Game review 09 October 2024, 03:27

author: Giancarlo Saldana

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Review: Zenkai Power

Dragon Ball has been around for years as have games that have tried to recreate the excitement the series is known for. Sparking Zero is the latest arena fighter that gets it right.

The review is based on the PS5 version. It's also relevant to PC, XSX version(s).

Anyone who grew up watching the Dragon Ball Z anime with their brother on Cartoon Network and needing to sit through a season-long battle between Goku and Cell will know the amount of patience the series requires to follow and how extensive its battles can be. They’re tiring to watch through for sure, but think how tiring they are for its characters, some of whom have died multiple times in the show only to be brought back to life thanks to a wish made to an eternal dragon.

These battles and a bunch of aliens, androids, and people with big flashy hair, are the basis of an anime that has been around for decades and continues to dish out new iterations of itself every now and then. Like the anime, the Budokai Tenkaichi series now returns as Sparking Zero, the latest installment of the 3D arena fighter that helped fans feel like they were right in the show fighting for their lives. Suffice it to say, if you grew up watching the anime or playing these games, Sparking Zero is sure to put a huge grin on your face as it’s the ultimate type of fan service a Dragon Ball fan can get.

Fight It Out!!

Sparking Zero is the first time the games are going by their Japanese name so it’s essentially the fourth Tenkaichi game to come out and the latest one since Tenkaichi 3 on the PlayStation 2. This newest version cranks everything up to 1,000 and features a silky smooth fighting game engine, a simple to learn but tricky to master combat system, and over 180 characters to choose from. It’s the kind of game that feels like an anthology for the games and the anime as you can pretty much play all of your favorites while its modes help fans recreate, revisit, and even reinvent their favorite scenes.

For starters, its combat system consists of quick punches, ki-based attacks called skills, and moves that lets you fly through giant arenas. Simple combos are your bread and butter, but the key is to then link them to other attacks or use your skills to (sometimes literally) leave a mark on your opponent. There are also lots of defensive options like teleporting, blocking from different directions, and even parrying so your enemy can easily thwart your advances. In order to win, you’ll need to make space between the two of you, charge you ki, and then zoom closer to link up your attacks. You really can’t mash buttons or the CPU will kick your butt so battles revolve around planning out your moves, recharging your ki, and approaching your opponent when you’re prepared to dish out combos.

Sadly, the game doesn’t feature an interactive training mode during its single player modes, so you’ll need to go to a separate mode and browse through various lessons that will teach you the ins and outs of the game. This training mode isn’t as intuitive as you would hope as it features odd controls to cycle through lessons, but it is super helpful when learning the basics and even more advances techniques. These attacks aren’t as complex as those in games like Tekken or Street Fighter, for example, as every character shares the same button combinations, but what those combos do will entirely depend on the character you choose—and there are tons to choose from.

The nice thing about the game’s roster is that you get over 180 characters to pick from all from the various universes from the anime. Sure, some are more represented than others with Dragon Ball Z taking up the majority of these spots, but you do get a good mix of obscure and famous characters to pick from even from the upcoming Dragon Ball Daima anime. All characters have been recreated with care and come with their own set of attacks, voicelines, and animations, but their power output also is in line with what you would expect from the show meaning the roster is highly unbalanced. Mr. Satan will not be standing up to the likes of Jiren anytime soon, but a guy can dream right? While 182 may seem like a big number, a large portion of these are character transformations so you may not see some old favorites from the original Dragon Ball anime, but you do get your pick from a handful of Gokus and Vegetas.

Rock the Dragon

Sparking Zero’s Episode Battles are another reason why the game feels like a fan’s ultimate adventure as it lets you replay pivotal battles from the show. Not only will you simply play them as Goku, but you can also play battles from the perspective of other characters such as Frieza, Gohan, and even Black Goku that will take you hours to experience. As cool as it is to relive the anime, most of the cutscenes you watch feel like the Cliff Notes version of entire seasons and don’t give you enough substance for someone new to the show to figure out what is going on. These episodes even skip entire portions of the plot and provide a bare-bones recap of a battle or an arc. Only true fans will understand the plot making this mode ideal for players wanting to relive their favorite scenes from the anime or hear their favorite characters again.

Another main highlight of this mode is the ability to completely alter certain scenes and select choices that can provide you with a whole new outcome from a battle. These feature unique deviations from what you would expect from the show giving fans something new to look forward to and also letting them experience a whole new outcome of possibilities. Even when you lose a match against someone, the game plays your loss in the form of an alternate reality cutscene so you get to hear about what Vegeta would do if he beat Goku during the Saiyan Arc. You see these every time you lose so they get old after a while if you die too much.

For true fans, the game also offers a Custom Battle mode that lets you basically come up with any scenario and be the director of your own scene. This mode can be as simple as letting you pick your fighters and stage or it can be so complex that it lets you select how Piccolo is standing when yelling some absurdity at Trunks who may or may have a disgusted look on his face. These scenes can also have specific battle requirements like killing off an enemy with a Spirit Bomb, Kamehameha, or any other attack you want and they require you to beat it at least once before you can publish it online for others to play through. It’s very Super Mario Maker and really gives you the reigns to unleash your creativity and inner fanboy.

Final Thoughts

Every mode in the game including offline and online battles and tournaments track your progress and reward you for reaching different milestones. You can use the money you get to unlock additional characters, costumes, and fun collectibles you can view later in the game’s gallery such as cutscenes, screenshots, and additional music you can listen to or use in your creations. Playing through the game’s Episode Battles also unlocks a majority of the game’s roster for you but these additional options are great if you just want to get your favorite character right away.

Sparking Zero is all about giving fans what they want, and the game achieves this despite some of its flaws. It’s not the most intuitive game as you need to really learn its combat to truly unleash each character’s full potential and while the Episode Battles offer you plenty to live through, they do condense everything a bit too much. Of course, there is a lot of Dragon Ball to get through so it’s impressive that so much was added to game in the first place.

Faithfully recreating some of the most famous moments in the series, Sparking Zero is the one Dragon Ball game that offers you tons of content to really enjoy all the aspects of the series. Battles are faster than ever, the roster is huge, and there are even ways you can reinvent or reimagine your own scenarios for your favorite characters to experience. It’s a fighter at its core, but it also offers fans the tools to make it the Dragon Ball game they have always dreamed of.