As a long-time Dragon Ball enthusiast who has witnessed countless transformations and battles since the days of Goku’s humble origin on Earth, I can confidently say that “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” is nothing short of an exhilarating journey through the vibrant universe of Dragon Ball. The creators have managed to capture the essence of the anime in a way that feels both familiar and refreshingly innovative.
It’s an exhilarating period to be a Dragon Ball enthusiast! The iconic Dragon Ball series by the late Akira Toriyama made its debut in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine back in 1984, and now, we’re celebrating its 40th anniversary. To mark this milestone, a fresh anime series titled Dragon Ball Daima is set to premiere, alongside the release of a new video game, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, on the same day. This simultaneous launch isn’t accidental; both projects are significant leaps forward for their respective mediums and a tribute to the past achievements.
In a fresh yet nostalgic twist, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero presents an exhilarating blend of the old and new for long-time fans, while maintaining the essence that’s been a hallmark of Dragon Ball games over the past two decades. Much like its playable characters, this game is a fusion of yesteryears and today, promising a vibrant future. It often feels reminiscent of the Budokai Tenkaichi we imagined playing on our PlayStation 2, yet it has been refined with improvements that set it apart from its predecessors like Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Essentially, Sparking! Zero is the Dragon Ball game you’ve longed for and dreamt about.
“Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” is a fresh addition to the Dragon Ball series, which was once the popular Budokai Tenkaichi franchise. The last game in this line was “Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team,” released way back in 2010 for PlayStation Portable. Since then, many games have attempted to replicate the same essence, but Dragon Ball seemed to struggle during the transition from PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3. Numerous titles were launched, aiming to mimic the Budokai Tenkaichi series, yet they ended up worsening the experience. It wasn’t until “Dragon Ball Xenoverse” came along with its unique approach that fans finally felt like they were playing a game that truly satisfied their desire for more Budokai Tenkaichi-like experiences.
If you were among those still concerned, know that the game “Sparking! Zero” delivers a complete revival of the classic Budokai Tenkaichi gaming experience. Although the title has been modified to symbolize a fresh beginning (and to honor the original Japanese franchise title, “Sparking!“), it’s essentially a sequel. This means you’ll find all the appealing aspects that fans adored in the initial three titles, but also some of the same critiques might apply. It’s a series that has consistently prioritized offering the best gaming experience for Dragon Ball enthusiasts, even if it meant sacrificing balance as a fighter.
What Is Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero?
In this game, titled “Sparking! Zero,” combat unfolds across expansive battlefields, allowing players to move about freely and at unprecedented speeds compared to previous titles in the series. Enhanced movement mechanics add a layer of convenience, with an extra dash step enabling quicker closures and a powerful ki dash facilitating swift long-range travel. Close-quarters combat is intense, while advanced abilities enable strategic guarding, dodging, and parrying at opportune moments. When both players skillfully utilize these additional mechanics, the action closely resembles the fights depicted in “Dragon Ball.
For example, one of the biggest quality of life improvements for the fights themselves is the Skill Count meter. This is an additional meter alongside your Ki and Health bars that either gradually fills up over time, or builds as you land hits. Having a Skill Point will either allow you to use skills that buff your stats (or specialty skills like the Solar Flare), or allow you to charge your Ki beyond its maximum amount to enter a special mode that allows you to use your super attacks. It never feels like this meter takes long to charge, but it also helps to limit spamming the strongest super techniques. There’s still a bit of a spamming issue built in, however, as while in your fully charged mode, you could fire a regular Kamehameha Wave then follow with a Super Kamehameha in the same combo chain. That’s also the inherent flaw of having such a wide space for the matches as players could be tempted to just cheese it by firing energy beams back and forth instead of dashing in for hand to hand combat.
Either way you decide to play, matches are also decided quickly. It’s very easy to just run back matches as soon as they’re over because they can end so quickly. You can choose to make them longer with Team Battles which let you take up to five fighters into a match (and swap out with them after a certain time). Battles feel fresh due to the number of options there are to take down your opponent, so when you add in additional layers on top with transformations it goes to a whole new level of fun in the fights. The only issue with the gameplay itself is one that won’t bother Dragon Ball fans: it’s not the most balanced fighter on the market.
