Evil Zone, stylized as EVIL Z♀NE in PAL region, is a fighting game developed by Yuke's Future Media Creators for the PlayStationin 1999. The player can choose from ten characters to fight in several game modes including story mode, arcade mode, versus mode, practice and survival mode. The storyline of the game tells of a powerful being known as Ihadurca, who can exist in multiple dimensions at one time. Through heavy cost, the inhabitants of the world of I-Praseru were able to temporarily confine Ihadurca in a dimension known as Evil Zone. Now, a tournament is being held to select the strongest warrior throughout the dimensions to destroy Ihadurca before she can escape from Evil Zone and threaten the world once more. The story mode is a unique aspect of the game and sets it apart from other fighting games. Each character has a unique story mode which progresses like an ongoing television program, complete with episode names and previews with voice acting. As the mode progresses, you learn more about the character's backstory and why they are fighting, an incentive to play the game with each character. Evil Zone is also one of the few games to feature a fully fleshed out story mode for its boss character.
Gameplay
The game tries to focus on simplicity with a "pick up and play" feel that isn't daunting to new players. Fighting takes place on a 3D field and allows characters to move backwards, forwards, and sidestep left and right with ease. Most of the fighting is done with range-based attacks, but it is possible to attack from a short range and use grapple moves on your opponent. The fighting system only utilizes two main buttons, attack and guard, unlike most fighters, such as the Street Fighter series. Each character controls in exactly the same manner; however, each character has a set of unique attacks along with an ultra-attack that requires the player to expel Power Stocks. By holding the down the attack button, a character can charge up to 3 Power Stocks. The time that it takes to fully charge a stock depends on the current health of the character; a character with more health will take longer to charge while a character with minimal health could charge all 3 stocks in a few seconds. Many characters feature attacks that have lengthy animations, which adds a more dramatic and dynamic feel to battles. A general "dramatic" encounter can occur if both characters perform a dash attack at each other at the same time. This results in an event called a Pressure Dash where both characters must rapidly hit buttons in order to gain an advantage over the other player. The most notable animations are those used for each character's ultra-attack, which can last up to 20 seconds long. These animations can become even longer when they are used as the attack that will finish the opponent.
Story modes
Each of the characters story modes is presented like anime television series. Each character gives narration in his or her own cutscenes. Each story mode has its own series title. The animated cutscenes for the game were done by AIC, whose logo can be seen in the background of Danzaiver's stage.
