Sparking Zero Could Be the Breath of Life the Franchise Needs in 2024

October 9

Perfection is a myth and as soon as we accept that fact, the wings of expectations flying high are cut short. The only thing perfect in the beloved Dragon Ball series would be the Perfected Ultra Instinct attained by its protagonist, Goku.

This month is special; Sparking Zero and Daima are due in a few days. Akira Toriyama would likely be happy watching from above. I am not sure if he would be happy with the fact that the former also allows original stories to be told. Maybe we will see the game breathing new life to the arcs that fans don’t want to go back to as far as the anime is concerned.

There’s Still a Chance for Some Arcs to Become Worthwhile

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Sparking Zero features the largest roster for a Dragon Ball game. Credits: Bandai Namco

I am sure Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will be a perfect tribute to its creator. And I am sure it will help make those much-needed amends to a few things that fans never really liked about the anime and other games associated with the series.

First up would obviously be the stories that never strike the fans as Dragon Ball should. Red Ribbon Army most certainly deserves the top spot here. How badly it drifted away from what the essence of the show was. I never felt like I was watching the same show I began when Yamcha was still a bandit roaming the desert with Puar.

If it weren’t for General Tao, and although I hate that character from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to say that he saved that a bit. The way he travels is something classy, and then there was the Dodon Ray. I don’t know what’s with the hate for GT, but I hope fans will like it in this Dragon Ball game.

And then there are certain games like Ultimate Tenkaichi, Raging Blast, Battle of Z, and more that didn’t really honor the series with a small roster. Sparking Zero has already played well in this case. It’s going to feature 182 characters throughout the series and more shall come.

Sparking Zero takes the term ‘in-depth‘ too seriously, as it didn’t leave anything that fans can call generic. From visuals to the individual moves reflecting unique personalities of character, this game is something else. Maybe that is why it’s already the Game of the Year for many waiting for it.

Sparking Zero Can Lengthen Dragon Ball’s Life

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The game took over five years in development and is built on Unreal Engine 5. Credits: Bandai Namco

Reimagining or rebooting something can be a Herculean task, as developers aren’t simply advancing in terms of graphics. Sparking Zero isn’t exactly a reboot or reimagination, but there are elements that make it one.

Apart from the storylines, it will be a revamp of the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series. It is bringing back its heart, but with much more firepower and juicy mechanics at the users’ disposal. Now that is worthy of calling Budokai Tenkaichi 4 and we finally don’t need a mod now.

Of course, there’s a nostalgic value in it, but that’s something they had hoped from the video game adaptations that came before it. But that’s not simply the Dragon Ball nostalgia but the Budokai Tenkaichi nostalgia too. It’s been seventeen or so years since we got the last installment on those PS2 controllers.

And it’s not just that; the game is so large; just imagine the crossover potential of it. Though I don’t really want to see the game that’s giving off an anime-like vibe to get inspired by poor crossovers like Jump Force. But I would like to see characters appearing from the far corners of the anime universe.

Dragon Ball is one example when a concept from a manga is given justice in other media. Sparking Zero is sure to continue this trend for a long time.

Until last month, I experienced a fine AAA experience in the form of Astro Bot, which the gaming industry needs more of, and thought it’d be the Game of the Year. But I did have the feeling that the Dragon Ball game would join this queue. And after the initial reception, I feel like this might actually win.

What do you think of Sparking Zero if you have seen the trailers and gameplay? We would like to know about it in the comments section below!

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