Dragon Ball: Sparking! is a video game based on the popular Dragon Ball series. Review has not started yet.

Up to this point, piloting this aerial combatant has seemed like a passionate commitment.

Since the release of the last mainline entry in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, there have been numerous changes in video games and how we engage with them. Being the initial direct sequel following the PlayStation 2 era, there is an undeniable charm to Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’s traditional design and presentation stand in contrast to the more modern look of other fighting games available today. It is more durable than Vegeta’s armor, and unbalanced in ways that are frustrating yet consistent with the story. Menus are complex and difficult to navigate, training advice is limited and occasionally unhelpful. However, each fight is designed specifically to bring the Dragon Ball fighting fantasy from the anime into our grasp. The quick ki slinging, teleport kicking, and magical hair dying is highly enjoyable (as long as responsiveness issues don’t get in the way). The limited regions are igniting! Zero genuinely attempts to be innovative, especially with its branching storyline and customizable battle toolkit, which show great potential. However, as I still have more content to explore before completing my final evaluation, up to this point, playing this fighting game feels just as dedicated and heartfelt as the endeavor to revive the franchise initially.

Arena combatants differ greatly from their conventional counterparts such as Tekken or Street Fighter. Rather than the battle occurring on a flat surface, they combine complete 3D mobility in mostly open areas with simplified move sets, exchanging intricate techniques for spatial strategies. Tenkaichi set itself apart from other games in its genre, such as Power Stone, by increasing its speed, replacing throwable objects with large environmental features that are destructible, and introducing vast empty skies for aerial combat. Similar to the Xenoverse series, other Dragon Ball games have embraced the style of arena brawling. Both Xenoverse and Tenkaichi successfully convey the dynamic energy of Dragon Ball, allowing characters to swiftly transition between different modes of combat in expansive environments. However, Tenkaichi stands out as the more intense experience, lacking stamina bars and showcasing numerous flashy elements. Igniting! Zero definitely continues that practice.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! – A Game Based on the Dragon Ball Series No gameplay images available

In static images, the greatness of Sparking cannot be denied. The appearance of Zero’s characters and environments. Every character, regardless of the Dragon Ball era they belong to, appears more impressive than I had recalled. During movement, there are some cutscene animations that are noticeably rigid and awkward. Overall, the sound also delivers as expected. The loud sounds of ki explosions and Z Fighters flying quickly are directly taken from old TV episodes. The majority of the well-known voices from the different series have been accurately replicated by the same voice actors, which is crucial for authenticity. Even in rare instances like Perfect Cell, a returning actor can bring about a transformation.

My inner child scored another victory with the incredibly vast roster. 180 characters taken from all parts of the series are available for play, with some requiring unlocking through the shop or story modes. There are numerous people on this list from TV shows or films I haven’t seen in a long time (or at all) that I had to question why the small number that were left out were overlooked. Several of these characters are duplicated in various ways – such as having 19 variations of Goku – however, they are not all just different designs. Base level Goku from the Saiyan invasion days has distinct special techniques and transformation trees compared to Buu Saga or Super-era Goku, who can transform into multiple versions of Super Saiyan with more powerful attributes. While I am unable to alter these skills, I can enhance each warrior’s attack power and health with ability items, but I hardly saw any improvement from doing so.

The controls have not been responsive up to this point.

All characters use the same controls, but certain roster members have slight variations in how they interact with the standard systems, adding a nice touch of complexity. As an illustration, holding down both attack buttons allows for the release of more powerful attacks, which differ in their reach and effect depending on the character being used. Android characters are unable to replenish their ki to perform blast attacks, and massive characters such as Janemba are immune to being grabbed. Illuminating! Zero does not try to level these imbalances; whenever I had to battle a character stronger than mine in the manga or anime, they were equally overpowering in-game.

Combine that with a lack of responsiveness in the controls and the more challenging fights in the story mode were incredibly annoying. Although inputs are straightforward overall, I have frequently felt confused when the pace of combat increases. Some of it is because of my age and level of skill (I was really into the last game in this series, but that was around the time Barack Obama was elected), and also because Sparking! Zero is generally a quicker game compared to Tenkaichi 3. Many defensive moves require precise split-second timing, and I admit that my reaction time is not as sharp as it was 17 years ago. However, there were numerous instances when I had to simultaneously press different buttons, such as guarding while pressing the attack button to perform a grab, resulting in me failing to guard or grab and getting punched in the face, which didn’t seem to be solely related to skill.

Are 19 Gokus too numerous for just one roster?

Yes, that’s absolutely crazy

Perhaps, if it results in other characters being overlooked.

No, I appreciate that all of his interpretations are included.

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I have dedicated ample time going back and forth between actual fights and practice sessions to verify my grasp on when and how to apply these methods, but it has not improved my ability to employ them consistently during battles. In comparison to contemporary fighting games, Sparking! The training choices available for Zero are very basic. In a game like this that is not as focused on competition, there is no need to provide detailed information on frame data and hitboxes. However, incorporating targeted drills or more detailed customization options for CPU behaviors could enhance the experience.

