| RRP | $69.99 |
| Price At EF | $37.99 |
Nearly two decades later, Dragon Ball fans are finally getting what they have been waiting for. Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was the last title in the popular anime-inspired fighting series that came out in 2007. Therefore, one can consider Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero the fourth installment in the popular franchise. Bandai Namco revealed the game in 2023 as a surprise.
Since then, they’ve released tons of information on their upcoming eagerly anticipated title without shying away from anything. The game will feature brand-new story content, various characters, features, gameplay mechanics, and more. In this article, we’ll talk about everything related to Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, including its release date, price, gameplay, combat, etc.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Lore
Dragon Ball: Speaking Zero is set to once again transport us back to the entire Dragon Ball series by retelling its events just like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot- Goku’s Next Journey. This means that you’ll once again explore every major and minor event that took place in the popular Dragon Ball Super animated series. However, it’s unclear yet if the upcoming eagerly anticipated game will also retell the events of the manga series.
In the game, the cherry on top is that players will get the ability to change the story’s events, so you can send Goku all alone to fight Raditz. The trailers also showed glimpses of Broly from his popular standalone movie and Bergamo from the Tournament of Power arc. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero might feature the story all the way to the Broly arc.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Gameplay
With this game, Bandai Namco has a clear goal in mind: to make the players feel like they are a part of the legendary anime and the fights that took place in it. The gameplay of Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero is incredibly immersive while making the player feel like they are in complete control. It feels like you can do whatever you want and aren’t following pre-defined steps.
Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero has arena-based games where both players control their characters in the third person. The art and style in this game allow it to blur the boundary between the game and anime, making them seem one and the same. The scale of every attack and move is so massive, which helps the game accomplish its mission of making you feel extremely powerful.
This game is heaven for anyone who’s ever watched the TV show and thought how cool it would be if they could get the characters’ powers. You can fly as high as you want, move around with freedom, and destroy the environment with your opponent. This is thanks to this game’s take on destructible environments, which allow it to emphasize the player’s feeling of immense power.
Kamehameha
If you want to Kamehameha your opponent, you can do so while blowing up a mountain cliff while you’re at it. Throw them into the ground and see how the environment changes as your battle goes on. Combine this with the game’s “historic number of playable characters, each with signature abilities, transformations, and techniques,” and you’ll forget you’re playing a game.
There are also some new mechanics that contribute to the gameplay, which were first introduced in the gameplay trailer. This trailer used a fight between Goku and Vegeta to introduce Revenger Counter, Super Perception, Vanishing Assault, and Sparkling! Gauge. This last element is one of the most popular gameplay modes for Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero.
This gauge fills up once you max out your Ki gauge and have at least one Sparkling! gauge, you can enter a special state called Sparkling Mode. This state increases your stats and makes you much more deadly in combat. It also gives you a chance to hit your opponent with a finishing move. Although this state seems quite powerful, it is balanced by needing a Sparkling gauge.
Game Modes in Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero
Let’s go over all the game modes that will be featured in Sparkling Zero.
What If Scenarios
This game mode is what you probably imagine it to be. The What If Scenarios are a returning mode that ignores the storyline and its canon events to imagine completely new scenarios. These are ones that never took place in the actual story but are fun and curious concepts to think about. They also used to be quite a fan favorite in the past with fans of the franchise.
Battle Training Mode
While Budokai Tenkaichi has gone to great lengths to ensure fans of the Dragon Ball franchise and their games will have a good time playing, they have also kept the newcomers in mind. The Battle Training mode in Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero is made for those who are new to the game and have not yet mastered their craft.
As explained in the PlayStation Blog, Battle Training mode is an advanced training mode where the player will be guided through the training process by Piccolo and Gohan. They are the classic master and apprentice duo and will also include a cameo from Goten. Together, they take the player through varying levels of difficulty training, from basic to advanced.
Basic Level
Starting at the basic level, the mode teaches you key moves that you’ll regularly use in your games. This includes learning how to fly and using Ki Blasts and counters. This level also covers special commands like character switching and transformation so you can swap out any time during the battle.
Once you’ve got your basics down, you can move on to intermediate to advanced techniques. This part of the training will teach you techniques such as Rush Chains, Vanishing Assaults, and more advanced counters. It helps you master 360-degree movement and how to use the Dragon Dash to quickly traverse the arena. Dragon Dash also allows you to reach an opponent quickly after knocking them away, allowing you to chain more attacks in your combo.
The game also gives you a confirmation pop-up once you successfully execute the move you’re learning. This is really useful and makes the training process much more satisfying.
