Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero overview

In March 2023, to the surprise of Dragon Ball Fans worldwide, it was announced that there would be a brand new entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise, with the title eventually revealed to be Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. At this point, it wasn’t a proper one Budokai Tenkaichi game in almost 20 years, so the news was incredibly exciting, especially for the countless fans who grew up with the franchise.

Spike Chancesoft Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is finally set to release on Friday, October 11, and there’s a lot to be excited about. Between new additions to the franchise and how much it refines some of the classic elements, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Is the pinnacle of anime arena fighters in nearly every regardAlthough with a few flaws in terms of performance and presentation here and there. Even those don’t completely detract from the great experience, however, and no Dragon Ball Fans will find a lot to love about this game from the moment they start playing.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero brings the gameplay of Budokai Tenkaichi to its peak

Some of the best gameplay of any Dragon Ball game

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Uses almost the same gameplay as the original Budokai Tenkaichi Games, and it’s better than ever. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Has made combat much faster and more dynamic than in any other Budokai Tenkaichi GameWith characters always moving at incredibly high speeds and causing massive destruction at every turn. For an additional nice touch, their bodies even get dirty and damaged at faster rates. The animation style of Dragon Ball Super: Broly Animator Naohiro Shintani was allegedly an influence on the game’s visual style, and overall, it translates wonderfully in 3D.

Combat in Sparking! Zero Plays largely the same as in Budokai TenkaichiBut there are some notable additions and changes in quality of life. The blast stack gauge, now called “Skill Count,” refills much faster than in previous games, making it easy to use skills, transformations, and ultimate moves multiple times per match, but the addition of new defensive moves like the Revenge Counter and Perception Add even more depth to the combat than before. The Tenkaichi Combat style has never been as refined as in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroAnd it’s all the better for him.

As with previous games, there is a definite learning curve to the combat. While it’s easy enough to get the hang of the basic combat elements, learning the more advanced maneuvers is the key difference between having an easy time and struggling from the start, even if you’re just playing against the computer. luckily, Learn the more advanced combat of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is largely a matter of patience and timingAnd it is easy enough to acquire a few skills whether you are a casual player or if you intend to be much more serious in your investment.

Another problem players may have while on their own is with the AI. Although the AI ​​is largely consistent, There will be many times when Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zeros AI will do things that make no sense to doWhether it’s going out of a transformation only to go back into it, going out of bounds in tournament mode, or simply doing nothing as you land one blow after another. This doesn’t happen too often, and it’s the kind of thing a future patch is bound to fix, but it can still make single-player campaigns more annoying than necessary.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is nearly perfect with his massive list

One of the largest rosters of any fighting game

What the Budokai Tenkaichi Games are best known for their gameplay is the massive roster of characters that each game boasts, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Take that to its logical extreme. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Boasting a list of 182 characters covering both canon material and the original non-canon moviesAnd luckily, the vast majority of them are available at launch. Any missing characters can be unlocked by playing various game modes or buying them from the store, and with how easy it is to get the in-game currency, it’s pretty easy to max out the roster.

What makes these characters even more fun is how much attention to detail the game puts into their gameplay. Every technique a character can use in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is filled with easter eggs to classic moments from both canon and fillerAnd this is always the case whether it is just a character using a skill or when they are used against a specific opponent. There are dozens of references like that in the game, and seeing them pop up at random times is a big part of what makes playing the game so much fun.

Regarding the list, it would be remiss not to mention the notable exclusions. The base list is missing not only popular characters like Super 17, Piccon and King PiccoloBut even with the wide selection of transformations for some characters, for some reason, forms like Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken and Vegeta’s Super Saiyan Blue Evolution are only present as skill buffs as opposed to genuine transformations. With multiple waves of DLC in the works, of course some familiar faces were left behind at launch, but even so, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroHis list still comes up somewhat short, even with his massive size.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’s Story Mode brings more life to the games than ever

Sparking! Zero’s Story Mode Explained

As with the previous games, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Features an extensive story mode that covers all canon from the perspective of eight different characters, but unfortunately it’s not without its issues. For starters, most cutscenes and transitions are conveyed with still images and text without narration; There are few cutscenes in it Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zeros story mode that has no animation to speak ofAnd there are even fewer that make it a continuous scene as opposed to several short cuts in quick succession, and even if the visuals are great, it can still be quite tedious.

That said, the story mode is still fun enough to play. While there aren’t as many fights as in previous games, with each main story mode sticking primarily to canon fights, not only is it always fun to play through Dragon Balls story arcs, however The few times Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroThe story mode has a full cinematic, it is always made to look as gorgeous as possible Thanks to the graphics and shading of the game. It’s another testament to the game’s stunning visuals, and this is probably the best place to experience them.

The story mode really shines, of course, with the “what if” stories that branch off into alternate takes of the story. Many of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero‘s “what if” stories tell engaging stories that take the characters in fascinating new directionsSome notable examples include Goku saving Piccolo as soon as Cell appears and two different takes on Goku surviving the fight with Raditz. Some of the most fun a player can have is doubling back to find all the branching paths, and no matter what character they use, they’re sure to find something fun to do.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero invites players to flex their creativity with custom battles

Why Custom Battle Mode is so good

One of the healthiest additions to Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero was the custom battle mode, and for the most part, it lived up to its hype. On the negative side, because the system needs to account for any random scenario that a person might create, The dialogue in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zeros custom battle mode tends to be stilted and downright nonsenseSometimes the context of the story does not even fit with him. This could be a problem with the English translation, but considering how good the translation is everywhere else, that seems unlikely.

That being said, custom battle mode is still great to play through. Not only does it give you a lot of fun pre-made battles from the beginning, but the almost limitless amount of scenarios and dialogue that the player is afforded allows an incredible amount of creativity that they can spend hours without even Cracking the surface of what is possible. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroThe custom battle mode is the game’s most extensive and creative modeAnd for anyone willing to put in the time, it’s where they’ll undoubtedly have the most fun.

Final thoughts on Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero & Review score

9/10: Sparking! Zero excels through a mixture of old and new style

There are definite issues with gameplay and overall presentation, but between how much it refines the work of its predecessors and each stellar new addition to the gameplay, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an excellent addition to these Budokai Tenkaichi Franchise that more than justifies the long wait for its release. Whether someone grew up with the older games or is jumping into the style for the first time, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Will be a lot of fun to play, and it’s bound to go down as one of the best Dragon Ball Games of all time.