People have been wanting a new Budokai Tenkaichi game. And as I said in my Summer Game Fest first look at Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, “It’s me, I’m people.” Published by Bandai Namco and developed by Spike Chunsoft, it brings back the Budokai style of arena fighter and never pretends to be anything else.
Ostensibly, this game is Budokai Tenkaichi 4 and picks up where its successor left off. While the current attitude toward anime arena fighters isn’t positive, the Budokai series helped define it. And for better or worse, it’s the success other anime fighters have been trying to chase. You can play with one character or multiple (forming a team you can swap between in the middle of a fight) in an arena with next to no vertical or horizontal movement restrictions so long as you have the flying option on amongst the battle restrictions.
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Dragon Ball Sparking Zero embodies every absurdity with love that the franchise is known for while also bringing back fond memories for a video game series that hasn’t been around for 15 years. We went hands-on with the new game during a media preview event. After hours of playtime, yeah, we’re so back.
First things first, we have to talk about the comically and somehow expertly big roster. As a woman who loves Dragon Ball, I’ve been waiting for the Dragon Ball Sparking Zero roster. With 182 characters (when you include the Goku from Dragon Ball Daima), to see characters like Pan, Caulifla, and even Berserker Kale included is absolutely a testament to how many more women have been added to the series beyond just Android 18 and Videl.
While I yearn for Cheelai from Dragon Ball Super Broly or even letting Launch and Bulma take their spots on the roster, too, this is one of the first times a Dragon Ball fighter has embraced just how diverse the franchise has become through Dragon Ball Super.
I have to shout out to my all-lady team, which consisted of Videl, Pan, Android 18, Kefla, and Kakunsa. Even with expansive rosters, other anime fighters struggle to include enough women. The fact that those were not the only women in the game is something I didn’t think we’d get. But the roster depth goes beyond just the women of Dragon Ball. With the largest Dragon Ball roster ever, there are even more power pairings, chemistry one-liners, and absolute joyful chaos as you explore who else there is.
Sure, I’m personally excited about the extensive roster of women fighters. But to be honest, this is the first time in a Dragon Ball fighter that every character feels embraced for their specific contributions to the franchise. With Baby Vegeta and other Dragon Ball GT characters and films like Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn getting their due (c’mon, they look really cool), it’s clear that the dev team didn’t want to leave any bit of the iconic franchise behind. Sometimes, letting the comedic effect of their very existence speak for itself.
It also has to be said that different versions of the same character aren’t just palette swaps. There are movement mechanic differences and clear power differentials between a Great Ape Vegeta versus a Dragon Ball Super Vegeta and Early Dragon Ball Z Vegeta and more. The thoughtfulness in crafting this roster is undeniable.
Yes, as I noted in my Summer Game Fest preview, you can field an entire team of Vegetas and have them each play distinctively from the other. And with character select restrictions on, I know that the first thing I’m doing is creating a Custom Battle and calling it “Oops, All Vegeta.”
While Episode Battles offer the most interactions between fighting characters, each subsequent battle and tournament offers character interactions. Built on existing franchise connections, the taunting at the beginning of the match (a staple of fighting games) is directly informed by relationships. The Great Saiya Man, Videl, and their daughter Pan have a rather hilarious interaction when they fight Mr. Satan. This extends to all other characters.
The truth is that I can dissect small things here and there, but none of the qualms get close to competing with the joy and excitement that playing even a single match of Dragon Ball Sparking Zero elicits. Some elements highlight that this is indeed Budokai Tenkaichi 4, but it also honors and reflects that series while spinning up something new.
Part of this is captured by its structure as an arena fighter, but it’s also in how the developers have allowed players to choose between two controller schemes: Classic and Standard. The former channels the past and can be a little less forgiving, while the latter is easier for players to get used to. To put it simply, it doesn’t just rely on nostalgia. It harnesses it and asks you to be creative and competitive and explore different ways to experience the franchise.
This exploration is done through the Episode Battles, which allow you to replay and change certain elements of the Dragon Ball stories, even playing from the perspective of Goku Black or Frieza. Exploration is also done by offering players robust customization options for arena creations.
