It may not be the best fighting game, its systems may not be the most complex in the genre, its depth may be far from that of other titles in the same saga, but Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is everything a fan of Akira Toriyama’s manganime would want. More than a decade after the release of Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft bring back a legendary title. The work of the Japanese studio is a tribute that celebrates 40 years of adventures of Goku and company, a posthumous gift for the mangaka and for the players.
A journey through the entire saga: the characters of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero
This video game brings together almost half a century of ‘Dragon Ball’ characters and stories. With a squad of 182 fighters – to which we must add the at least 20 that will arrive through DLC content -, the title reviews all the sagas and eras of the saga. Since Budoaki Tenkaichi 3, the manga and anime have not stopped adding new story arcs. In addition to ‘Dragon Ball Super’, the sequel to Z, Toei Animation has produced unreleased films such as ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ or ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’, not to mention the upcoming series, Toriyama’s latest work , ‘Dragon Ball Daima’. All these projects have a place in Sparking! Zero, so we can handle countless fighters from all eras.
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There will always be some character missing, no squad will be perfect, but the roster presented by Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is the closest to achieving that ideal. It is true that more fighters from the time of Goku as a child are missed, but they all have their representation, including of course ‘GT’. The same combatant is repeated several times because it differs depending on the era, which is reflected in their skills and attacks. Each transformation has its own particularities; Each alternative version includes the characteristic moves in the appropriate context: for example, the Goku of early ‘Z’ uses the Kaioken, while the version in Super Saiyan 3 uses the Dragon Fist to destroy his enemies.
Master Mutenroshi, Majin Vegeta, Vegeta Baby, the androids, Cell, Future Trunks, Goku Blue, Black Goku, Tapion, Janemba, Monster Bu, Babidi, Pan, Videl, Gohan, Piccolo… almost any of those who you imagine they are there. In addition, the game allows you to unlock them little by little, both by completing story mode events and by purchasing them in the store, with the zenis – the currency – that you earn every time you succeed in a fight or overcome a challenge. Almost every fight you can imagine has its space, whether shown in the series or customized. The characters have different characteristics, which in practice produces differences: Satan is the least powerful, while Blue Gogeta, Beerus or Whis are at the highest.
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This is how Dragon Ball Sparking works! Zero
Dragon Ball has enjoyed great fighting titles over the years, but the series’ fights have never been confined to small settings. They take place in large cities, rocky areas, planets like Namek or infinite places like the Time Chamber. Fights on land, sea and air, dynamic, fast and in 360 degrees. Therefore, the Dragon Ball Sparking! systems Zero have been designed to be a kind of maganime simulator. The Budokai Tenkaichi have already achieved that goal, although the power of the most modern machines allows them to take all these elements to another level.
The game introduces melee and ranged strikes, all combined with the classic uses of Ki, instant transmission and other hits and combos. The playable base is quite simple to master, but the title hides many playable mechanics that allow you to delve deeper into its gameplay. In a group interview with MeriStation, producer Jun Furutani placed special emphasis on accessibility and the need to reach the general public. Some specific movements have been simplified, so pressing R2 accesses a menu of skills: two of them offer specific advantages, while the remaining two are usually Ki attacks or chained blows with impressive sequences.
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Using and managing energy provides the opportunity to charge up the Sparking bar, which gives access to each character’s ultimate move. If the opponent does not dodge it, the player will witness an impressive cinematic, which results in a devastating attack. In Sparking mode, combos do even more damage, although charging this sweep is not easy against an experienced opponent, as they will try to interrupt the charge and hit with everything they have in their hands. Even energy attacks, such as the Kame Hame Ha or the Final Flash, can be charged more or less depending on how long you hold the button, also in the case of the most basic balls. In the most destructive energy movements, the power can be reinforced by pressing one of the triggers, as indicated on the screen.
At specific moments, two waves of energy collide with each other, as happens in the manganime itself. In these cases, a sequence is displayed and the player must repeatedly press the button indicated on the screen. If the contest is won, the result is the imaginable: lethal or almost lethal damage for the loser. Sometimes, a battle similar to punching or kicking also arises, which in gameplay works almost the same.
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Since the original Budokai saga, some ‘Dragon Ball’ games have implemented in-game transformations. Considering that both Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3 included them, Sparking! Zero is no exception. As soon as the energy gathered is sufficient, the fighter can transform and access other techniques. The studio has achieved the perfect balance to reproduce them without the action of transforming interrupting the rhythm of the battles.
