Games that made a lasting impression this year have been given their due credit in the recently concluded The Game Awards ceremony. The ironic thing is that the awards were littered with more game announcements and trailers than awards, with one particular game trailer stealing the limelight: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.
Previously referred to by fans as Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 upon its confirmation earlier this year, a recent trademark filing in the US for the name ‘Sparking! Zero’ all but verified rumors of the title. The trailer’s tagline ‘Shake the earth. Break the heavens.’ perfectly encapsulates the game, which invites players to prove their gaming prowess within the Dragon Ball universe.
Goku, Vegeta, Freiza, Trunks, Jiren, Broly (the 2019 film version), and many other notable Dragon Ball characters make an appearance in the 60-second trailer that includes some epic transformations and Goku’s signature attack technique, Kamehameha. Everything about the gameplay is giving off some serious Xenoverse vibes, and we’re here for it!
The arenas will also be responsive to the characters’ godlike powers, which means you can expect the stage to crumble whenever Goku faces off against Vegeta or transforms into his Super Saiyan Blue form.
Unfortunately, there’s one feature (or lack thereof) that’s raised eyebrows. According to the game’s official website, it’s ditching local multiplayer in favor of the less popular online PvP. Though fans are assuming that this is an error, both the Steam and PlayStation Store pages all indicate that the game does not support local multiplayer.
Why Bandai Namco would choose to abandon the most popular mode of play for a game that hinges on nostalgia makes no sense. Couch PvP battles are the only reason Dragon Ball fans are looking forward to Sparking! Zero. Maybe fan outcry might sway Spike Chunsoft to make changes on this front, but as things stand, many (including myself) will be holding off buying the game.
No specific release date has been revealed yet (though it’s been rumored to be targeting an early 2024 release), but when Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero drops, it will be available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