Ditching the conventional balance in fighting games, Sparking! Zero prioritizes the portrayal of characters as stronger or weaker according to their established strength within the Dragon Ball universe. As you’d expect, Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku is significantly more powerful than early Dragon Ball Z Goku, and even towers over a common Frieza Soldier. This alignment with Dragon Ball canon offers fans an immersive experience that brings their Dragon Ball fantasies to life, while still leaving room for skilled players to close the gap – it’s just going to take time and perfect play to have Mr. Satan defeat Jiren (Full Power). Given the initial roster of 182 characters at launch, this approach seems logical.
For Dragon Ball Fans, By Dragon Ball Fans
Character selection still somehow isn’t going to please everyone. There is a lack of classic Dragon Ball representation, but this is also the first game in the series that includes canonical materials from Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and beyond. It’s a wider net being cast, and the characters selected at least all feel like they offer something different. There’s a distinct lack of generic shared specials and rush attacks, and while characters can all move around the arenas at the same kind of pace, slower characters are a bit slower and speedier characters are a bit faster. Balance is lost in favor of this massive roster maintaining its canon adherence and size, so mileage will vary in how you respond to that.
Discussing fan service elements, it’s hard to find a more fitting demonstration than what’s been incorporated into the single-player content. Before even diving into multiplayer to challenge others (or battling side by side in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber stage), this time around, there are two main story modes: Episode and Custom Battle. The Episode Battle mode follows the journeys of eight different characters within the narrative, with each character’s story lasting differently based on when they appear in the story. For instance, Goku’s journey spans from the Saiyan Arc to the end of the Tournament of Power in “Dragon Ball Super,” but Jiren’s story will only focus on his time in the Tournament of Power. The outcome of certain matches can significantly alter your Episode Battle experience.
In my perspective as a passionate fan, the story takes divergent paths based on pivotal decisions or meeting certain hidden battle conditions, leading to alternate realities that can subtly shift the narrative or completely transform it. For instance, imagine facing Raditz without Piccolo’s assistance but with Krillin’s support instead. It might seem like a trivial change, but it could have far-reaching consequences, such as Goku enduring the final blow in this new timeline. This alteration then impacts how the Saiyan arc unfolds from that point onwards. If Goku survives the battle against Raditz, he doesn’t learn the Kaioken or Spirit Bomb, which alters the course of subsequent battles against other Saiyans. Essentially, this scenario offers a glimpse into what the story could have been like if Goku was present for the fights against the other Saiyans without those powerful techniques.
Tons of Surprises in Store
That’s a small example of the unique ways the stories can go, and there are some truly excellent surprises in store with special “Sparking! Episode” cutscenes that play out some of the big “What If?” scenes. You can also make your own with Custom Battle, and the level of detail in what you can edit is quite surprising. You can make your own episode of the anime including episode title backgrounds, music, and even why characters might be fighting. This is going to be the mode fans are likely going to dive into the longest, and especially so when everyone’s uploading their own custom fights.
Finally, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is just pure eye candy. Funny enough, this seems like this needs the least time spent on it of all the subjects as one look can tell you that Dragon Ball! Sparking Zero has a visual fidelity that gets as close to the anime as you might hope. Particle effects, explosions, dashing around, quick teleports, beams and more just look fantastic. There can be a bit of a stutter when things are going a bit too wild (and the arena itself is breaking apart), but it’s not very common as it was rarely seen in the hundreds of matches I had in the time with the game. You’re going to see lots of Supers thrown around, so luckily, it all looks incredible doing so.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” is the long-awaited Budokai Tenkaichi 4 that fans have been eagerly anticipating, but it’s also an ideal starting point for those new to the series. It offers a fantastic introduction and rekindles the excitement for anyone returning. You’ve been yearning for a Dragon Ball game just like this.
Rating: 5 out of 5
On October 11th (October 7th for early access), Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. For this review, we were given a code by the publisher, which we played on a PlayStation 5.
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2024-10-07 17:10