When I see Dragon Ball Project: Many to be announced in August 2024I’m not quite sure what to think of this title. Of course, the prospect of a new free-to-play game Dragon Ball The game is compelling. But with the MOBA market so saturated at the moment, can it deliver a compelling and refined experience that can hold my attention? Still, I went into the beta with an open mind. While the game isn’t perfect, within an hour or two the fast-paced gameplay loop had me hooked and I found myself repeating the elusive phrase “just one more game” to myself over and over again.
Dragon Ball Project: Many has nailed the cat and mouse framework that made the MOBA genre famous, and as a result, every battle is like an exciting and crazy rollercoaster. It is a 4v4 top-down real-time strategy game where your team aims to capture the opposing team’s Dragon Balls. To do this, you will have to destroy the enemy’s God of Destruction barriers while also defending your own. You are on the right track if you envision the game format as a traditional tower defense game.
The first minute or two of each match will likely start off slow as you defeat NPCs around the map or attempt to assassinate opposing faction members to level up. But at a certain point in the match, you’ll have the opportunity to attack God of Destruction’s barriers, and that’s when the action really picks up. Absolute carnage can ensue in a matter of moments as you frantically rush to attack or defend those walls. You’ll usually have a group of eight players unleashing ferocious attacks on each other. Sometimes, you won’t know which team is going to win the match until the very last few moments.
Similar to Pokemon UniteYou’ll also see bosses appear on the map at specific times during the battle. When one team lands a finishing blow, the opposing team’s God of Destruction barriers will take damage. Obviously, you’ll want to take these bosses down before the other team, but they’re pretty powerful, so you’ll want to make sure you’re at a reasonable level before trying to take one down. Otherwise, they can easily take you down, putting your entire team at a disadvantage. This adds a lot to the dynamic, as you’re not just constantly flying from one side of the map to the other.
Other small features in the combat mechanics help the overall game. For example, you can equip a domestic worker at the start of each match, allowing you to perform an AoE (Area of Effect) move. Some will speed up characters in the affected space, while others will attempt to block attacks from the enemy. After using an attack, there is a short cooldown before you can use your helper ability again. This keeps you aware of your surroundings and encourages players to think about their next move rather than mindlessly tapping commands.
Admittedly, the game sample presented here has been done before, but that doesn’t mean it’s a mistake. Dragon Ball Project: Many star quality. It uses great characters from the Dragon Ball universe and their iconic attacks to brutalize enemies. Considering that the Dragon Ball storyline is largely based on friendship, using the IP for a party game makes perfect sense. I know it’s a bad running joke that everyone Goku fights becomes his friend, but it’s more true than we’d like to admit.
Beta version available Ten playable charactersFrom the usual suspects, like Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, to some less obvious suspects, like Cooler and Zamasu. Each character has a healthy movepool, as they have all three standard skill attacks, a super attack, and a passive technique. It’s satisfying to use Goku’s Kamehameha Wave to try and kill a fleeing opponent, or unleash Vegeta’s devastating Big Bang Attack to wipe out as many opponents as possible. Even using Majin Boo’s Candy Ray attack to turn an opponent into a candy bar never fails to make me smile. These moments make the conflicts stand out, as it feels like you’re playing out elaborate scenarios from the series.
Each character falls into one of three roles: damage, tank, and tech. Right now, tank characters are too strong compared to every other role in the game, most notably Zamasu, because of his passive ability that allows him to regenerate health. I won five matches in a row and was also the MVP of every match using Vegeta, a tank character. That said, in matches, I made sure to stick to the role’s strengths of absorbing attacks from enemies. Tech roles are much worse, with Gohan being the weakest character in the beta. It’s weird to see Gohan as a fragile character in a Dragon Ball game. Hopefully, they’ll be able to make some of the characters more even-handed later on.
There are also small details here that add to the overall atmosphere. A good example is the map being split into two parts. One side represents the more rural terrain you’d expect to see in the series, while the other side captures the West City aesthetic. One thing I don’t like is the skin customization options. Many of them are the same outfit but with different default colors. This is a beta, after all, so this could change, but the more interesting outfits are behind special capsules that are hard to get. Something tells me this won’t change in the full release.
I played on PC and the game ran pretty well. On rare occasions it took a few minutes to load a match, but not too long, and that’s probably the kind of thing they’re (hopefully) looking for to make the experience more seamless at launch. You can also play with a controller and it feels very smooth to control your character that way. I actually prefer playing with a controller. I can’t comment on the mobile experience, but if it translates to mobile I think this game would be fun to play on the go, as matches typically last 20 minutes.
I was hesitant that this game could simulate Dragon Ball: The Breakersa fun idea but no substance. But I had an absolute blast playing Dragon Ball Project: Manyand I can easily see myself spending a lot of time with the game when it comes out. My only fear and apprehension is that the format could get stale if the game doesn’t receive regular updates, like new maps or characters. I’d also like to see more customization, but it’s not unusual for a beta to have limited options. Dragon Ball Project: Many It’s worth your attention (pun intended), and I think it has a chance to gain a loyal fan base, as the key building blocks are all here.
Dragon Ball Project: Many Current beta is available on PC and mobile devices in certain regions.
