Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the latest Dragon Ball fighting game, building off the legacy of other 3D fighters like the Budokai Tenkaichi series or the Dragon Ball Xenoverse titles. Encompassing everything from the early days of the franchise to the latest entries like Dragon Ball DAIMA, the new game looks to be an exciting love letter to the long-running franchise. The title features over a hundred playable characters, over a dozen unique (and destructible) battlefields, and plenty of customizable elements to keep any fan busy for ages.

Ahead of the game’s release on October 11, Bandai Namco gave some outlets (including That Hashtag Show) a chance to play the game. Journalists even got the chance to speak with Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Producer Jun Furutani about the character roster, power level tweaks, and using modern graphics to bring players into the world of Dragon Ball.

How Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Compares To Previous Dragon Ball Games

During the preview event, players were given the chance to try out some of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO‘s different modes. These range from tournaments to storyline recreations. Characters like Goku and Frieza get their own mini-campaigns, showcasing different corners of the franchise. A series of customizable battles adds a potentially limitless appeal to the title. The game has been confirmed to have over 100 playable characters (although many are different iterations of some specific characters), allowing for different playstyles and set-ups.

This is on top of plenty of customization options and unlockables that can be accessed through continued play. This includes tournaments that embrace random match-ups, team duels that require mixes of differing power levels, and plenty of customization in terms of costuming, music, and even gameplay. It’s altogether an impressive encapsulation of Dragon Ball as a franchise and a genuine treat for longtime fans thanks to the inclusion of characters from across the original show, tie-in movies, and several sequel series.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO also benefits from a strong execution in terms of pure gameplay. Combat sequences are chaotic but controlled, with entire health bars disappearing after certain attacks. The differing approaches to combat opens up a lot of fun experimentation, especially in larger team battles. While some attacks can be hard to specifically aim due to the 3D arena nature of the gameplay, the fights feel properly visual and kinetic.

Certain challenges will get under your skin and drive you to accomplish them regardless of the challenge, which feels like a good execution of Goku’s drive for battle in the series. The fact Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO can replicate those vibes is a testament to the love for the series baked into the title.

Jun Furutani On Sparking! ZERO’s Approach To Power Levels & Combat

After getting their hands on the game, attendees got the chance to speak with Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Producer Jun Furutani about the game and their intentions behind it. Part of the appeal of Sparking! ZERO is the way it brings different eras of the franchise to life alongside one another. Players can hop between different iterations of timeless characters, who utilize different styles of combat or move-sets. According to Furutani, this was done to better represent a wider player base. “As the series has gone on over the last 40 years, characters have gotten stronger. We wanted to stay true to that as much as possible.

“If you were to compare early Dragon Ball Z Goku to Dragon Ball Super Goku, there is definitely a difference in his power level. I think for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, we wanted to kind of stay true to the as characters as the story goes on. As the story goes on, characters get stronger. So you’ll notice that the characters towards the end of Super is much stronger than something that came before. Characters like Beerus and Whis from Super are as strong as they should be, canonically speaking. But if you replay Mr. Satan or Videl, you would also have a hard time trying to move against them.”

That power creep is noticeable in the game, especially after playing several characters. However, this leaves room for other iterations to pick up the slack in creative ways. Younger versions of Goku, for example, rely more heavily on physical blows and speedy counters than overwhelming attacks or Super Saiyan forms. That massive cast is an impressive undertaking from the game developers. It reflects the full legacy of the series and Bandai Namco’s ambitions with it.

What Makes Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Stand Out

There have been plenty of games based on popular anime, especially in the “arena” sub-genre of fighting games. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO utilizes many of the same concepts as those other titles by the nature of the genre. By fully embracing the stylish flourishes of the Dragon Ball franchise, Sparking! ZERO incorporates a freedom of movement and strategy. It reflects the original imagery

“Characters are able to fly and move at super speeds,” Furutani noted. “They’re able to shoot beams, punch really hard, do all these different things. Conceptually, that is very fun for the player… I think with this game, with the graphics prowess that’s been happening recently… we were really able to take the graphics side of things to the next level. You can very freely control your characters in this game.

“When you’re powering up, the grass shakes. It really feels like it’s a very immersive experience when the weather changes in these stages. I think it’s the next level of anime games.” Having gotten our hands on it, it’s not hard to see what Jun is talking about. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is an absolute blast for fighting fans, and especially those with a soft spot for Goku and the rest of the Z-Warriors.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches October 11th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows.

For more on Gaming, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

Picking The Best Fighters And Teams For Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics