Key Takeaways
- A long-awaited new Budokai Tenkaichi game is finally coming with Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, featuring familiar faces and new characters.
- The gameplay will be faster-paced with new mechanics like “Skill Count” and “Vanishing Assaults”, along with classic features making a return.
- The new trailer showcases Goku and Vegeta in action, highlighting the game’s impressive visuals and potential for exciting combat.
A new Budokai Tenkaichi begins! A new gameplay showcase for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is upon us. We’ve been waiting for a new entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series since 2007, and the latest game from Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco is certainly looking the part. The new trailer shows off the UI, new characters and more. Check it out here.
It’s Been A Long Wait
It’s been more than a decade since we last got a Budokai Tenkaichi game, so it’s fair to say fans are eagerly anticipating Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. There’s not been much to go on so far, but the game looks to be shaping up nicely. It’s unmistakably a Dragon Ball fighting game, full of aerial acrobatics and flashy special moves, but this time paired with the power of the power of Unreal Engine 5. That’s a big step forward considering the previous game in the franchise was on the PlayStation 2.
Related
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO Trailer Reveals Goku/Vegeta Tranformations, Playable Characters
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO showcased new gamplay today showing transformations for Goku and Vegeta as well as gameplay faithful to Budokai Tenkaichi.
Let’s cut to what everyone wants to know about. What does the roster look like? The old games always had a huge number of playable characters to choose from, and fans will want to know that their favourites have made the cut. Here are the latest additions we learned about in the new trailer.
- Super Trunks
- Master Roshi, Max Power
- Nappa
- Burter
- Jeice
- Super Saiyan Broly (Full Power)
- Hit
- Super Saiyan Kale (Berserk)
- Toppo
- Dyspo
- Kakunsa
It’s a mix of old and new, with a good mix of familiar faces and a couple of names old-school fans might not be quite so up-to-date with. There are bound to be more announced in the future, so keep your eyes peeled.
Changes to Combat
Most of the gameplay we get to see is a fight between Goku and Vegeta (who else?) and it looks fantastic. One of the big changes the developers talk about is how much faster this game will be than the ones that came before it. Normal movement speed will now be as fast as dashing was in the previous game, which will change the way things feel a lot, and hopefully, bring the game closer to the pace of the fights from the anime. There’s also a new short dash move that will allow for greater aerial mobility.
There’s also going to be a “Skill Count” that builds up throughout a battle which you can use to trigger special counterattacks. It’s not entirely clear how this will work in practice just yet, but it sounds like it could add a welcome tactical wrinkle. Finally, we have “Vanishing Assaults”, which allow you to approach an opponent and close distance in an instant. It’s perfect for those moments when you’re stuck at mid-range and aren’t sure whether to advance or pull back.
Fan-favorite mechanics including Impact Actions, Dragon Dashes and Beam Clashes will also make their return, and we can expect to see destructible environments again, but with all-new technology behind the devastation. So far, things look positive. If the game plays half as good as it looks, we could have something special on our hands.
We still don’t know when the game is set for release, but we’ll update you the moment we hear something. Stay tuned for now.
