Review: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (Xbox) - A Super Take On Budokai Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball fighting games have a rich history, but one series that has arguably ascended above the rest is Budokai Tenkaichi. Since the original title was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, these games (known as the ‘Sparking!’ series in Japan) have been expanded upon – recreating the legendary battles and moments from the long-running anime and manga series with a massive character roster and full 3D environments. This brings us to Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, announced by Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft in 2023, and now arriving 17 long years after Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

When you jump into this new entry, you’re given a quick tutorial explaining the fundamentals of battle. If you aren’t familiar with this series but do have some experience with fighting games – or certain other 3D arena fighters, it shouldn’t take too long to adapt. Just like the anime, you’ll be flying, blasting, throwing fists and unleashing powerful attacks like ‘The Kamehameha’ on your opponents. So, if you’ve consumed the Dragon Ball series in any way or form over the past 40 years of its existence, you’ll likely already know what you’re signing up for here.

In Sparking! Zero, you’ll once again relive iconic battles that faithfully recreate significant moments in the series – from the 'Cell Games' in Dragon Ball Z to the 'Tournament of Power' in Super. Alternatively, you can match up all sorts of fighters in ‘what if’ scenarios, to see who reigns supreme. The fan service continues in this new game with the addition of fighters from the slightly more recent Super series including characters like the 'God of Destruction' Beerus, the assassin Hit, and other newer characters from the many universes of Dragon Ball.

As usual, there are also variations of certain fighters (including Goku variants for days) and you can unlock all sorts of extra fighters you may or may not have expected to see. This includes the return of characters like Pan from GT, the Broly transformations, the Saiyans from Universe 6, and all of the diabolical villains such as Dr. Gero, Frieza and Zamasu. The extra characters can be unlocked by completing specific battles or milestones, or you can spend some of your Zeni (in-game currency) at the shop.

This huge roster of characters, which now exceeds 180 fighters, is once again supported by multiple modes including ‘Episodes’, custom battles, tournaments and multiplayer (including online and split-screen local play limited to just one level). In the ‘Episodes’ mode you’ll pick a character and play through their entire arc. As for the main characters like Gohan, you’ve got his final stand against Cell, and then later he returns to the fight in his Super arc. The story here is told mostly through images rather than proper cinematics which may disappoint some, but the fights are what it’s about.

The custom battles also offer one-on-one match-ups from different parts of the Dragon Ball timeline, like Master Roshi training a much younger Goku. And players can also expand on this by sharing their own custom-made scenarios with other fighters around the globe. There's also the tournament mode, where you can progress through the famous competitions in the series in a traditional ladder format. Many aspiring Saiyans will also be spending plenty of time in the battle mode. Here, you can pick some fighters and simply duke it out across all sorts of familiar backdrops such as the Time Chamber and Planet Namek – it’s all there and there’s likely limitless replay value for Dragon Ball diehards.

So, factoring in all of this, we’re now onto the discussion of what’s really the most important aspect of Sparking! Zero – the gameplay! The combat in this new title is now powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine 5 – making the fights incredibly fast and frenetic on the latest generation of console hardware. Our own experience with the Xbox version of the game was great and this included a smooth frame rate – which brilliantly showcased the stunning attacks and explosions as we blasted opponents into oblivion.

The combat itself is built on the foundations of past entries – where you engage in close and long-range brawls, build your Ki (energy), power up and then transform or unleash a devastatingly powerful attack on your opponent. Some quick time-like segments do feature during more heated moments, including brief cutscenes for certain attacks, but it’s all done in a way that keeps the fast flow of battles intact. The action is just as speedy as the source material as well, with the usual moves like instant transmission, offensive rush attacks and speed move combos to send your opponent flying. You've also got various follow up attacks, guards, recovery, counters and grab manoeuvres. And then there are capsules (loaded with power and abilities) to enhance your fighters. All of this should be more than enough to satisfy most Dragon Ball fans, although some traditional fighting game enthusiasts may be left wanting a little more depth.

From a visual standpoint, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero looks absolutely stunning. This is backed by plenty of familiar-sounding voices from the actual series, and all of this is supported by a lot of unlocks – including character costumes, new fighters, music, profile backgrounds, and capsules to upgrade fighters. There are other areas like the Gallery, too – filled with all sorts of extra Dragon Ball lore. Additionally, you can summon Shenron and the other dragons with the Dragon Balls, and they will grant you the wish of your choice – allowing you to unlock something like a new character, level up, skip a certain story segment and much more!

During our time with Sparking! Zero, it felt like there were so many in-game milestones to achieve and so much content to unlock, and then there are all the match-ups, custom and multiplayer battles, which are likely to keep fans of the series coming back for more. Of course, locked paid content is also in this new entry like the Season Pass (including more than 20 playable characters based on DBS: Super Hero and DB: Daima), so if you want to access this, you'll have to fork out more real-life Zeni.

Conclusion

It’s been an incredibly long wait, but this series is arguably more super than ever on the current generation of hardware. Goku’s 3D battles with his friends (and enemies) look stunning, the roster is stacked with an updated cast, there are seemingly limitless match-ups, and the combat feels great, even if it might be a bit simple for some players. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero may just be the ‘ultra instinct’ entry fans have always wished for.