Before attending PAX West this year, one of the games I was most excited to play was Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. It’s no exaggeration to say I put hundreds of hours into the Budokai Tenkaichi games on the PS2 as a Dragon Ball-obsessed child, so it really was a wish come true when I heard the series was coming back. Now, having played it, I’m even more thrilled. Sparking! Zero is simply everything the PS2 games were and more, updated for an exciting new era.
The first thing I noticed about Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’s demo was the huge number of characters I could use. From iconic Dragon Ball Z characters to the newer Dragon Ball Super heroes and villains, quite a wide array of fighters were at my disposal. I played a few rounds and got to experience all sorts of characters, from Mr. Satan and Frieza to Great Ape Vegeta and Dragon Ball Super’s version of Broly. Each character played very differently and perfectly reflected the source material thanks to excellent animation and voice acting.
Credit: Bandai Namco
Several character introductions were references to manga panels and iconic anime scenes, showing an immensely deep reverence for Dragon Ball. The different attacks and abilities are practically 1:1 with their presentations across different media, making this feel like the ultimate Dragon Ball fight simulator.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a blast from the past
I was surprised at how quickly my brain locked into the game‘s controls, as even the updated control scheme is very close to that of the Budokai Tenkaichi games. Flying toward foes and throwing a barrage of punches and kicks at them is wonderfully satisfying, as are popping-off beam attacks that plow through enemies and everything around them. The environmental damage is as cool as it gets, as you can decimate buildings and structures by blasting foes (or getting blasted yourself) through them, which truly sells that explosive Dragon Ball feeling.
Credit: Bandai Namco
Characters also take visible damage in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, which makes battles seem more intense and brutal. Some of these looks are straight from the series, like Recoome’s armor being destroyed so that only his unitard remains, and it’s a great detail that adds a little extra fierceness to each brawl.
“It likely comes as little surprise to anyone who was also passionate about the Budokai Tenkaichi games, but Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is nearly everything a Dragon Ball fan could want.“
I tried out many of the fighters’ ultimate attacks and was impressed at how grand and damaging they felt. In addition to the smooth animation and colorful effects, these attacks can do a ton of damage and even change stages to decimated versions of themselves. Mr. Satan’s ultimate move needs a special mention, as he summons Majin Buu to fight for him, which was hilarious to behold.
Credit: Bandai Namco
I do hope the full version of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero dips into pre-Z Dragon Ball, as well as Dragon Ball GT and all of the non-canon movies and specials, as it’d be a real shame to miss out on characters like Tao Pai Pai, Syn Shenron, and Cooler, but what’s here is so masterfully done that I’m confident I’ll have a brilliant time with the full game regardless.
It likely comes as little surprise to anyone who was also passionate about the Budokai Tenkaichi games, but Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is nearly everything a Dragon Ball fan could want. It comes off as both a return to the past and a shining updated entry for the modern day, and I could not be more excited to play it when it releases on October 11.