This begins with Custom Battle and extends to the World Tournaments. These are bracket tournaments, exactly like in the anime series, but with characters swapping in and out. These can be played in succession with different restrictions or crafted from scratch, similar to the Custom Battles. Tournament Battles are also where I spend the bulk of my time and push myself specifically by limiting flying and turning on the out-of-bounds criteria. There is depth to the game’s system, and I only scratched the surface in my few hours of play.
And while Dragon Ball fans can get excited about all of the ways they can be creative in terms of competition, entering the Episode Battle is where the real lore exploration and fun is to be had. In line with the other arena fighters that Budokai Tenkaichi inspired, the Episode Battles allow players to fight their way through pivotal moments in franchise history. Only here can you make a decision that completely changes the course of Dragon Ball and spin off into an interestingly constructed “what if?” story.
And if that doesn’t interest you, the Episode Battles don’t just let you play as our heroes. You can also fight your way through Frieza’s story from his perspective. There is something especially funny when you grapple a character (usually Gohan) and unleash Frieza’s slap attack. You have the option to change the story in a way that keeps things consistently interesting and boosts replayability.
One of the keys to progressing through Episode Battle content is to utilize the transformation feature. Great Ape Vegeta absolutely wrecking you? Well, time to go, Super Saiyan. While transformations are great in Tournament and other Battle modes, they can lose their edge when you pile your team with character variants. Rolling into a match with Super Saiyan Kefla can transform into base Kefla, for example, so paying attention to the transformation elements is important when putting together a team.
Episode Battles also forces you to play through battles with large size differentials between you and your opponents. You’re constantly at a disadvantage while fighting against the Great Ape Vegeta in Goku’s Episode. While the transformation can help you get over the edge because it has a better-ranged ability than your last form, the balance between character sizes takes time to understand.
That said, instead of adjusting hitboxes, each character’s uniqueness in terms of strength, moveset, and size has different pros and cons. While the Goku Episode Battle was difficult to get past, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero’s approach to characters is to allow them to exist as they do in canon. Their weaknesses, strengths, and ways of overcoming villains are consistent with the franchise in a great way. This makes each of them a fantastic adaptation. Some characters are intentionally overpowered, and truthfully, no matter what end of those characters you’re on, it’s a fun time.
Even still, how each character fights against characters they would never meet in battle in the franchise makes finding a way to overcome the differences another Dragon Ball Sparking Zero strength. One of my World Tournament matches was between Pan (the character I played as the most) and Jenmba (the chunky yellow first form). While the match-up itself made me laugh, fighting something large was difficult.
Pan could move into the hitbox and hit quickly at close range. However, there is a button combo that the computer knows well that kicks a smaller opponent at your feet away. Conversely, you can launch ranged attacks at your much larger opponent, but those eat up your ki gage, which you need to charge regularly in order to perform more powerful attacks. So that leaves combining the two and constantly moving.
Plus, large characters don’t necessarily have the advantage either, given that they move substantially slower. Dragon Ball Sparking Zero’s balance adds depth to character choices and pushes you to engage with them and their movements differently than you may before entering a fight like that.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is a genuine shock to the system. It’s been a long time since we had a good arena fighter, but this game brings out all the reasons players fell in love with Budokai. For Bandai Namco and Capcom, the last few years of the fighting renaissance have been about revitalizing franchises to rebuild the past and swing open the door for new fans. This isn’t a bad thing, and it’s made both Street Fighter VI and Tekken 8 smash hits with new audiences while balancing keeping their respective existing player base excited and engaged.
Still, everything about Dragon Ball Speaking Zero is a love letter to the arena fight series that changed the game. It’s unapologetically loud and campy. The characters are intelligently designed and balanced thoughtfully. More importantly, many of the characters on the 182-long roster feel like a swing for the fences. This is a bold game that pushes to give Dragon Ball fans what they want and reminds fighting game players why Budokai was the blueprint to begin with.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero releases on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 on October 26, 2024.
