The world-famous Dragon Ball series is no stranger to video game adaptations, but there is one Dragon Ball series in particular that is highly regarded by fans: the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The original Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi debuted on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, followed by two sequels in 2006 and 2007, and a PSP installment in 2010.
Now, after years of fans reminiscing about their love for those classic titles, Bandai Namco Entertainment and developer Spike-Chunsoft are bringing back the beloved 3D arena gameplay of Budokai Tenkaichi in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero – launching on PS5 on October 11. We got our hands on a pre-release version of the game, and we’re here to tell you all about the awesome battles that await.
A lineup that shook the universe
Dragon Ball is a long-running series filled with memorable characters, and one of the first things you’ll notice about Sparking Zero is how huge the selection is. Alongside familiar faces from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, you’ll be able to play as many characters from Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super–and, if you pre-order, you’ll get access to Goku (Mini) from the long-awaited new Dragon Ball DAIMA series. Some characters have variations and transformations that reflect their development over the series’ timeline, and these can differ significantly from one another. Taking into account all characters, variations, fusions, and transformations, Sparking Zero’s initial roster is 181 playable characters.
But don’t be intimidated by the amount of choice you have: many of the basic controls are shared between characters, so you can easily pick a new one. You can also equip various capsule items obtained in the in-game store to boost your character’s base abilities if you want to step it up a bit, along with cosmetic items to raise your aesthetic power level.
There’s a lot to do in Sparking Zero, but perhaps the best place to start is Episode Battle, where you’ll play through some of the series’ most important sagas through the eyes of its most prominent heroes or villains. We tried out a few characters in this mode: Goku’s story and combat are a fairly straightforward introduction to the game’s mechanics, while characters like Frieza and Goku Black face significantly more difficult one-on-one battles early on. Depending on how the combat plays out and the story choices you make, you can see beloved stories take some surprising new directions.
If you want to get directly involved in the battle, Tournament Mode is also available from the start. Here, you can replay famous events like the Cell Games and Tournament of Power. You can even set up your own rules and fantasy tournaments if you want.
We fight like Saiyans
As you dive into battle, you will use the 3D space to move in all directions to gain an advantage over your enemies as you dash, fly, attack, fire energy, build up ki, and react to your opponents’ actions. It’s amazing how you can skillfully use combat techniques and the environment to gain the upper hand against dangerous enemies.
The Skill Count bar builds up throughout the battle (indicated by a blue ellipse separate from your health and ki bars), and a large number shows how much of your skill bar has been built up. Some combat abilities, like the Revenge Counter that absorbs new attacks and transformations, require skill to be built up, as do character-specific abilities, like Goku’s famous Kaioken, which grants effects like stat boosts and increased movement speed.
The visuals also contribute greatly to the experience: as battles progress and heavy blows are exchanged, you’ll see some characters scratched and dirty, with tattered clothing showing just how intense the fight has become. The environment transforms in real time due to energy blasts and superpower attacks. As characters use special skills and attacks, you’ll see close-ups and visual touches that evoke some of the series’ most memorable and iconic images.
Fighting dreams come true
The new Custom Battle mode lets you create your own stories and battle scenarios. Choose your character and enemies, and add some special settings (like setting lower health levels or turning off transformations). You can also customize more than just gameplay: music, intros, and outros—you can even add some mid-battle twists for a dramatic flare if you want. If you need some inspiration, there are plenty of pre-designed Bonus Battles by the developers to give you some ideas. Once you’ve created your epic encounter, you can upload it and share it with other Dragon Ball fans around the world.
As you create your battles and set up your dream matches, you’ll see firsthand how many interesting dialogue elements and character interactions there are in Sparking! Zero. With such a huge roster of characters, you’ll be able to battle and team up with characters who have never met in the main story – and you might be surprised by some of their conversations!
We asked game director Jun Furutani about these interesting dialogues. “It’s really interesting to see the unique interactions between two characters with similar backgrounds who have never met in the main story,” he said. “But there are also surprises – take the two villains Baby and Zamasu for example. Baby’s goal is to control life, while Zamasu’s goal is to destroy all living things. Those two ideas can’t coexist, so when you combine them, you get some really interesting interactions. We want players to experiment with all sorts of combinations and see what they find.”
Luckily, you won’t have to wait much longer to see the matches you’ve been waiting for come to life. Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero will launch on October 11, with owners of the Deluxe Edition and Ultimate Edition getting to play three days early.