Countering your opponent’s moves is a useful mechanic in Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero, and this mode teaches you how to execute it. It has a detailed tutorial on how to use Perception and Super Perception to counter rush attacks. You can also use Z-counters to dodge your opponent’s follow-up attacks, letting you regain some control of the fight in case you lose it.
Lastly, the Battle Training mode teaches you to go into Sparkling mode, which is a special state that enhances your stats and unlocks a powerful ability.
Episode Battle
Episode Battle in Sparkling Zero allows you to experience story-mode battles from the POV of certain characters. These fights are based on the canon Dragon Ball story, which also means some characters like Goku will have more battles than others.
Custom Battle
Custom Battle is a way for you to let out your creativity. This mode allows you to create unique fights and fighting sequences and share them with the community. You can create and add up to 5 cuts around your fight and edit the character’s poses and expressions to make the situations more dramatic. Finishing this up with a unique Battle Title will give you a battle that’s worthy of sharing with friends!
What is Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Release Date?
The official Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero release date was announced during the game modes trailer that went online a couple of days after the Summer Games Fest 2024. Therefore, the game is set to launch on Friday, October 11, 2024, on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. So, if you were wondering, “Will Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero be on PS4?” then there’s your answer. However, if you pre-order the game, you’ll get many game benefits.
Some of these advantages range from playing the game three days earlier to unlocking six characters early on. In addition, one other pre-order bonus that has grabbed the attention of fans is a currently mysterious playable character. There’s a high chance this character might just be a pre-order exclusive. The Dragon Ball Sparking Zero demo release date was July 19 to 21.
Is Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Crossplay?
Previous installments in the Dragon Ball gaming series haven’t featured the crossplay mechanic due to the excessive challenges faced by the developers in maintaining the potential of the different platforms. Therefore, Sparking Zero won’t support crossplay either. However, many fans believe that the custom battle feature might help them work around this particular issue.
Pre-Order Details
There are four Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero versions or editions that players can currently pre-order, including Standard, Deluxe, Ultimate, and Premium Collector’s Edition. The price of the game depends on the edition you wish to buy, with each one offering exclusive content and items. Following is a breakdown of all of the Sparking Zero editions and what they offer:
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Standard Edition – $69.99
- Base Game
- Early Unlock Six Characters
- Early Unlock One Exclusive Character
Deluxe Edition – $99.99
- Base Game
- Early Unlock Six Characters
- Early Unlock One Exclusive Character
- Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Season Pass (Includes the game’s first three DLCs)
- Summon Shenron (Season Pass Bonus)
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Ultimate Edition – $109.99
- Base Game
- Early Unlock Six Characters
- Early Unlock One Exclusive Character
- Season Pass (Includes the game’s first three DLCs)
- Summon Shenron (Season Pass Bonus)
- Ultimate Upgrade Pack (Includes Goku Super Costume with Power Pole, emote voice set, 2 player card backgrounds, and 1 customization item)
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Premium Collector’s Edition – $229.99
- Base Game
- Early Unlock Six Characters
- Early Unlock One Exclusive Character
- Season Pass (Includes the game’s first three DLCs)
- Summon Shenron (Season Pass Bonus)
- Ultimate Upgrade Pack (Includes Goku Super Costume with Power Pole, emote voice set, 2 player card backgrounds, and 1 customization item)
- Exclusive Diorama
- Metallic Bookmark
- Exclusive Cards
- Steelbook
The Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Collector’s Edition is also available to purchase. Therefore, if you are someone who wants to play the game before the launch date, then the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero pre-order PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S are available. On the other hand, the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Ultimate Edition PS5 can also be bought from various stores.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero News
In an interview with a huge Dragon Ball fan named Laun Le Mai, the developers confirmed that the Speaking Zero won’t feature the popular split-screen multiplayer. This decision might possibly be because of the complications with Sony and Microsoft. However, since the devs are already aware of how popular the feature is, they might try to introduce it sometime in the future.
On the other hand, it was confirmed that Fusion characters like Vegito and Gotenks will still be introduced regardless of the split-screen reduction. The Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero story mode features plenty of content that occurs from the start of Dragon Ball Z, including every movie, until the end of Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power arc. Nostalgic journey, for sure!
Conclusion
That’s all there is to know about the eagerly anticipated Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero game. It’s only two more weeks away from launch, so pre-order the game as soon as you can to explore its exciting features and world before everyone else through its early access. The upcoming anime-inspired arena-fighting video game will surely keep you on your toes the entire time!