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GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Puzzles and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition review (Mario side)

by rawmeatcowboy
20 May 2015
GN Version 5.0

One half of our Puzzle and Dragons review is up tonight! First we look at the Mario side of things. We'll have a look at the other side come next week! You enjoy that and I'm going to get some rest. See you in a few, short hours!

Puzzle and Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is two games for the price of one. One side brings you an experience similar to the Puzzle and Dragons games on mobile. The other side takes elements from the Puzzle and Dragons formula and adds in the entire Mushroom Kingdom. Since we're talking about two games in one, I want to review each game separately. First up, we'll take a look at the Mario side of things.

There's one thing we need to get out of the way with the Mario side of Puzzle and Dragons. If you think this is just a match-3 clone, you are going to be pretty surprised with the final game. Yes, there's no doubt that the match-3 aspect plays a hugely important role in the gameplay. With that said, that's just one piece of the pie. The experience is much deeper than you might expect at first look. There's a lot of action and content going on here, most of it very similar to a traditional strategy/RPG game.

While you may have played a number of match-3 games in the past and breezed through them, that's not going to happen here. The Mario side of Puzzle and Dragons is more than ready to hand your ass to you, and it'll do so in the first world. It might be hard to figure out how a match-3 game could give you such a hard time, but you'll quickly find out when you sit down with the title. Also, it's important to point out that this difficulty isn't artificial. We're not dealing with free-to-play elements that you find in the mobile series. This is an outing that is designed to test your skills from start to finish, forcing you to play smart.

You already know this is a match-3 affair, but what makes the experience so different from Candy Crush or any other of its clones? Instead of just plowing through matches and clearing boards, you're tasked with building up a team to help you battle through each level. As you travel from level to level, you'll have to tackle wave after wave of bad guys. These bad guys are all vulnerable to a certain type of element. For example, a piranha plant is especially susceptible to fire attacks. All these attacks/elements are laid out on your match-3 board. Match 3 or more of same color and your attack will fly off to the enemy.

Of course, you'll also need to have a team member that can use a fire attack. You can match 3 or more red icons all day long, but you don't do a single point of damage to an enemy unless you have a crew member that has a fire ability. You can these team members by clearing levels and taking out enemies. Some of them will end up joining in with your crew, and then you're free to add them to your roster. You'll also be able to make up to 6 different teams to take with you into battle. Create a fire team, water team and ect.. It'll be important to make sure you bring the right team with you to tackle the enemies each level has.

You can even level up those baddies working for you. You'll eventually be able to take them to a Toad house and level them up with various options. You can take some of the lesser powerful enemies in your group and combine them together into your toughest to make them even stronger. You can also use this option to give your character multiple abilities. For example, you can turn a water teammate into a water/earth type by combining it with another plant-based creature you've collected. Having team members with dual types can certainly make battles easier, as it gives them double the chance to attack enemies.

As I said earlier, you better make sure you have the right crew with you when you head into a level. Each stage is filled with various enemies, some of which you're briefed on before you enter. There's also a boss at the end of each stage. Some of them will be simple enemies, others will be multiple enemies types all at once. You'll even take on Koopa kids and more at the end of worlds. Fighting these bosses can be tough, but remember that you have an entire stage of enemies before you even get to the boss. That means you'll fight through multiple waves of enemies before you have a chance at tackling a level and moving on. Thankfully you do have lives that you can spend in levels, but if you blow through all of them, it's game over.

You'll also have to use the special abilities your teammates and team leaders have. Each member of the team will have some special power that can turn the tide during battle. Usually you'll have someone that can turn one icon type into another. This is really useful if you're trying to take out a fire enemy, but there are no water icons on the match-3 board. Just use the right ability and change one type of icon into the one you need. Of course, these special abilities need to be built up before used, which is done by playing through a predetermined number of turns. If you want to take things a step further, you can also level up these abilities to get new features, including the chance to use them after fewer turns.

This game is ALL about micro management. You'll want to take your time and put together a good team to tackle the enemies ahead. You need to make your matches smartly and in the best options available. The bigger the match, the more damage you'll do. The more chain reactions you get, the more relentless your attacks will be. There's no timer here...no need to rush through your moves. You should sit and examine the board in order to make moves that really position you well. If you don't take this approach, expect to find yourself restarting levels over and over again.

The Mario side of Puzzle and Dragons may look familiar and seem cutesy thanks to all the Mario characters, but it's certainly no slouch in the gameplay department. This is a challenging puzzle title that is sure to rewire your brain when it comes to match 3. Once everything clicks for you, the experience is truly engaging and rewarding. It actually might seem a bit complicated or scary at first, but do yourself a favor and take your time with those early stages. Learn the mechanics and why they work. Learn how team building is truly important and experiment with different setups. Learn every little aspect that'll give you a leg up on the competition.

If you're willing to put in the time here, you're sure to find a really wonderful twist on the match-3 genre. Be ready for quite the challenge, though. Don't be upset if you get your ass kicked a lot earlier on. Keep your patience and it'll all come together.

Hell, it's nice to see Bowser putting up a real challenge for once in his life!