Bandai Namco has delivered another Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero trailer. This time, we finally get to see actual gameplay with the HUD and what it’ll look like when we get our hands on it in the future. With the old spirit of the Budokai Tenkaichi series while adding new mechanics, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is looking to deliver on fan expectations and honor Akira Toriyama’s work proudly.
More characters were revealed too with new and old faces making an appearance. No release date yet but the team at Bandai Namco are hard at work to ensure Dragon Ball Sparking Zero delivers. And so far, it looks fantastic.
Familiar but Fresh – Dragon Ball Sparking Zero’s Gameplay
To start the presentation, producer Jun Furutani showed roughly three minutes of gameplay between Goku and Vegeta. The iconic rivals battle it out to showcase Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero‘s gameplay.
It has the recognizable Budokai Tenkaichi third-person perspective with the fast-paced Dragon Ball action. The characters zip past each other and teleport across the battlefield. Charging up their ki to unleash powerful attacks and perform transformations as well.
Goku turned into Super Saiyan Blue before Vegeta used the transformation as well. After the footage, Furutani broke down what the team wanted to accomplish for Sparking Zero from a gameplay perspective.
What’s New and What’s Returning – Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
Keeping the same fast action from the Budokai Tenkaichi series was a must for Sparking Zero. As one of the only 3D anime fighters people remember fondly, the team had to keep this intact and it appears they have in this gameplay demonstration.
Combining close-range attacks with rush attacks, vanishing counters, and powerful abilities all return in this game. One of the biggest changes for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the movement speed increase.
By allowing players to move and dash faster than before, they can keep the action up and perform more combos than before. You can use the short dash defensively to dodge incoming attacks or use it aggressively to move in closer.
Another addition for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the Skill Count. With these, you’ll be able to perform a Revenge Counter which lets you strike back while absorbing an incoming attack. The Skill Count builds up as the fight goes on, so keep these in mind to counter your opponent’s attacks.
The third addition is Super Perception which allows you to counter ki-based attacks. In the presentation, we see Goku deflect Vegeta’s Galick Gun while using the Skill Count. Similar to Revenge Counter but for long-range ki attacks.
The last new feature shown was the Vanishing Assault. By using a bar of your ki, you can vanish quickly behind your opponent and attack them from behind. They call it a mid-range option for attack if you want to close the distance.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is shaping up to be the Budokai Tenkaichi 4 fans have been wanting for years now. With the addition of new mechanics keeping the same spirit of the series, Akira Toriyama would be happy to see how progress for this highly anticipated Dragon Ball game is going.
What do you think of the new Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero gameplay? Happy with the new features? Let us know in the comments what you think!
