Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerohas continued to show its love for every corner of the series, with the recent reveal that its final launch roster will feature a whopping 181 fighters. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, casting such a wide net can have its fair share of downsides as well.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerorepeats one trend with its story mode, and it’s one that the nextDragon Ballgame would be better off without.
ManyDragon Ballgames simply recap events of the anime’s story.Dragon Ballis more than iconic enough to warrant a direct adaptation, but the series has returned to the same well far too many times at this point. Furthermore, these games often adapt as much of the anime as possible, andSparking Zeroappears to continue this trend as well. When thenextDragon Ballgameinevitably arrives, developers should be sure to narrow their focus.
After Sparking Zero, The Next Dragon Ball Game Needs a More Focused Story
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Succeeds at Pure Fan Service
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois the upcoming sequel to the belovedBudokai Tenkaichiseries, and the resemblance is more than a little apparent.Sparking Zeroshares many of its predecessors' priorities, between its jaw-dropping roster size, bombastic action, and even its approach to storytelling. Although many enjoy thesimilarities betweenDragon Ball: Sparking ZeroandBudokai Tenkaichi, future games should try a new path.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois a spectacle of fan servicefirst and foremost. Within every aspect of the game, even its marketing before release, this priority is abundantly clear. When it comes to meeting this goal,Sparking Zerosucceeds with flying colors. The game manages to captureDragon Ballin its totality, with its roster and story alike. However, if the nextDragon Ballgame wants to leave an impression, one untested approach could hold the secret ingredient.
Future Dragon Ball Games Should Focus On Specific Sagas
ManyDragon Ballgames often attempt to capture as many story arcs as possible, especially when it comes to adaptingDragon Ball Z. By contrast, any story arcs beforeDBZare few and far between in most games. Likewise, mostDragon Ballgames skip over many major events fromGTandSuper.Dragon BallSuperhas received more attentionin recent years, butGT’s controversial status makes its exclusion understandable enough.
There is already a question of how many times players will want to replay a story they’ve already seen. This question is made that much more pressing when one notices the clear favoritism at play. Regardless, a simple solution could help the series move in a different direction. Instead of attempting toadaptDragon Ballin its entirety, and losing focus on many important story arcs, futureDragon Ballgames could be entirely dedicated to one arc in particular.
The Next Dragon Ball Game Has an Important Choice to Make
Rather than quickly running from one arc to the next, many arcs deserve an entire game in their own right. Many fans have played through thestory ofDragon Balldozens of times across several games, but a more focused story mode could present these arcs in their best state yet. Likewise, developers could eventually give more spotlight to the characters and stories that have drawn the short straw so far.
A game focusing solely on the earliest events ofDragon Ballcould be a real treat for fans. After all, it would allow players to fight through a solid adaptation of the tournament that gave theBudokai Tenkaichiseries its name. And whilethe Frieza Sagahas been abridged plenty of times at this point, a game focused entirely on the arc could have a dramatic weight not seen in previous adaptations.
Dragon Ballhas plenty of iconic stories to pull from, and many of them could be the subject of their own game. ManyDragon Ballprotagonists could lead their own game, andSparking Zero’s What Ifs show the value of original storytelling. However, ifDragon Ballgames continue to adapt existing story arcs, they could hugely benefit from a much more narrow focus.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
