After Pokémon X & Pokémon Y, the next major 3DS game is Puzzle & Dragons Z. The handheld version has the same match three drops to activate a monster gameplay as the smartphone game, but GungHo Online Entertainment made game progression more like a RPG.
You play as a Dragon Tamer (who looks strikingly like a Pokémon trainer) fighting the Paradox Organization. Dungeons have multiple routes in Puzzle & Dragons Z and a score attack mode in the Dragon Coliseum. Players can exchange monsters with friends and the helper system uses StreetPass. So instead of picking a random helper online, helper monsters come from passing other Puzzle & Dragons Z players.
Puzzle & Dragons Z comes out in Japan on December 12. When we spoke with GungHo CEO Kazuki Morishita he said they will release the game in North America.