Ludography
75/100
Players13 ratings
68/100
Critics7 reviews

Where to get it

Project X Zone cover

2012 · Banpresto · Adventure · Crossover

Project X Zone

Nintendo exclusive

Project X Zone is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a follow up to the video game Namco × Capcom and features characters from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega. Stages in Project X Zone take place in grid-based locations from the game's many crossover titles. Each friendly unit is made up of two characters (thus referred to as a Pair Unit), though a third character (or "Solo Unit") can be added for once-per-battle assistance. Unlike Namco × Capcom, units can move freely within their range on the field map, with no penalty for accessing treasure chests or destructible objects prior to attacking.

Released
11 October 2012
Platforms
Nintendo 3DS
Genres
AdventureCrossoverNinjaRole-playingStrategyTacticalTactical role-playing
Developers
Banpresto
Publishers
Bandai Namco Entertainment
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
ActionFantasyScience fictionComedy
Country
People's Republic of China
Age ratings
PEGI 12CERO BESRB TACB PG
Languages
English

About

Project X Zone (pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a follow-up to the crossover game Namco × Capcom and features characters from Namco Bandai Games, Capcom, and Sega. The game was released on October 11, 2012 in Japan; June 25, 2013 in North America; and July 5, 2013 in Europe. Project X Zone received mixed to positive reviews upon release; praise went towards the game's cast, combat system, and presentation, but criticism was directed at its repetitive gameplay and confusing storyline.

A sequel, Project X Zone 2, was released in Japan in November 2015 and in North America and Europe in February 2016.

›Story

The year is 20XX AD.

The world is in the middle of a quiet chaos.

Shadows lurk behind the unchanging peacefulness of everyday life. Twisted beings writhe unseen in the darkness. Mysterious dimensional portals connect the real world to others more fantastic.

But with the passage of time, people eventually have come to understand and even accept these things as part of their daily lives. All without knowing of the existence of the people and organizations fighting the true evil.

The Kouryuji Estate------ There is a certain family that has worked in secrecy behind the scenes throughout history. This story begins with the theft of a treasure known as the "Portalstone" that this family has been protecting over the ages.

Mii Kouryuji has enlisted the help of private detective Kogoro Tenzai in order to locate the stone.

Who stole the stone? And for what purpose? The thoughts and ambitions of various people, organizations, and mythical beings mingle and eventually the case becomes a chaos of a grand scale.

The worlds of the past, future, and even dimensions become involved.

Thus, our heroes' long journey is about to begin.

Keywords

  • martial arts
  • anime
  • vampire
  • robots
  • androids
  • hand-to-hand combat
  • crossover
  • undead
  • grid-based movement
  • bats
  • removed from eshop
  • tokyo game show 2012

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Stages in Project X Zone take place in grid-based locations from the game's many crossover titles. Each friendly unit is made up of two characters (thus referred to as a Pair Unit), though a third character (or "Solo Unit") can be added for once-per-battle assistance. Players can switch between these units to create different tactical combinations. Unlike Namco × Capcom, units can move freely within their range on the field map, with no penalty for accessing treasure chests or destructible objects prior to attacking.

The battle system is called the Cross Active Battle System, wherein pressing the A button in combination with the Circle Pad performs up to five basic attack combos. Additional gameplay elements include Support Attack, which allows the player to call in a nearby ally for assistance, and Cross Hit, which freezes the target in place during simultaneous attacks from multiple units. Also, the player can trigger Critical Hits by connecting their next attack just before the target hits the ground after the first. 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%.

Story

Mii Kouryuji, the latest descendant of the Kouryuji clan, and her tutor, private detective Kogoro Tenzai search for the Portalstone, the heirloom of the Kouryuji clan. As they investigate the whereabouts of the Portalstone, they team up with a large cast of characters who have been affected by strange portals appearing in their worlds, and fight against villains who have taken opportunity of the chaos caused by the rifts between worlds collapsing.

Development

Namco Bandai came up with the idea of a "dream crossover" and brought on Capcom and Sega. The game was first revealed in a teaser by Bandai Namco on the official website until it was revealed in the April 2012 issue of Famitsu.

The initial creation of the characters were done in 3D character models before they were converted to be SD pixel art. Notable attacks used by the characters had to be done in 2D space in order to preserve its source material origin.

Reception

The game sold more than 85,539 units in its first week in Japan. In the West, the game has sold over ten times more than what Bandai Namco had expected. The game was among the 20 best games sold in the United Kingdom after it made its debut. In the United States, the game has been among the best selling games sold for the 3DS. The game has sold over 400,000 copies worldwide, according to Bandai Namco.

Project X Zone has received mixed to positive reviews from western critics. The game currently has a score of 70 out of 100 on Metacritic. IGN's Scott Thompson gave Project X Zone a score of 8 out of 10, saying, "Project X Zone is often funny and consistently frantic – two traits not necessarily associated with tactical RPGs. Its story is confusing and the chapters slavishly follow the same repetitive formula, but the superb battle system makes repetition not just tolerable, but enjoyable."

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Nintendo 3DS11 October 2012Japan · North America 25 June 2013 · Australia 4 July 2013 · Europe 5 July 2013

Editions and related releases

Editions
Project X Zone: Limited Edition

Games like this

Collections5 collections

Years

Genres

  • Ninja gamesStandalone games › Games with ninja player characters

Licensing

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.