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Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, A Timeless Classic, Reimagined

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is a spiritual successor to the Budokai Tenkaichi games, a series where Dragon Ball characters form teams to fight in 3D arenas that focus more on fun and realistic aspects of the Dragon Ball universe rather than a balanced fighter experience.
The game might look simplistic at first glance, with gameplay mechanics that make it a button smasher at times, but beneath a deceptive flow of gameplay (and horrendous tutorials) Sparking Zero hides a title that requires a lot of finesse to make the most out of combos and special attacks. Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft bring a legendary successor to the Budokai Tenkaichi games.

What Makes It Worth Playing?

Sparking Zero enhances the gameplay of the classic formula by expanding the roster with new characters, making techniques tracking better at following opponents, and having a big visual upgrade from the classic games. The game is eye candy, with fluid detailed animations, destruction of environments, light effects, and models that make the player believe they are in an episode of Dragon Ball.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354016860
Another reason to get the game is that not only does it boast iconic battles such as Goky SSJ VS Frieza in Namek, but it also creates new ones through the "What If" scenarios. These divergent paths go all the way from Goku defeating Cell or Majin Boo earlier to instead of getting Goku Black, we get Gohan Black, making for entertaining scenarios that let the developers play with new ideas and exciting content that adds value to the story mode.
This is how Sparking Zero Works

The game features fast-paced battles where decisions we take every second can dictate a win or a defeat, and the game uses a bit of button smashing in the melee combos but finesses in the techniques as smashing a vanishing attack or Kamehameha results in nothing. To articulate this better, if Kamehameha is a skill that needs RB+B, you have to press both buttons, once, without spamming at the same time to get the skill to activate.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354017708
Some menus such as transformations and active power-ups have been simplified to reach a modern audience that didn't grow up with the classic Budokai games, and Sparking Zero at its core is a defensive game where knowing how to vanish and block helps greatly when it comes to obliterating foes. The game uses Ki in multiple bars, which require smart use in battle to get the most out of it and knowing where to charge up as it leaves one wide open. The result is a game that is easy to pick up but hard to master, especially when we consider the huge roster of characters that are all unique and feature different stats, skills, and gameplay styles.

The DP system, a Blessing and a Curse

Sparking Zero uses a system called DP (Destruction Points) to evaluate how powerful characters are in the lore and gameplay. The game limits you to 15 DP total for team battles, with powerful characters such as Gogeta or Vegito costing 10 each while basic fighters like Goku Black or Vegeta cost 5. The idea here is to make a balanced team that can tackle multiple strategies and adapt to enemies on the fly, which is challenging and exciting as there is not enough DP to create a dream team.
However, that is not to say amazing teams cannot be made. While at a simple glance, one might think "I put Ultra Instinct Goku and Vegeta" there are characters that can thwart a simplistic approach. Captain Ginyu can swap bodies and ruin everything, Yajirobe can replenish HP and waste away good fighters little by little and even Master Roshi can deal devastating damage.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354017176
It is in this philosophy that teams can have multiple powerful fighters, like Gogeta and Broly of Super while using Mr Satan and Roshi to block body change or avoid the former two from being exhausted due to weaker opponents. That is without even mentioning transformations, fusions, and much more, which can make a 15 DP team reach 22 as the battle progresses. Sadly, the DP system also means making teams such as Goku Ultra Instinct and Berrus impossible to combine. However, it is still a system that I appreciate in terms of design philosophy.

Price Point Analysis and Replayability

For 70 bucks, I can easily recommend this to Dragon Ball fans who will get to enjoy new stories and the multiplayer mode with the huge roster. However, for non-Dragon Ball fans, it becomes a tricky recommendation. The game is unbalanced, making some characters busted and a pain to deal with in ranked, while at the same time, the story mode can be short overall at 8-10 hours, which leaves only multiplayer as the only content available. Adding to the gripes that the game explains mechanics poorly can result in a bad experience that leaves more to be desired.
Thus, if you are unsure, I would wait for a sale of the game for those who are no big fans of Dragon Ball. For replayability, as long as multiplayer is enjoyable to you, the game is infinite and has a good value to it.

Conclusion

Sparking Zero is the dream of every Dragon Ball fan: huge roster, impressive graphics, and a game that not only retells the story of Goku but adds more to it. The game is incredibly colorful, with a vibrant palette it that reinforces how spectacular and intense the battles are. One of the best Dragon Ball games out there to ever be made, being in direct competition with a select few such as Kakarot, Sparking Zero manages to reimagine and revitalize the core formula of Budokai Tenkaichi to new heights.


The Good
The Bad




Beautiful colors and graphics make it eye candy.
Huge roster, with almost 200 characters and more to come in DLC.
A deep combat system that appears simple yet is hard to master.
New What If scenarios are entertaining and surprising with the direction the story takes.
A fun experience that is a delight to every Dragon Ball fan, and even those on the fence.




Lack of modes once the story mode is clear results in multiplayer battles alone.
No rolleback netcode for its online.




9/10 AMAZING
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