Puzzle & Dragons Z ditches free-to-play mechanics, adds fields to explore
Say goodbye to Magic Stones
GungHo's Puzzle & Dragons will make its way to the 3DS this winter with a new version called Puzzle & Dragons Z.
We already knew that Puzzle & Dragons Z would increase its RPG elements to deliver a deeper gaming experience, but new details suggest that Puzzle & Dragons Z will be a much different game than its mobile counterpart.
Siliconera reports that Puzzle & Dragons Z will dispense with 'several freemium features' of the original Puzzle & Dragons including Magic Stones, which allowed players to recover stamina.
Far afield
In addition to delivering a coherent storyline with a plot for players to delve into, Puzzle & Dragons Z will introduce new field environments to explore.
While out in the wild, players will have the chance to collect armloads of new monsters - many of which (70 - 80 per cent) are new and don't exist in the mobile Puzzle & Dragons.
Puzzle enthusiasts will be happy to read that battles in Z will still use the beloved match-three puzzle mechanic which helped make Puzzle & Dragons popular - and titanically successful.
GungHo announced that Puzzle & Dragons Z will come to the 3DS in Japan this winter. While GungHo confirmed that it will see a US release as well, it has yet to confirm a specific date or launch window.