The addition of the new skill points system is seen as a positive improvement to your combat choices. While inflicting harm and accumulating energy, a gauge will fill up, rewarding a skill point upon each completion. There are several options for using these points, with the most popular being to enhance the special abilities of each fighter, such as Vegito’s ki meter or Yajirobe’s senzu beans for health restoration. However, it is important to allocate points wisely for upgrades and the recently added revenge counter feature, which allows me to effectively retaliate against enemies during a combo. A superior version of the perception counter seen in previous games, referred to as “super perception,” enables you to defend against almost any attack as long as you time it correctly and have a skill point available. Despite the inconsistent responsiveness, these options can save lives. Just like the versatility of ki in offensive and defensive actions, the resource management choices you must constantly make provide a valuable strategic element to the fast-paced fighting game.

The progression systems and menus of Sparking! incorporate a traditional, old-fashioned approach. Nothing. Playing the game can naturally unlock numerous accomplishments, leading to rewards such as Zeni currency, items, or minor cosmetic enhancements. Almost all items can be purchased using Zeni, such as new characters, costumes, soundtracks, and CPU attack behaviors. The currency is earned at a reasonable pace, so there is no pressure to buy with real money. I didn’t come across any microtransaction options at all, which is unusual in 2024. Conversely, a lot of menus are difficult to navigate, frequently forcing you to go back to the initial layer instead of allowing you to return one screen at a time. You are able to personalize characters’ skills and outfits for all modes, although there are no direct paths to the customization screen within each mode, requiring you to fully exit one mode and navigate a longer route to make changes. This was only barely tolerable in 2005, and we definitely do not need to endure this any longer.

The main solo mode is named Episode Battles, offering a condensed version of major Dragon Ball narratives from different characters’ viewpoints. Nearly all Dragon Ball games have incorporated this feature in one way or another, but this comprehensive version effectively minimizes downtime between fights, emphasizing key moments over forcing players to engage in every minor battle like Tenkaichi 3.

This time, the most notable aspect is the ability to cleverly alter specific events for potentially drastic new results. This might mean choosing a path in a cutscene, such as when I opted for Goku to assist Piccolo against Cell instead of waiting for Vegeta and Trunks to finish training, a deviation from the original TV series. This allows you to stop the Cell Games from happening, giving a fascinating peek into an alternate future where the androids coexist peacefully with Goku and his friends.

This straightforward option is much simpler to carry out compared to the other common method where you can change the course of events by winning battles in certain ways to alter the results. In addition to being challenging due to the powerful characters becoming almost invulnerable to regular attacks, and having perfectly matched defense against your offense, it is not clear initially what requirements need to be fulfilled in order to access these alternate narratives. If necessary, you have the option to decrease the challenge level for each separate battle to advance, but these specific missions must be finished at the regular difficulty level, making their discovery more of a late-game pursuit. Nonetheless, I did admire the attempt to add excitement to overly familiar narratives.

Custom battles are positioned in a middle ground between Mario Maker and Universe Mode in a WWE game. By using a toolbox containing specific modifiers that restrict the actions of characters in a situation and triggers that activate specific outcomes when certain conditions are fulfilled, these battles may appear more like a puzzle rather than simply combining digital action figures in fantastical scenarios. A flawed strategy is used for organizing conversations to possibly introduce a storyline, although its effectiveness is limited to loosely establishing the imaginary conflicts. I didn’t intend to create my own Dragon Ball arc, and I’m not confident the tool could handle it even if I did.

There are a few unique battles created by Spike Chunsoft in the game that showcase Gohan’s superhero persona, The Great Saiyaman, but the writing lacks depth in explaining the background of these fights. I’ve tested out a few of the limited number of battles available, and they don’t really require much imagination. Some of them offer intriguing situations and unique conditions for success, such as imagining Nappa and Raditz surviving on Earth and traveling to Namek, or watching Kid Goku train with a Master Roshi who can only be defeated by the kamehameha. However, I have not yet encountered a groundbreaking creation that truly demonstrates the potential of this method.

Although I have played most of the single-player games, I have not had the chance to experience a lot of the online multiplayer games yet. Servers were online briefly before launch, but the matches I participated in were filled with significant lag. They shut down shortly after for maintenance and are expected to remain closed until the day of the release, leaving a major uncertainty around the multiplayer in Sparking! None. A local split-screen option is available for those with friends in real life who wish to battle each other in person, but it is unfortunately restricted to just one stage: the empty white space of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. For this game to succeed in the current fighting game scene, it is essential that aspects like network reliability and lobby functionality are very strong. However, I am concerned about how the responsiveness problems I encountered in offline modes will translate to online gameplay. Furthermore, this franchise has a track record of failing in terms of online gameplay, so it is hoped that they have gained important insights over the past twenty years.

However, in my experience with the single-player mode, it evokes nostalgia for a time when games were more about fun than balance or competition. Revisiting a narrative that was integral to my childhood, appearing and sounding (for the most part) just as fantastic as I recall it, while being able to modify it in occasionally drastic ways is innovative, and the inclusion of resources to help craft our own narratives could enhance the project even more. Determining whether the custom battles will attract a community capable of testing its boundaries and creating compelling fights is difficult. Dragon Ball: Sparking – A video game based on the popular Dragon Ball series. 

Frequently, I found myself questioning if my controller was malfunctioning due to the misalignment of my actions and the on-screen results, leading me to endure yet another 20-hit combo. Its traditional approach can be seen in its outdated menus and simplistic training resources, occasionally to its own detriment. Without local play or friends who love Dragon Ball in person, its online features need to be strong to attract fans of Toriyama and make it the go-to game for casual hangouts and battles.

I will increase my gaming time this week, and after exploring the online features thoroughly, I will provide my final review with a score.