What Exactly is Project X Zone?

A match made in heaven, that’s what Project X Zone is!

Released in Japan on the 3DS back in October, Project X Zone was finally localized and released in North  America on June 25th. The game has been receiving some positive reviews, with a solid 74 on Metacritic, but what exactly is it?

Project X Zone is a hybrid tactical role-playing game. It mixes characters from 3 well-respected studios: Namco Bandai, Capcom and Sega. Boasting a roster of over 60 characters, this game is why I want a 3DS. 

Story

The Portalstone has been stolen, and heroes and villains from various franchises are suddenly jumping through dimensions to retrieve it. Like most dimension-jumping plots in games, the story gets more and more complex with each new character introduced. Before long, things get so out of hand that most reviewers don’t even know what’s really going on in this game.

Gameplay

Stages in Project X Zone take place throughout various areas of the franchises of Capcom, Sega and Namco Bandai on a grid-based board much like Fire Emblem. Each friendly unit is made up of two characters known as a Pair Unit. A third character can be added for once-per-battle assistance. Units can move freely within their range on the map.

The battle system is called the Cross Active Battle System. Pressing the A button in combination with the D-Pad performs up to five basic attack combos. Other gameplay elements include Support Attacks which allow you to call in a nearby ally for assistance, and Cross Hit, which freezes the target in place during simultaneous attacks from multiple units.

As the player’s units deal damage, the player’s Cross Power (XP) gauge fills up and can be used for special attacks and defensive moves on the map. Damage done via Cross Hits can fill this gauge up to 150%.

Character Roster

As I mentioned, the game features 60 playable characters. With the gameplay using its unique Cross Active Battle System, you can mix and match your team of two as well as another solo unit. So imagine the ability to have Heihachi from the Tekken series and Ulala from Space Channel 5 on your team. I’m not going to list the whole roster (for that you can check out Gamesradar), but I will go ahead and list some notable characters featured in Project X Zone to get you excited.

• Sega
• Vashyron from Resonance of Fate
  
• Imca from Valkyria Chronicles III
• Akira Yuki & Pai Chan from Virtua Fighter series
• Capcom
• Arthur from Ghost’n Goblins
• Juri Han from Street Fighter
  
• Frank West from Dead Rising
• Hsien-Ko from Dark Stalkers
• Namco Bandai
• Heihachi from the Tekken Series
• Black Rose from .hack
  
• KOS-MOS from Xrnosaga

For a fan of Namco Bandai and grid-based RPGs, this game looks to blend a crazy set of characters with a unique battle system accessible for anyone. Truly a game that makes me want a 3DS.