Summary
After a decade spent trying other ideas, series, and genres,Dragon Ballhas returned to its classicBudokai Tenkaichiline with the upcomingDragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Trading the old subtitle for the series’ Japanese “Sparking” designation, this game is set to beBudokai Tenkaichi 4in all but name.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerohas shown many of its predecessors’ traditions already in its trailers, and has done them justice so far. Top-notch cell-shaded visuals and an enormous roster are two of the many reasons forDragon Ballfans to get hyped for this promising fighting game.
What’s visible right now is far from all that fans want out ofSparking Zero, however.Budokai Tenkaichi’s original trilogy isa legendary game among theDragon Ballcommunityfor a lot of reasons, just the least being the attention to detail for fan service present in every map, mode, and menu.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois filling in some of the largest shoes in gaming, and it will need to meet at least some of its fans’ demands to be considered worthy of joining such a prestigious legacy.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Complete Roster
This goes without saying, but any game aiming to be the nextBudokai Tenkaichicannot skimp out on its cast.Sparking Zerois well on its way there thanks to a declared 164-man roster that instantly gives it the highest character count out of allDragon Ballgames. Quantity isn’t all that matters, however, asBudokai Tenkaichiincluded a lot of niche picks and fan favorites that few games before or after have included. Even asSparking ZeroaddsDragon Ball Super-era charactersto its lineup, it should also save room for the aforementioned surprise inclusions while coming up with new ones like guests from Akira Toriyama’sDr. SlumpandSand Landmanga as well.
Battle Essentials in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
It’s already evident thatDragon Ball: Sparking Zerois taking afterBudokai TenkaichiandRaging Blast’s gameplay, but it can’t leave out the finer details. Hidden interactions add even moreDragon Ballfanservice, andSparking Zeroought to take afterBudokai Tenkaichiin this regard. A balance between accessibility and high-level play must be struck, both for the community its online multiplayer will form, and for everyone else. Rumors have placed doubt on whetherDragon Ball: Sparking Zerowill include local split-screen multiplayer, and that feature is a must in recapturingBudokai Tenkaichi’s glory days.
Sparking Zero Should Do More Than Recap Dragon Ball
On top of their multiplayer,Budokai Tenkaichigames were also known for their single-player offering, and that’s somethingSparking Zerohas yet to comment on. A campaign that lets players experience every major fight throughoutDragon Ball’sZandSupersagasis expected, but that’s because it’s the baseline. Smaller “what if?” scenarios and miniature campaigns deviating fromDragon Ballcanon were common attractions, as well as various tournaments like the Cell Games and lots of unlockable character profiles and cosmetics. Even ifDragon Ball: Sparking Zerodoesn’t add anything original to this list, hitting all of its basic points should be a priority.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Can Keep Its Hype Alive
While talking about DLC before the game has a release date might seem presumptuous, there’s a strong precedent suggestingDragon Ball: Sparking Zerowill have years of post-launch support. Just about every major consoleDragon Balltitle that came out in the past decade has enjoyed as much, and ifSparking Zerois the last game for a while, then that’s all the more reason for it to become a regular DLC platform. With the opportunity to bring inDragon Ball Supermanga characters,Dragon Ball Daimaforms, and even original faces fromDragon Ball Heroes,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerocould have a long and fruitful post-launch life ahead of it.
