...those who are invested in at least a few of the included franchises or the companies behind them in general will find an addictive strategy RPG wrapped in a ridiculous amount of fan service, over-the-top action and light-hearted humour. Everybody else will, quite frankly, ask themselves what the point to all this madness is and move on.
Beneath the hysterical presentation, the frantic battle segments and the skittish storyline, then, Project X Zone is a thin game. The emphasis on fighting game reactions in the battle segments should appeal to genre fans, but these are too simplistic for genuine expression or mastery.
There’s only so far you can woo a player like me with fanservice, and after spending such a long time with Project X Zone I felt like the cracks were beginning to show just how repetitive the game is. Tread carefully, but you’re more likely than not to have a good time if you know the characters and games featured. Just don’t go in expecting something on the same level of depth / technicality as other tactical, strategy RPGs.
Project X Zone is a great game if you’re a fan of the Namco Bandai, Capcom, or Sega characters included in it. The dialog and character interactions are funny and heavily reference their source material, and the animations are polished and fun to watch.
As much as I loved Project X Zone, it's not for everyone. The story is incomprehensible. It can be pretty repetitive. And those lacking a strong attachment to Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega's iconic characters might want to stay away. That said, this is a love letter from Japan that just any RPG fan should seriously consider checking out.
In spite of its glaring flaws though, I can't help but love Project X Zone. It embraces and relishes in the legacies and identities of the companies, characters, and worlds it encompasses. If you don't know or care about a lot of the cast, then this will do nothing for you.
Crossover games on the scale of "Project X Zone" are a truly rare sight. Three major game publishers offering up characters from more than twenty different franchises to do battle with each other on this scale has never been seen before.
What Project X Zone lacks in expert strategies and rewarding tactics, it makes up for with a plethora of fun combat animations. Project X Zone probably could have been a success based purely on the characters featured on its box art, but even if it featured a completely original cast of characters, watching everyone go head-to-head would still be fun to watch.
It's a once in a lifetime chance to see so many worlds coming together, and this massively satisfying (and decidedly tongue-in-cheek) title makes the most of every opportunity. If you have even the slightest interest in Project X Zone, the odds are good you'll come away happy.
- one battle has 48 different units on the map at once
- this leads to over 80 characters on screen
- a dimensional rift brings all the characters together
- battles take place on a grid
- 2D view
- do different attacks by pressing Y plus a direction
- chain attacks and juggle the enemy to build up your meter
- full meter allows for over-the-top special attacks
- these include a Metsu Hadouken & Shoryuken combo
- cut in art before attacks
- place your units within two squares of each other so you can call in an assist
- if your team has a solo unit, you can actually have five characters on the screen at the same time
- includes Kurt and Riela from Valkyria Chronicles 3
- also includes Sakura Shinguji from Sakura Wars
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