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

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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

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Puzzle & Dragons Z

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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

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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

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  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

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  1. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Shows More More Characters And Gameplay". Siliconera. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (February 21, 2015). "Here's a gameplay video for Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". VG247. Archived from the original on February 22, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  3. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition' released". ThisIsGame. March 23, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons Z 3DS Game's Promo Streamed - Interest". Anime News Network. May 3, 2013. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ^ "Nintendo and GungHo team up for Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". Polygon. January 7, 2015. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "Puzzle & Dragons Z and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition coming west in May". Gematsu. July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  7. ^ Nintendo 3DS - Puzzle and Dragons Z Teaser Trailer, January 14, 2015, archived from the original on November 20, 2023, 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. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  10. ^ Cork, Jeff (May 20, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z / Super Mario Edition". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Carter, Christ (May 14, 2015). "Review: Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. ^ Olney, Alex (May 7, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Miller, Zachary (May 20, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Kemps, Heidi (May 22, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Lucas (May 14, 2015). "PUZZLE & DRAGONS Z + SUPER MARIO BROS. EDITION REVIEW". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Tan, Nicholas (May 15, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition Review". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  17. ^ Minor, Jordan (May 28, 2015). "Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition (for Nintendo 3DS) Review". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  18. ^ Nutt, Christian (July 30, 2014). "Puzzle & Dragons' GungHo has great first half: $523 million in profit". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
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