Budokai Tenkaichi and its sequels are easily some of the most iconic titles in the greater Dragon Ball Z video game catalog, and fans have wanted a new entry for years. That's where Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero comes in, promising to take the "legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series to whole new levels." From the moment it was revealed, it has been all hype from the fanbase and justifiably so.
At Summer Game Fest, The Best War Games saw a brief demonstration of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's game modes followed by some hands-on time. Namely, these are the Episode Battles that explore a character's history within the DBZ universe, with a slight twist; Custom Battles, which allow players to create unique encounters and share them with others; and, of course, the standard battle mode where players can fight their friends or against the AI. Our hands-on time was purely gameplay-oriented, focused on standard AI battles, while developers walked us through a first look at Episode and Custom Battles.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Episode Battles
Episode Battles are essentially the story mode of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, which allows players to play through a character's history. Goku, since his history is Dragon Ball Z history, was the example given to us. Players will be treated to cutscenes, battles with sometimes unique win conditions, and otherwise fight throughout the entire story. The story of DBZ has been told countless times across various forms of media, but luckily, this isn't just a simple retelling.
Fans will be able to make choices in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero that affect cutscenes, battles, and more. To what degree remains to be seen, but the choice we saw here involved Goku's pursuit of Raditz after he kidnaps Gohan. Players can choose to go it alone or follow the canon path, facing Raditz alongside Piccolo. For this demo, the developers chose to follow the canon path, but they also hinted that things like winning a battle someone isn't supposed to could change the story's direction too. The second feature is the ability to go into first-person mode during cutscenes, with the example being given to us being the first-person perspective of Goku holding Raditz and getting hit by Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon.
It's also worth noting that Raditz seemed to put up a pretty good fight, seemingly taking cues from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's Raditz boss fight. In some DBZ games, Raditz is disregarded a bit as an early game boss, essentially a tutorial boss fight, so his difficulty isn't too serious. Some DBZ games also tend to be rather static in presentation, meaning a fight's restraints, abilities, health, etc., are all within set parameters that equalize difficulty. It's hard to say for sure since we were not hands-on, but the dev player put up a good fight and Raditz wasn't letting himself be steamrolled. Obviously, he may not be as difficult as later boss fights, like Beerus presumably, but it speaks well of the game's AI.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Custom Battles
Custom Battles allow players to choose certain combatants (player characters and AI), set the stage, adjust the victory conditions, and otherwise customize battles. They will also be able to share these with others, which is no doubt an exciting feature for the community. It's almost like the developers are handing the community the same power to create the "what if" scenarios in DBSZ's Episode Battles. While it remains to be seen how modular the feature truly is, it does seem to have all the pieces to the puzzle so far. Players can adjust the following settings and then some:
- Keywords
- Title Card
- Environment Settings
- Battle Settings
- Characters and Win Conditions
- Transformation/Fusion Restrictions
- Cutscene Settings
- Thumbnail
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Combat
Of course, at the end of the day, it all comes down to Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's combat. Each team can have up to 5 characters for intense 5v5 scenarios, but for the purposes of this preview and time, we were limited to 3v3s. We tried out most of the characters available to us, all who were incredibly faithful to the DBZ franchise and their general game identities. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's roster should have no problem filling out if each character gets similar treatment because, while controls are similar, the characters feel distinct. For example, one Super Saiyan 3 Goku ability "pushed us to our limits" and saw us dominate our opponent with an incredibly high hit combo counter, while Great Ape Vegeta was obviously big and slow. There was also a clear distinction gameplay-wise between Super Saiyan Blue Goku and SS3 Goku.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero also features destructible environments, minor tweaks to the Budokai Tenkaichi series formula, and ways to clash with opponents or "boost" abilities. The destructible environments add a touch of immersion to the fights, while there are moments that will rely on the player's muscle memory and knowledge of the game. However, it's simple enough that anyone can hop in, enjoy a fast match, and have a good time doing it. Even in 3v3, no fight dragged on too long or ran too short, really striking that Goldilocks zone. It really gives off "easy to learn, hard to master" vibes, though of course, our time was too limited to get a good feel for what mastering the gameplay is like.
Ultimately, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero seems to focus more on being a modern iteration of the Budokai Tenkaichi series as opposed to offering something completely unique compared to other DBZ games. That's not a bad thing, of course, when inheriting the legacy of Budokai Tenkaichi and sharing similarities with other games like Xenoverse 2. DBZ fighting games are popular for a reason, and this is simply a 2024 version of a long-beloved franchise. While it remains to be seen if it "reinvents the wheel" in some fashion, it doesn't have to. It's a new chapter for DBZ games, even if it's still part of the same book, and it's more than enough to leave fans wondering what happens next in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!
Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.
Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!
Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.
Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.
Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!
Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
- Franchise
- Dragon Ball
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
