Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is a 2015 role-playing puzzle video game for Nintendo 3DS developed by GungHo Online Entertainment. It is a compilation of Puzzle & Dragons Z (2013) and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015) from the Puzzle & Dragons series for North America and Europe. Before the bundled game was announced, the first game Puzzle & Dragons Z[a] was released in Japan on December 12, 2013, and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition[b] was released in Japan on April 29, 2015.[1] The bundled game was released in May 2015 for North America, Europe, Australia[2] and South Korea.[3]

Puzzle & Dragons Z +
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
The cover art is divided in two, with the upper half showing artwork from Puzzle & Dragons, and the bottom half showing artwork from Super Mario Bros.
North American box art
Developer(s)GungHo Online Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Puzzle & Dragons Z
Takayuki Takahara
Naoki Fukuda
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Yoshimasa Yamada
Producer(s)Daisuke Yamamoto
Composer(s)Puzzle & Dragons Z
Kenji Ito
Yukio Nakajima
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
Keigo Ozaki
Toshiko Tasaki
SeriesMario
Puzzle & Dragons
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
ReleasePuzzle & Dragons Z
  • JP: December 12, 2013
Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
  • JP: April 29, 2015
Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition
  • KOR: May 1, 2015
  • EU: May 8, 2015
  • AU: May 9, 2015
  • NA: May 22, 2015
Genre(s)Role-playing, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Development edit

On May 3, 2013, GungHo revealed a spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS named Puzzle & Dragons Z during the Puzzle & Dragons Fan Appreciation Festival 2013. The game was released in Japan on December 12, 2013.[4] Gameplay is identical to the mobile game, but it adds role-playing elements such as towns and non-player characters.

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition for the Nintendo 3DS features characters from the Super Mario series in gameplay similar to that from Puzzle & Dragons Z, including an overworld and story. It was released on April 29, 2015, in Japan as a standalone title.[5]

The bundled game for North America, Europe, Australia, and South Korea was first announced on January 14, 2015 and was released on May 22, 2015.[6]

Plot edit

Puzzle & Dragons Z edit

In Puzzle & Dragons Z, the player takes the role of a prospective young Dragon Tamer in Zed City of the Dracomacia[7] continent. The game begins on the day the player is to take an exam in order to become a Dragon Tamer; the player follows two of their friends — another prospective Dragon Tamer, Nick, and an established Dragon Tamer, Sara — to Zed City's Ranger HQ, where Dragon Tamers are issued commands and study monsters, and where the Dragon Tamer test is administered. The player, alongside Nick, receives a "D-Gear", an item which allows them to digitally store monsters, and afterwards is allowed to hatch Eggs containing their first three monsters.

Reception edit

The game received mixed or average reviews according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[8]IGN's Kallie Plagge awarded the game a score of 7.9 out of 10, stating "Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition is the shining star alongside the less successful Z."[9] PC Magazine's Jordan Minor also praised Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition while disliking the companion character TAMADRA [sic]. He states that "Whereas Super Mario Bros. Edition uses its RPG components to enrich a pick-up-and-play puzzle game, Z tries to be a full-blown RPG that happens to center around puzzles." He also states the artwork feels uninspired in Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition. [17]

As of July 30, 2014, the game had shipped over 1.5 million copies.[18]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Japanese: パズドラZ, Hepburn: Pazudora Z
  2. ^ Japanese: パズル&ドラゴンズ スーパーマリオブラザーズ エディション, Hepburn: Pazuru & Doragonzu Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Edishon

References edit

  1. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Shows More More Characters And Gameplay". Siliconera. February 20, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (February 21, 2015). "Here's a gameplay video for Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". VG247. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Gwangjun, Lee (April 23, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition' released". Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  4. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons Z 3DS Game's Promo Streamed - Interest". Anime News Network. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ^ "Nintendo and GungHo team up for Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". Polygon. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons Z and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition coming west in May". Gematsu. July 31, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  7. ^ Nintendo 3DS - Puzzle and Dragons Z Teaser Trailer, retrieved October 16, 2023
  8. ^ a b "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Plagge, Kallie (May 19, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition Review Review". IGN. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  10. ^ Cork, Jeff (May 20, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z / Super Mario Edition". Game Informer. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Carter, Christ (May 14, 2015). "Review: Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". Destructoid. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Olney, Alex (May 7, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Miller, Zachary (May 20, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Kemps, Heidi (May 22, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". GameSpot. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Lucas (May 14, 2015). "PUZZLE & DRAGONS Z + SUPER MARIO BROS. EDITION REVIEW". GamesRadar+. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Tan, Nicholas (May 15, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". GameRevolution. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  17. ^ Minor, Jordan (May 28, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition (for Nintendo 3DS) Review". PC Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Nutt, Christian (July 30, 2014). "Puzzle & Dragons' GungHo has great first half: $523 million in profit". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved July 31, 2014.

External links edit