Project X Zone Beginner’s Tips

Go inside the Limited Edition.

Project X Zone is a turn-based adventure featuring characters from Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom universes.  If you daydream about what it would be like if heroes from Street Fighter, Tekken and Devil May Cry teamed up to thwart evil, then you already own the $39.99 limited edition stuffed with goodies.  That said, there’s also a chance you don’t play games like this on a regular basis and need tips to survive.  Don’t worry.  Our Project X Zone beginner’s guide will put you on the right path.

While on the Map Screen

-Use the d-pad for a better view.  Press up and down to zoom in and out respectively, then left and right to turn the camera in those directions.

-You can only maneuver selected characters within the blue area.  If you reach the boundaries of this area and there are no enemies nearby, you must end that character’s turn by tapping the B button, then the A button.

-You’re able to heal characters before starting a battle. Press X, then highlight Item and press A.  Remember that you collect items to restore HP, XP and cure Ailments.  You’ll need to tab over left/right with the Circle or d-pad to switch categories.  Thankfully, highlighting an item reveals its effect at the bottom of the screen.

-You’ll occasionally come across treasure chests and breakable objects, the latter of which open up new pathways.  Both may contain valuable items that will prove useful in battle.  To open/break, simply position a character nearby and press Y.  

-Go into Free Cursor Mode by pressing the touch screen, or press and hold L+R and the Circle Pad when in control of an ally; switch back by pressing B or Y.  This is a great way to scan the area for breakable items and highlighting heroes/villains. 

-With closely grouped enemies, press either the L or R buttons to select the one you wish to attack.

-Need to save? Press X and choose the Quicksave option, or simply close your 3DS and return to the game later.

-Confused? While on the Map screen check out the Project X Zone Database by pressing X, then X again to change the menu.  Database is the third one down.

-When enemies strike, you may have the option to spend XP to select Counter (20XP), Defense (20XP) or Full Defense (60XP). We prefer to Counter, as successfully doing this takes us to the Battle screen, allowing us to pull off more attacks. You also have the choice of doing nothing and absorbing damage.

-Allies can get knocked out.  If this happens, move next to the affected character and perform a rescue at the expense of 100 percent XP if it’s available; game will restore 50 percent of rescued character’s HP.

-You cannot exceed 99 turns in a single stage or it’s game over.  This counts as one full turn: all characters attack and/or you manually end their individual turns.

-When prompted, place a Solo Unit with a Pair Unit. In battle, press L to call in this character to execute a Solo Attack.

In Battle

-Successful attacks build your character’s XP, also known as Cross Points.  Once it hits 100 percent, press Y to execute a Special Attack.

-Look at the touch screen to view available attacks and input the correct commands.  Attacks utilize the Circle Pad, d-pad and/or the A button. You may need to press more than one at the same time. 

-During a battle, you can activate a Support Unit’s attack by pressing the R button.  You’ll know if this character is available if you see an icon on the top right corner of the screen. Keep in mind that Support characters must be within one of the eight squares around the selected pair on the Map screen for this to happen.

-If available, press the L button to call in the Solo Unit while the Pair and Support Unit are attacking an enemy.

-Monitor every character’s Hit Points (HP) on both Map and Battle screens, and make sure to heal everyone with available items.

Project X Zone is available for 3DS.