“Dragon Ball” games have prospered these past few months with updates for games like “DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS” and “Dragon Ball FighterZ.”
The highly anticipated “DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO” isn’t being left out either, with its publishers, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., releasing a 12-minute premiere on March 20 on YouTube showcasing gameplay and a new trailer.
Kicking off the premiere with the trailer featured in the 2023 Game Awards and a few words from “Sparking! ZERO” producer, Jun Furutani, fans can finally lay their eyes on the long-anticipated gameplay.
As soon as the gameplay kicked off, it immediately looked astoundingly beautiful, so much so it could give “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” a run for its money as the best-looking “Dragon Ball” game.
Both players – naturally – used Son Goku and Vegeta and showcased various mechanics of the game, some familiar and others brand new.
Everything from the combos and special moves to the transformations is so visually satisfying and reminiscent of the original “Budokai Tenkaichi” games.
Each transformation, beam and explosion is vibrant and absolutely bursting with color, and both characters’ charging auras are incredibly fluid.
These auras in particular might be some of the best auras ever created in any “Dragon Ball” game, being close to what they look like in the show and manga.
After the last energy blast had been fired and the victor had been decided in the gameplay showcase, Furutani explained a few of the mechanics in the match.
Along with some of the previous mechanics infamous to the older “Budokai Tenkaichi” games, “Sparking! ZERO” will have a few new ones.
One of the new mechanics, the skill count, will be essential to players during combat.
In order to perform special combat maneuvers and unleash powerful transformations, players will need to use the skill points which are accumulated slowly over time.
Of course, no “Dragon Ball” game is complete without its fair share of flashy and explosive beam clashes.
Thankfully, in “Sparking! ZERO,” the way players win a beam clash is different from previous games like “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” where players would have to rapidly tap a specific button or quickly rotate the controller’s joystick.
Now in “Sparking! ZERO,” once the clash is initiated, players will need to time their button taps and build up more energy than their opponent, thus saving the lives of so many controllers which would have inevitably been worn down and broken.
With a clearer understanding of what to expect “Sparking! ZERO” to look like, “Dragon Ball” fans received an extra tease in the form of a new trailer showcasing 11 new characters.
Titled “Power VS Speed,” the trailer showcased characters from the “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball Super” anime: Trunks, Dyspo, Kakunsa, Master Roshi, Nappa, Burter, Toppo, Jeice, Kale, Broly and Hit.
Unfortunately, the game still has yet to receive a confirmed release date.
With a plethora of new things to expect and salivate over when the game releases, waiting for the potential best “Dragon Ball” game feels unbearable knowing what’s coming.
