Dragon Ball: SPARKING Zero is the superpowered scrapper I've always wanted

I remember watching Man of Steel in 2013 and feeling like the final confrontation between Superman and General Zodiac was the closest we’d get to a live-action (albeit CGI-heavy) Dragon Ball Z movie.

From characters flying through the air landing punches, to throwing each other through buildings, it felt like you could drop a Saiyan or two into the fight and have it feel pretty true to some of the anime’s more destructive scenes. I’m pleased to say that Dragon Ball: SPARKING Zero finally feels like the city-leveling superhero fighting game I’ve seemingly always wanted.

Destruction over 9000

As part of my Sparking Zero demo at Gamescom, I was able to play matches of up to three players per team with a limited roster of characters (the full game will feature a whopping 164).

I was also able to take on challengers in a series of arenas, ranging from the classic dusty canyons of iconic Dragon Ball moments to Planet Namek and more. The one that caught my eye, however, was West City.

After hurling Vegeta through cliffs and mountains in the Gizard Wasteland, I turned my attention to the megalopolis. Between powering enemies through buildings, sending bridges crashing down, and unleashing a Kamehameha that sent poor Piccolo to another postcode, I was impressed at just how destructive the environments are. By the end of the fight, I made the Chicago scene from Invincible feel like a minor scuffle.

It’s not all about yeeting martial artists across the globe, though - the combat system in Sparking Zero will feel relatively familiar to anyone who’s spent time with Xenoverse. That means Ki management is important since it determines the strength of your special attacks and when you’re able to dash, adding an emphasis on waiting for the best moment to strike - not unlike the anime.

Time Capsule (Corp)

I recently mentioned that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 had finally hit PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, and that’s been my favourite way to play the series' most recent 3D arena brawler. Xenoverse 2 is a great game, but what I wasn’t expecting was the massive step-up in visual fidelity.

The thicker outlines of characters against the gorgeous (and often destroyed) backdrops, make it feel like the late Akira Toriyama’s iconic cast of characters are leaping off of the screen, and the fact that so many characters are here, with meticulously detailed designs and era-appropriate move sets feels like a fitting tribute.

I’ll always have a soft spot for the Saiyan saga, and being able to use Goku’s Spirit Bomb technique to beat Vegeta in the Gizard Wasteland felt great. I imagine the full game will be full of those moments for players regardless of how long they’ve been with the franchise. I’m also curious to see how much longevity there is to be found in the single-player modes, but equally, I could see myself spending hours just punching iconic characters into buildings - which probably says a lot about me as a person.

Final Thoughts

Dragon Ball: SPARKING Zero could be everything fans of the anime have been looking for in the lengthy gap between 3D arena brawlers. From its huge character selection to its environmental destruction and fluid and rewarding combat mechanics, it can’t come soon enough.

Dragon Ball: SPARKING Zero launches on October 10, 2024. For more from Gamescom, check out our preview of Unknown 9: Awakening.