Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is the newest addition to the long line of Dragon Ball fighting games. From signature techniques, transformations and the addition of over 180 characters, Sparking! Zero provides a visually stunning solo experience along with a competitive multiplayer mode.

Unlike its predecessor, Dragon Ball: The Breakers, Sparking! Zero is a 3D fighting game that continues the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series, which originally ran from 2005 to 2010. The renamed continuation retains many controls from its previous games, but also introduces changes to its gameplay system including how transformations are handled. Quick transformations now require more input and selection in battle, adding complexity. Still the game is accessible to both newcomers and veterans alike.

The story mode begins similarly to Dragon Ball Z: Goku meets his Saiyan brother, Raditz, who then kidnaps Goku’s son, Gohan. However, in this game, players can decide the direction where they want to take the story, introducing a new twist on the classic plot. For example, instead of teaming with Piccole to save Gohan, players can choose to bring Goku’s friend Krillin, which leads to a different storyline. Additional seven characters have their own story modes, each with branching “What-If” scenarios.

Gameplay elements include a variety of combos in open 3D environments, ki blasts and powerful ultimate moves with cinematic cutscenes. If players fail to defeat an enemy within the time limit, the branching path reverts to the original storyline.The paths don’t cover the entire Dragon Ball saga but add depth by unlocking new stories for other characters and creating more alternate scenarios.

The game’s difficulty varies, depending on both the character and the player. An early boss battle against Great Ape Vegeta, as it has players retrying multiple times or even making players change the difficulty just so they can continue the story. IGN posted an article on how to get over this early game hurdle, especially for newer players. The normal difficulty in the game provides a challenging but satisfying struggle as you work to improve your skills. The game gives players infinite retries in story and has a battle mode where they can face against the computer to improve their skills. Players can also choose to play online against other players, setting conditions and time restrictions.

While every character feels unique in some ways, some battles feel repetitive as certain movesets are similar across characters. Players can perform character fusions during battle such as Goku and Vegeta to form Gogeta. However, the new transformation and fusion system can feel tedious without practice.

The sound design and music expectations with tracks from the anime and original composition mixing mix of orchestral and rock music.The music enhances battles sometimes feels inappropriately layered over the actions, as it does not adapt in volume during key moments.

Completing the main Goku story takes around six hours, but with the additional seven more characters, story modes, side content and What-If stories, players can expect much more. Despite minor issues, Sparking! Zero is a worthy successor to the Budokai Tenkaichi series, with more DLC expected to add more content in the future.

The game is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.