Dragon Ball FighterZ review

Visual

As evidenced by the pre-release marketing, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a visual treat. In addition to replicating the iconic look of the anime, at times, Arc System surpasses Dragon Ball Super animation. The graphics evoke a sense of impact with every move, reflected by the cut scenes before, during or after a fight. Dragon Ball FighterZ is absolutely satisfying.

Fight

What are the combat mechanics like? Dragon Ball FighterZ should be immediately accessible to anyone unfamiliar with the genre. Along with Ki Blasts, characters have access to light, medium and heavy attacks. Standard combos can be made by joining a few buttons together. Each fighter has around 5-10 super moves which can be initiated by pressing a directional switch with a chosen key. Stronger moves consume Super Meter bars, which stack up pretty quickly. As a result, most of the battles are filled with gloriously explosive attacks. Like most fighters, the user can block and has the ability to teleport behind the enemy.

Dragon Ball FighterZ features a solid ranking system that divides the player base by experience and skill. The scene is competitive and it quickly becomes apparent that the combat is just deceptively simplistic.

Story mode

In addition to a detailed tutorial, the game’s story mode dedicates the first two hours to teaching the mechanics to the player. While there are three story arcs to play, they simply tell the same saga from multiple perspectives. The story of Arc introduces a new villain to Android 21, who seeks to absorb the power of heroes and villains alike. In addition to indulging in a power boost, Android 21 creates a seemingly endless army of clones to keep fighters busy. Divided into various maps, the player’s unlocked characters gain experience and gradually level up, even if this only causes a small stat boost.

Story mode is rarely the aim of fighting games. However, Dragon Ball FighterZ may appeal to fans interested in single-player content only. Skits featuring the franchise’s iconic characters are fun. But the story mode stops beyond its welcome within a couple of hours. Annoyingly, the enemies barely fought during the first arc. Meanwhile, the next two chapters eliminate the periodic peak of difficulty. As a result, leveling up levels by repeatedly battling clones becomes a necessity. Unfortunately, the story itself is mediocre at best. In fact, the only reason to complete this mode is to unlock Android 21. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.

Final verdict

Dragon Ball FighterZ should hit the spot for fans of the genre and license. The combat is fast-paced and incredibly satisfying, while the roster is reasonably balanced. While single-player offers dozens of hours of content, it’s more a case of quantity than quality. As such, the story is just a stepping stone to much more satisfying multiplayer.