kong, a Kong with a number of large arm blades for melee, and a missile-toting Gungyarados-tailed Gojulas known as Forest—no relation to the later limited edition kit by the same name.
- Wild Zoids, apparently mutated back to nasty versions of their original forms by Rare Hertz. They can be converted to regular Zoids using a Power Unit, or fight tooth and claw in their original bodies if fed Zoid Magnite to keep them alive. Zoids available in wild form are Shield Liger, Sabre Tiger, Command Wolf, Redler, Hel Digunner, Godos, Guysak, and Gustav.
Wild Zoids
Some Zoids can only be obtained by upgrading others, and upgrades often take multiple stages, such as Ultrasaurus -> Greatsaurus -> Centaur, or Saber Tiger -> Saber Tiger 2 -> Great Sabre. A few are available only after beating the game and require you to enter a password in a house in Wind Colony. The passwords (which must be entered in kana) are as follows:
- Gilvader: ゾイドオン (Zoid On)
- Forest: もりのおうじゃ (king of the forest)
- Blade Kong: きょうふのやいば (blade of terror)
- Hammerrock 3: プロトタイプ (prototype)
- Dibison 2: マークツーぶたい (Mk.II Force)
- Geno Breaker: マソウリュウコウリン (note that Geno Breakers can also be made by upgrading a Saurer)
- Shadow: くろいオーガノイド (black organoid)
Additional resources[]
Japanese Wikipedia page for the game
Japanese gaming site with info/help on playing the game (Zoid lists, strategy, etc)