As a kid of the 90s, I’m well past the age of getting excited aboutanime-licensed games, but if there is one property that makes me feel like a kid again, it would have to be Dragon Ball. With the release of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, I can safely say that my excitement for the game has been satisfied with what just might be the best Dragon Ball game outside of FighterZ.
Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero carries the torch lit by Tenkaichi 3 over a decade ago. Make no mistake, outside of adopting the Japanese Sparking! moniker, the latest entry into the series is undoubtedly the true sequel Dragon Ball fans have been wanting since the series went dormant after the tepid reaction left by 2011’s Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi.
One of the most impressive aspects of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is its roster of 182 playable characters. Despite the large number, Sparking! Zero ensures that most characters, including variations of the same character, feel distinct and unique enough to justify their inclusion.
“Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero carries the torch lit by Tenkaichi 3 over a decade ago.”
In other words, even with a staggering number of playable characters, the large roster in Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero doesn’t make the game feel bloated. For example, switching between Goku’s representation in Z, Super, or even GT provides enough variation in his attacks and animations to feel authentic to the source material and fun to play, despite essentially being the same character.
Mid-battle transformations are also handled well in Sparking! Zero, with players relying on a skill count meter. When the meter reaches levels 2 or 3, it can be used to transform. Additionally, some characters feature unique secondary abilities activated by holding the right trigger and pressing up or down on the directional pad, granting buffs that often allow faster access to devastating signature attacks.
Signature or ultimate attacks can more typically be activated by holding the right trigger until your character enters the sparking stage. Entering the sparking status consumes all your skill count levels, allowing the player to unleash it all in a spectacularly over-the-top attack, often recreating iconic scenes from the anime and manga.
“The large roster in Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero doesn’t make the game feel bloated, with characters feeling distinct and authentic to the source material.”
Speaking of iconic scenes, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero features an Episode Battle mode, which lets the player go through the story from different eras. The base game currently features a story mode for Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Future Trunks, Jiren, Frieza and Goku Black (Zamasu).
Depending on the character chosen, Episode Battle mode will start from their appropriate introduction into the series, meaning characters like Goku and Vegeta tend to have longer campaigns that go through both Z and Super storylines. In contrast, characters like Jiren and Goku Black feature shorter campaigns that feel significantly more challenging as the game tries to approximate the power scaling of the show based on the era.
Occasionally, key battles will feature multiple winning conditions, with non-canon options that lead to fun what-if scenarios. These act as bonus battles and hidden encounters within Episode Battle mode, encouraging a good amount of replayability.
Episode Battle mode does a good job of setting the foundation for potential DLC encounters, specifically for characters like Gohan and Piccolo, who have a decently lengthy story present in the game, but one that feels like it abruptly ends due to story constraints set by the Tournament of Power arc. This could easily be expanded with future content related to the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film.
The actual fighting in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero also feels like the natural evolution of past entries into the series, modernizing the controls and making the overall gameplay experience feel less clunky and closer to something like Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.
Thankfully, if you’re an older fan of the series, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero features a legacy controller scheme that swaps the button orientation, approximating the layout used in past games such as Tenkaichi 3.
Outside of the impressive roster, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero also includes a wealth of unlockable costumes, accessories and capsules that augment character traits. These not only look cool but allow lower-tier characters to better hold their own against some of the more overpowered characters from the expanded Dragon Ball franchise.
“Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is the premier Dragon Ball experience fans have been waiting for.”
Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is the premier Dragon Ball experience fans have been waiting for. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect in Sparking! Zero, with the most significant issue stemming from a camera that tends to clip under the floor and geometry of the map. This leads to some immersion-breaking moments, made worse when fighting larger, boss-class characters, where the clunky camera slows things down and feels at odds with the breakneck action.
Additionally, during my time with the game, I encountered several instances where the enemy AI would break completely, get stuck in the geometry, or seemingly intentionally ring out when playing in both the World Tournament and Tournament of Power stages. While this was sometimes hilarious, it detracted from the otherwise stellar experience.
When it comes down to it, Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is a must-play for Dragon Ball fanatics. While it won’t win any awards from those looking for a well-balanced, serious fighting game, Sparking! Zero captures the feeling of watching Dragon Ball perfectly, giving fans access to a faithfully recreated sandbox that should only improve with time.
