In ye Dwarvish Outpost (board 4, "Citadel"), the three white-colored dwarves in the bottom left corner of the board share the same code via #bind-ing. The intended design is for them to die in two shots, with a brief invulnerability period, using two different :shot labels. However, since the dwarves are bound together, it's possible for both shot labels to be #zapped, resulting in unkillable enemies. The chances of this happening are multiplied by the fact that the dwarves #zap the shot labels multiple cycles after being shot, rather than immediately.
Note that the only dwarf that needs to be killed to progress is the red-colored "Dwarf Captain", so this bug is technically not game-breaking.
In an era where the the pinnacle of dialog and music was the Blues Man singing about how hard it was to be an object, plot was nonexistent and STK was only a funny way of spelling "steak" this is quite the achievement. Ezanya at the very least set the bar several notches higher even with a handful of spots where health and ammo were just too scarce. With just little more playtesting this would be flawless for its time but even as-is, Todd Daggert redefined what was possible in the heady early days of ZZT.
It is not the best game I've seen, nor played for that matter. But it has a really nice storyline and stuck through the STK lacking graphics
4/5 :)
One of the earliest examples of ZZT adventures with RPG elements, Ezanya is a very good game from the ancient past of ZZT. As already mentioned in the review of the featured games section, boards are surprisingly interactive and well-programmed. Graphics are quite good, at least by 1991 standards, where no STK had been made yet. On the negative side, it's quite short (even because most of the time you're only fighting enemies and not doing anything else).
7/10
Ezanya is a really good game. The problems are minor yet very detracting to the gameplay. There are some programming errors, especially with the potions. Also the game is rather hard. I'm not sure if this is intentional, but the ammo/monster ratio is really badly slanted towards the monster side. This is especially evident in the earlier stages of the game. But what sets this game above others made in 1991? Well I'd have to say a lot. The story for one is not the tedious: "get the 5 magical(oo!) purple keys". And while the story may seem typical in the beginging (Get the septre, crown, etc) it definetly has a great twist. On top of that, the writing is top notch with detailed descriptions and some really nice imagery. The game is very diffucult to beat though and I did have to cheat in some parts where health was really running thin. A position that presented itself a few too many times was having 10-20 health and having to back track through walls of spinning guns. A really good game definetly worth downloading to see some of the better gems in 1991 bag of games. Someone needs to make an SE. :D