Those who want to scratch beyond the surface can try to master the multiple mechanics and combos: from frenetic chains to lifting blows, various combinations that make Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero the most complete of the Budokai Tenkaichi. The dragon’s momentum, quick blows and powerful blows, a whole host of options that require progressive learning, although the training mode offers the necessary tools to learn little by little.
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As one might expect, not everything focuses on offensive power, it is also crucial to master defense and recovery techniques: blocking is the basis for protecting oneself, but there are many other options: for example, when the opponent hits our fighter it is possible recover quickly if the buttons are pressed at the right time. On the other hand, dodging maneuvers become another important ally, especially when a huge ball of energy is headed towards the fighter. To this we must add counterattack techniques, deflections, etc.
Before the fight, the player can select a single fighter or choose a team of up to five protagonists, who alternate mid-fight.
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A visual spectacle, the closest thing to anime that has been seen to date
The video game by Spike Chunsoft has been developed using Unreal Engine 5, a graphics engine that takes advantage of current hardware to offer a level of detail never seen in a Dragon Ball title. Taking into account that three generations have passed, the jump is logically very noticeable. The detailed character design, lighting effects, destruction of the settings, fluidity and animations contribute to building the illusion that the player is in one of the episodes of the series. Some flat textures (part of the grass) and occasional clipping do not cloud a very solvent section. Of course, the cutscenes in the story mode look a little pixelated.
The soundtrack fits the game, although Bandai Namco has not rescued any original songs from the previous games. Several themes from the anime will be rescued, but those who want to enjoy them will have to pay for the relevant downloadable content.
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Customization is one of the key elements of the video game, both in items that improve the character (skill objects) and in skins: unlockable outfits, gestures, fusion and music. In short, a very varied set that takes the player throughout the history of ‘Dragon Ball’ and its protagonists. The character card is also another form of expression for online modes.
These are the game modes available
From normal combat to a super training mode to learn the fundamentals of combat. The World Tournament includes different competitions such as the Cell Games, the Beyond Tournament, the Destroyer Tournament, the Tournament of Power or the Yamcha Games, each with its specific rules. The option of creating your own tournaments is another possibility. Both combat mode and World Tournament mode can be played online or offline. The game lacks Rollback netcode and does not have great online modes. Of course, we have not tested it in a real environment, with a sufficient number of players connected to determine if it works correctly.
Episode Battle mode is the story mode of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, which reviews the most iconic battles of the saga by character: Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, Piccolo, Frieza and Goku Black. The fighters do not move freely around the stages, but instead relive the arcs combat by combat. In the narrative, their stories are summarized, and sometimes decisions are made that can alter certain events in the manganime. Without great fanfare or without being the best story type of the series, it manages to hook you. Another aspect to take into account is Custom Battle, which provides the option to create battles with your own rules and then share them on the network. Additional Battles are a series of fights pre-designed by Spike Chunsoft that challenge the player to enjoy battles with different objectives.
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Among the extras available we find the character encyclopedia, the gallery and the Book of Seals of Whis and the Orders of Zen-Oh, which provide the rewards. We can also summon sacred dragons to get more characters, more money, improve the player level or receive new outfits.
Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is quite a spectacle, a video game that is as entertaining as it is attractive. Paraphrasing the first lines of this text, it is not the most profound fighting title, but it is the best possible tribute to ‘Dragon Ball’.
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Review code sent to MeriStation by Bandai Namco. Analysis of the PS5 version.
Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is without a doubt the game that almost every ‘Dragon Ball’ fan would expect. The heir to the Budokai Tenkaichi uses the same formula, but enhances it to the maximum with a gigantic roster of fighters, great advances in the visual field, a deeper battle system and endless extras. It represents battles perfectly, on land, sea and air, hand to hand and at a distance. Fast, agile and fun, Spike Chunsoft’s new title has an interesting story mode that reviews the history of the saga, as well as multiple secrets. It’s a shame that local multiplayer is so limited.
The best
- The best representation of Dragon Ball combat.
- A spectacular squad of fighters.
- A visual delight.
- A combat system much deeper than it seems at first glance.
- An elaborate customization.
Worst
- Only one scenario in local multiplayer.
- Some extra mode is missing.
- It does not have netcode rollback for online modes.
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