Nintendo has announced the Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition compilation pack will be released for the 3DS on May 22. More than a simple match-3 game, both 3DS titles (which will available on a single game card) will expand on the formula of the franchise:
The newest game, Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, resembles a classic Super Mario Bros. game with a puzzling twist. Players drag and match colorful orbs to chain combos to battle opponents, level up and clear stages. But the action beyond that simple drag-and-match premise reveals much deeper game play. The game transports players to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they recruit Bowser’s baddies, like Goombas, Koopa Troopas and the Koopalings, along with much-loved characters like Toad and Yoshi to help fight more than 80 classic enemies across a variety of different worlds.
The second game, Puzzle & Dragons Z, which became a big hit in Japan and sold more than 1.5 million units in the first six months after launch, features similar drag-and-match game play with an even richer storyline. Players collect and battle a fantastic array of more than 250 Monsters, which can be hatched from Eggs that players gather from defeating enemies. Then, using collected Chips (from defeating enemies), players can evolve their Monsters to gain new Skills, a higher level cap and better stats on their quest to rebuild the world.
A demo version of Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition will be added to the 3DS eShop in early May for those interested in trying it out early. But if you already played the puzzler at this month’s PAX East convention, you might see yourself in the new trailer Nintendo filmed on the show floor.
