GR:
Despite being one of the premier match-3 puzzlers in Japan where it is known by the more condensed name Pazudora, Puzzle & Dragons is a relative sleeper hit in the States. The operative word is "relative," though, as over 30 million people have downloaded GungHo's game in Japan compared to the only over 1 million people in America according to stats from Google Play. Where the traditional Puzzle & Dragons is free-to-play on mobile with microtransactions, this Nintendo 3DS adaptation, Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition is a fixed $30 bundle of two fully-fledged titles. Some irritating remnants of the mobile design persist, but this 3DS package will satisfy anyone who wants a puzzler that harkens back to the likes of Puzzle Quest and Bejeweled.
A superior transition from mobile to handheld; new content and gameplay make this one of the best puzzle games around.
Full review by Cory Galliher on Popzara
When Ryan first picked up Puzzle & Dragons Z, he was concerned that it was going to be a strange hybrid of Pokemon and Bejeweled. While there were many features early on in the game to suggest that this was an accurate judgment, by the end it had convinced him otherwise. With heavy RPG components and addictive puzzles, the game managed to grab a hold of him, but this didn’t prevent him from noticing a few flaws.
IGN:
Because of its name, I’ve seen people mistake Puzzle & Dragons for a match-three game in the style of Candy Crush, but that’s not totally accurate. It’s an RPG with puzzle-based battle, and the original mobile version is known for its depth of gameplay and strategy. Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros Edition for 3DS bundles two games in one, and Z at first appears to be the definitive upgrade veterans are looking for — but that is also inaccurate. The Mario Edition is actually the star, and it shines where Z falls flat.
