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- Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is exactly what fans wanted.
- The game looks and plays great, coming with the same strengths as its beloved predecessors.
- It also offers unparalleled attention to detail, making for a joy-filled experience for both new and old fans of the IP.
The Tenkaichi series has finally returned after a nearly two-decade-long slumber. Needless to say, such a revival came with a lot of weight, and the expectations for Dragon Ball Sparking Zero were through the roof.
As an avid fan who spent a fair amount of time on Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi 3, Infinite World, and Shin Budokai, I had similarly high hopes, and I’m glad to report that Dragon Ball’s latest outing is a glorious return to form for the franchise.
In fact, I would argue it’s easily one of this IP’s best adaptations.
Why it matters: This Tenkaichi 3 successor has already sold over 3 million units and has become one of Bandai Namco’s highest-rated releases.
The Dream Tenkaichi Sequel
As Dragon Ball fans would have you know, a sequel to Tenkaichi 3 had been requested for years upon years until 2023. This is exactly why the surprise announcement of Sparking Zero seemed like a fever dream for a while.
Fortunately, Spike Chunsoft has more than lived up to the expectations. Boot up this arena fighter, and you’ll be met with a bombastic intro that leads into an incredibly creative user interface rivalling the Naruto Storm series’ stylish menus.
This is where Sparking Zero makes a strong first impression, but these elements just scratch the surface of its greatness. Between the story mode, online battles, local gameplay, and custom battles, there’s plenty of content to keep enthusiasts engaged.
Fan-favorite attacks like the Kamehameha, Spirit Bomb, and Dragon Fist are all here and look better than ever, while characters also sport their signature transformations, including Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct form.
However, I would argue that the attention to detail is the real star of the show here. Each part of Sparking Zero serves as a love letter to the series, making it clear that this is a game made by the fans for the fans.
When playing through the various modes, you’ll find plenty of unique dialogue between characters, specific animations portraying iconic moments from the series, destruction on an epic scale, and all the exaggerated faces that the late Akira Toriyama’s franchise is known for.
Battles chock-full of references to the manga and anime are also brought to life by visuals that rival FighterZ and Kakarot at their best.
Spike Chunsoft has even included a slew of popular anime soundtracks, giving fans the option to duke it out as they listen to songs like We Were Angels, Blizzard, and Makafushigi Adventure.
Also worth mentioning are the what-if stories. I won’t go into too many details here to avoid spoilers, but these what-ifs alone make it worth sitting through the bland story mode.
Capturing The Dragon Ball Feel
In terms of gameplay, Sparking Zero immediately felt familiar to me. Playing on classic controls gave me a running start, and it took just an hour or two for my Tenkaichi 3 muscle memory to kick in fully.
The 3D combat here is fast, fluid, and unpredictable enough to satisfy your Dragon Ball cravings. I always believed Tenkaichi 3 came the closest to emulating Dragon Ball’s frenetic nature, and it comes as no surprise that Sparking Zero is just as enticing as a simulation of the franchise.
Much like Tenkaichi 3, Sparking Zero presents a basic combo structure with various follow-ups, but a slew of defensive options like the revenge counter and super counter help add additional depth to the gameplay.
Beam struggles and other types of clashes also return, making for arguably the best moment-to-moment 3D combat in a Dragon Ball game. Much to my surprise, the online netode isn’t a complete letdown either, which is more than I can say for most other arena fighters.
If I had to point out one caveat, it would be the lack of impact in many of the basic rush attack animations. The soundtrack also leaves much to be desired, but nobody expected the game to be perfect, so I’m more than willing to look past these drawbacks.
Future Potential
Arena fighters have been in constant decline for many years. Following Naruto Storm’s recent downfall, I had almost begun to lose hope, but in typical shounen fashion, Sparking Zero saved the day right on time.
The stage is now set for Spike Chunsoft to go even further beyond.
Looking at Bandai Namco’s recent live-service efforts, I can see a huge list of DLC for Sparking Zero in the next few years. In fact, dataminers have already pointed to the likes of Beast Gohan joining the roster.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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