For some reason, Dragon Ball fans like myself never seem to get tired of the Raditz to Kid Buu storyline being retold. Sure, games like Xenoverse add some neat twists to the tried-and-true tale, but for the most part, we’re perfectly fine with going through the big three Dragon Ball Z sagas time and time again, normally in fighting game form. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, Bandai’s upcoming action-RPG, follows this story in a different genre and adds some neat side-content that includes a few criminally overshadowed Dragon Ball characters (from the pre-Z days). From the demo I played at E3, I got excited at how Kakarot will approach the Dragon Ball world. I am, however, concerned about the gameplay behind it all, and the janky controls that come with it.
In my timed demo, I was given a few options after being dropped into the open world. I could either head straight to Raditz, who had just kidnapped Goku’s son Gohan, or I could mess around a bit first. Now, in real life, you should probably immediately save your son from your evil brother who just came from space, but in the demo, I figured I could let loose a little and have some fun before the fight. A handy little Master Roshi would appear to tell me how much time was left in the demo anyways, so Gohan would probably be fine.
“This dedication to showing off the less-known days of Dragon Ball is admirable, and enough to make a longtime fanboy like me grin from ear to ear.“
As I flew around the demo’s section of the open world, I felt a lot of things. Joy and frustration were often battling one another, with joy winning out by just a little. See, the controls for flying were needlessly uncomfortable and confusing, meaning I would often blast off into oblivion while trying to land on the ground to talk to someone. Sometimes I would be just an inch off the ground, meaning I’d have to awkwardly land in order to talk to the person directly in front of me. Then I’d be an inch too far away to talk to them, even though I was practically right beside them. Exploring the world shouldn’t be so frustrating, as it’s such a relaxing and fun thing to do. I imagine you’ll spend a good deal of time exploring the world in the full game as well, so I hope the controls and mechanics behind traveling and talking to people get polished a good bit before release.
The world itself seems full of detail though, with plenty of neat side-activities to do as you soar around on your own or on the Flying Nimbus. I fished for a bit, which Goku does by reattaching his tail (which seems kind of weird) and dunking it into the water, like when we first see him as a kid in the original Dragon Ball. I hunted a dinosaur for its meat, and I met some tragically forgotten characters from early in Dragon Ball’s run. Goku’s old pal Eighter, or Android 8, asked me to stop a rogue Red Ribbon robot from hurting anyone, as Eighter hates fighting. Nam, one of Goku’s fierce competitors in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, was selling vegetables and rocks to obtain water for his village. Even Oolong and Puar were hanging about, ready with helpful tips about exploring the world. This dedication to showing off the less-known days of Dragon Ball is admirable, and enough to make a longtime fanboy like me grin from ear to ear.
“It just worries me that the demo I played felt so hard to control at times and so similar to a dozen other Dragon Ball games.“
I’m a bit worried about the combat though, as it doesn’t feel particularly different from the 3D fighting games that Dragon Ball is so well-known for. You can do standard punches and ki blasts, with only a replenishing ki bar limiting the latter, as well as special attacks like the Kamehameha or Meteor Smash. It feels like the Budokai Tenkaichi or Xenoverse games- which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, rather it’s disappointing that a series like Dragon Ball, with such a wide range of special powers and abilities, feels so tied down to this one style of gameplay. I’m not saying it should go entirely turn-based a la Dragon Quest (though I’d be 100% down for that), but I’d certainly like the “RPG” side of an action-RPG to be dominant, or at least noticeable.
The visuals are great though, with many cutscenes perfectly replicating iconic scenes, faces, and moments from the source manga/anime. Flying around the colorful world of Dragon Ball and accidentally destroying obstacles in your path is a lot of fun, and it fills me with joy to see old-school characters like Eighter and Nam in such a sharp and dynamic way. Also, I don’t know if it’s in the full game, but the use of the iconic anime opening “Head Cha-La” during the huge Raditz boss fight made me very excited, as it would any fanboy.
I think Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has the potential to be an excitingly different Dragon Ball game, and I certainly like the way it’s embracing all different eras of Dragon Ball through free-roam and side-missions. It just worries me that the demo I played felt so hard to control at times and so similar to a dozen other Dragon Ball games. We’ll see if the full game changes my mind when it releases in early 2020, as I’m always down for more Dragon Ball in my life.
