Project X Zone Review (3DS)

            First of all, I apologize for my lack of activity on this blog. I’ve been caught up in a bunch of stuff lately, so I haven’t had the time to properly sit down and write a review. Project X Zone is a 3DS crossover between Capcom’s, Namco’s, and Sega’s franchises. People were hyped for it when it was announced for localization… but now that the hype’s been LONG gone, the game’s been mostly forgotten, and for good reason.

Story

            I’ll make this short: the story is a barebones mess. I really don’t want to delve into much beyond “bad guys steal Portalstone and fuck shit up”; just an excuse to have a cross over between Capcom, Namco, and Sega. It’s cool seeing all of those characters interact with each other… but the novelty quickly wears off once you realize there are SO MANY characters that you won’t get a chance for a deep look into any particular character’s backstory and personality.

Gameplay

            Project X Zone is a strategy RPG that utilizes the “Cross Active Battle System”. Like in every other SRPG, you’re given a bunch of units who have to make their way around a map and defeat enemies within your attack range. Each unit is a pair of characters from a series, like Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, Yuri and Estelle from Tales of Vesperia, and so on. There are also solo characters that you can “equip” to units, granting the unit the solo character’s skills and the ability to call for backup during battle. On each character’s turn, they’re allowed to move, use items or skills, and attack an enemy; using items or skills doesn’t use up your turn.

            When you engage an enemy in combat, you start off with 3-4 attacks (you’ll learn more as you level up). Each attack is performed by holding a certain direction on the D-pad or Circle pad and pressing A. You’re given a limited number of times to attack that equals how many attacks you have. For example, if a unit has 4 attacks, they can attack 4 times. However, if they use all 4 attacks without repeating any of them, they get one extra attack. Pressing L will call in the solo character for additional attacks, while R will call in a unit that’s near you on the map. Also, if you manage to hit an enemy just before they touch the ground after being launched into the air, you’ll score a critical hit. Thus, the gameplay basically boils down making huge combos and dealing as much damage as possible on your turn.

            There’s also an “XP gauge” (not to be confused with experience points) that will gradually fill up as you land attacks on enemies. You can also fill up the gauge using items. When your XP gauge is at a high enough percentage, you can use skills (the amount varies from skill to skill) or defend/counter an enemy’s attack on their turn. If the gauge is at least 100% full (it can actually go up to 150%), then you can perform a super attack in battle by pressing Y. These super attacks are also capable of inflicting critical hits if you get the timing down. On the map, having 100% in the XP gauge also allows you to use multi-attacks once you learn them; multi-attacks allow you to clear out multiple enemies at once.

            It all sounds somewhat complicated, but the gameplay is actually really easy to get into. The biggest flaw, which is bad enough to mar the game as a whole, is the fact that the game throws too many enemies with too much HP at you. Later chapters will take upwards of 2 hours to complete, and the game as a whole starts to get very tedious since your main objective most of the time is to wipe out everything on the map. The game’s not very deep, either. There’re no character classes or customization of the sort. Unlike games like Fire Emblem, you don’t have units who can do unique things like move over different terrains, attack from different ranges, or use different weapon types. Everyone’s virtually the same except for skills, attacks, and stats.

Soundtrack

            Like the characters, the soundtrack really only appeals to people who are fans of the games the songs come from. Since I only recognize a few of the series in this game, I can’t really appreciate the soundtrack. However, I will say that it was good on the developer’s part to include so many songs in the game.

            On the other hand, out of the songs I DO recognize, they don’t sound like 3DS quality music. Honestly, there’s no excuse for this, seeing as games like Kingdom Hearts 3D sound excellent. The sound quality here is akin to something you’d find on the DS.

Graphics

            Again, I’ll make this short: the graphics look really damn good. The sprites are pretty and detailed, and they’re also relatively well animated. Character art is also very nice. Overall, the game looks very good.

Length

            Project X Zone can be pretty long, reaching up to 50 hours. Unfortunately, nearly all of that time is spent clearing out maps filled to the brim with enemies that have HP beyond reasonable levels. There’s no extra sidequests or anything of the sort. However, there’s a New Game Plus… which I’ll probably never touch since the game’s too tedious to return to.

Verdict: 6.5/10
UPDATE: New Score: 7.2/10
            Well, I played farther through the game, and did some reading on various sites. Throughout the game, I had neglected to use various skills that would help me out. I also stated that everyone was virtually the same due to lack of unique traits. That’s also untrue; everyone has different roles to fill based on their skill set-ups and stats. Pairing up Solo Units properly with the pair units will enhance these characters even more, allowing you to fight much for effectively. For example, Zephyr & Leanne (from Resonance of Fate) do somewhat disappointing damage. But their skills prevent enemies from countering them, as well as instantly break their barriers. Their attacks also build up the XP meter at what is quite possibly the fastest rate in the game. Paired with their high speed, they function as a very good support unit that sets up for everyone else in the stage. Though using strategy like this doesn’t completely reduce the tedium, it does make the game slightly less boring, and can help you survive later in the game when enemies start doing more damage.

            Don’t get me wrong, this game IS fun if you play in short bursts. But if you attempt to marathon it and beat it as fast as possible, you’ll be burned out quickly. Project X Zone could have been much more, but is held back by repetitive (though somewhat addicting) gameplay (though it can introduce you to great niche games like Valkyria Chronicles or Resonance of Fate). These days though, you can find the game for quite cheap, so it's definitely worth a shot. If you can get past the gameplay flaws, it's still enjoyable.