Despite having been downloaded more than a million times in North America, GungHo Online Entertainment’s RPG/puzzle blend Puzzle & Dragons, or Pazudora as it’s more commonly known in its native Japan, is still considered something of a niche title in the Western world. The game combines elements of traditional tile-matching puzzle games such as Puyo Puyo and online favourite Bejeweled with the trading and stat-building elements of classic Japanese RPGs, topped off with a sprinkle of Pokémon-esque companion monsters to collect and trade.
The game is currently one of Japan’s most played mobile games and is almost entirely responsible for its makers’ US$763 million of total sales in the first half of 2013 alone, with more than 17 million active players in Japan today. Following on from this success, a 3DS version of the game was recently announced and is due to go on sale on December 12 this year. Reports suggest, however, that the 3DS version will be slightly different in order to protect younger gamers from the microtransaction system that the game has become synonymous with.
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Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya’s 2026 Smile Box lucky bag basically pays for itself
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No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
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Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
Village Vanguard tries to tickle us pink with a Pink Lucky Bag
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
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Studio Ghibli adds new Kiki’s Delivery Service bags and pouches to its anime shop in Japan
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