Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Platform: PC, PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S
Genre: Action Battle
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is the first in the franchise to have a unified title across all regions, previously known as the Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! series in Japan. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero introduces characters from Dragon Ball Super to its largest-ever roster of over 180 fighters. It’s also the first game in the series to use Unreal Engine 5, enhancing its cinematic experience. The title builds on its predecessors with immersive modes, featuring accessible yet challenging 3D combat, anime-quality visuals, and a blend of rich single-player and multiplayer modes.
I started with the Super Training mode to get my bearings and learn the controls. It is super, and it is training, hence the catchy name. As this game is a full-on 3D fighting experience with the ability to fly, several extra controls are required for a standard fighting game. I’d recommend this mode to get started. I found the training menu clunky at times, and navigating was also painful, but once I understood them, I flew the training mode, which allowed me to progress to the battle mode. This also helped me understand the hud, particularly the Ki (your superpower in the game), which can lead to some spectacular moments.
The training mode lightly introduces you to the game and its mechanics. The game and its enemies use entire 3D worlds, which are beautifully rendered and have some aspects of the stages that can be destroyed. Whichever character of the 180 you pick, I picked Goku the most often as I’m most aware of him, but the vast choice lets you play as whichever character you love the most, and you will encounter them in the story mode (episode battler). This mode is vibrant and has a narrative interwoven through many characters. The voice acting and drama are excellent, and the ability to play the story mode from the vantage point of different characters is also unique. The sound and effects of the gameplay make each battle seem even more epic; these battles are heightened when specials are used, and you see the environment, weather and your character’s demeanour change. As you play through the story mode, you will get upgrades and collectables that can enhance your character or give you an alternative look\costume for your character.
Challenges and missions allow you to unlock other goodies for your player card, including profile pictures and titles. The shop sells a whole array of customisation items, from costumes to voice packs and a whole lot more.
Online gameplay: I had no luck with online play as I needed help finding a game with opponents, so I will come with an update when there are more active players, and I can thoroughly review this aspect of the game. This could have been a timing on my side, but I will address all of this again.
The game is a beautiful mix of excellent stages with two DragonBall characters going head to head using a mixture of combat mechanics and crazy, unique, powerful attacks. The chaotic action helps build this fascinating and fantastic fighting game experience. The look of the characters and stages is superb; a mixture of cartoony Dragonball characters and brilliant stages is lovely. The voice acting and story mode (episode battle is the game name) were great and introduced me to the world of DragonBall and a whole array of characters; this is done very well, where you can play as different characters and view the story from many arcs. The game has several other modes, including standard battle (online and offline), the ability to customise characters, collect items and upgrade characters. All these little elements enhance and make the game even more enjoyable. The voice acting, music and general ambience make the game a joy and hard to put down! The game is just awesome, and I highly recommend it.
I didn’t find any online games when I tried, but I will review this later.
Now, with the release of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero to all who want to play the game; the online and multiplayer modes are in a state where they can be reviewed. I found games and matchmaking straightforward and did not have to wait excessively to find someone. All the successful matches I played had low latency, and the connection strength was good for the games I played. The games are played online compared to playing local multiplayer. There are a few online modes, but I mostly played ranked and unranked games. Within this, you have game modes, which are one vs one, and also the ability to play DP (Destruction point) battle, where the character has a DP value, and you can have a team of 5 players that can only have a maximum DP value of 15. This allows for more strategic battles and will enable you to have a vast range of characters for one immense battle. The online modes do enhance the game considerably and are executed brilliantly.
Overall: 8.5/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
