Dragon Ball Z review: Kakarot – Dragon Ball has been the star of our afternoons for literally decades. Some read the manga. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the new vision of Bandai Namco developed by Cyber Connect 2, does not want to supplant Dragon Ball FighterZreleased just two years ago, much less propose itself as a fighting game (in meetings or not) naked and raw. And it doesn’t want to be an ideal sequel to Dragon Ball Xenoverse either. No, it is a game that brings together the influences of the current market. Which tries to insert role-playing dynamics in more and more titles. Which at the same time tries to propose itself as an evolution of what has been seen so far on Dragon Ball in the videogame field. So here’s our review!
Could you not call it a fighting game?
Let’s clarify our ideas immediately. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an Action RPG that still preserves a fighting soul. However, it cannot be classified in the latter genus for many reasons that we will try to explain in the next paragraphs. We move from a 2D approach, seen in Dragon Ball FighterZ, to a 3D one that still uses the cel-shading technique to give the whole an even more anime imprint. We will return to this soon too.
But why is it more suited to the Action RPG genre than to the fighting game? The fights are the most critical phase of the game, and it is their structure that is revealing. The ease or difficulty of the same is based on the level of the characters and consequently, on their statistics. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot follows his campaign all the primary and secondary events told in the Z saga in great detail. However, there are interludes between the various key moments that allow the player to train and to move to multiple areas of the world of dragon ball z kakarot review to hunt for ingredients or objects of several types.
If desired, it is also possible to carry out secondary quests (incredibly repetitive, we warn you). The simple grind of random enemies with the sole and sole purpose of becoming more robust. And since we’re clearing up another fundamental aspect of the game immediately: you don’t just control Goku. Depending on the moment of the story we are facing, we will contain other vital characters. Before the fight with Vegeta, for example, Goku died. During his training with King Kaioh, we will follow the movement of Piccolo and Gohan, alternating between the two.
Hence, raw skill is not always enough. But in fact, how is it that you fight in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot? Basically, in addition to moving with the analog sticks if you play with controllers (and even on PC, we would like to recommend a controller). We rely on the four primary buttons: one to dodge attacks. Moving at the classic super-speed of the Dragon Ball characters. One for physical attacks, one for aura attacks, and the other for recharging the aura.
Attacks made with abilities consume aura. With L2, you can parry attacks, making them less effective and also offering you the possibility to counterattack by pressing the attack buttons at the right time. Pressing L2 and R2 instead, you have access to the transformations, provided that the characters allow it; with R2, instead, you have access to the abilities of the wingmen. Please do not make the mistake of believing that they are trivial because it is an Action RPG and not a fighting game. Each has its own unique skill set. But once you learn how to fight with one adapting to others is a matter of seconds.
The power of the attacks partly influences the battleground around us carried out. Trees and rock pillars explode and part of the terrain and other more or less essential elements. Chained attacks often result in craters and long trails of destruction. This brings us straight to another one of the focal points of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: the game world. Fortunately for us (and yours), this is not entirely the case. To begin with, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is not a real open world.
Each region boasts sufficiently distinctive characteristics, just enough to make them distinguishable from each other. In each, it is possible to find different vital characters, and consequently also various secondary quests. Furthermore, the aforementioned regions trying to alternate the classic blanks of the world of Dragon Ball(those where characters usually collide) in small villages and large metropolises full of life.
There are other dynamics that we have not mentioned, for example, communities. For example, the community of the Z Warriors will help you to strengthen yourself in the fighting. That of the Kitchen, obviously headed by Chichi, will enhance the foods that you can prepare. Even on the latter, we have not yet dwelled: in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. We hunt, fish, and cook, with the aim not so much to refresh ourselves as much as to enable temporary or, in some cases, even permanent upgrades.
CyberConnect2 has always used the cel-shading technique precisely to give the characters a graphic style as similar as possible to the anime. And it’s not just the look: you notice the same maniacal care in the animations, moves, and movements. And what about dubbing, music, and sound effects.
Not everything is actually playable: there are animated sequences, made with the same game engine, however, that break the action. Even at the end of essential fights, movies take over that conclude the clash with scenes more in line with the anime. Sometimes then the narrator takes over. Just like in the anime, summarizes what has happened or introduces what is about to happen, for example. When you switch from one sub-plot to another (from the invasion of the Saiyans to the plot related to Freeza, right for example).
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Review
takes his time, also proposing many dialogues (to listen to, not to interact with) and scenes to enjoy by placing the controller on one side. And speaking of time, longevity is more than satisfactory. It takes several tens of hours to complete everything, several for those who intend to unlock all the secrets hidden in the various game areas and to unlock the maximum potential of the multiple characters. And to remove any doubts: the game is wholly subtitled in Italian. The dubbing instead is the original Japanese one. For our review, we tested it on PS4 Pro. On the top Sony console, the game is reproduced in 4K at a practically constant 30 fps.
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The game world of Toriyama
We have never had the opportunity to freely explore the world of Akira Toriyama before, also because the mangaka himself has shown it to us in bits and pieces in the course of his comic works. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot brings together all the author’s ideas in a single open-world. Identifying iconic locations on the map of the planet such as West City. The archipelago where the Kame House resides. The woods above which Korin’s tower stands – yes, we know it should be Karin, but for some reason. In the game, it’s called that – and God’s sanctuary, and so on. Dragon Ball fans will instantly recognize the locations where the most famous moments in history took place. Often marked with postcards reminding them with a scene from the anime and which fit into a massive list of collectibles to find and collect.
CyberConnect2 drew on Toriyama’s imagery, under his careful supervision, to finally reproduce a cohesive and detailed world, albeit less interactive than we would have liked. It is not an open world in all respects: you can move from one region to another, if contiguous, but in most cases. You will have to access the various areas from the world map.
From the beginning, you will find yourself fluttering freely around the world, diving into rivers and lakes. Breaking down the rocky ledges that will have the misfortune to bar your way while collecting the Z spheres scattered everywhere. The D medals hidden by the dozen in each area, minerals, and fruit. You can fish at the appropriate piers with a simple minigame, go hunting for game and dinosaurs. Even participate in hovercraft competitions once you have unlocked Goku’s license between the Freeza and Cell saga.
There are so many things to do and to do. To see, but the world, however colorful and detailed, always gives the idea of ​​being there and not being there at the same time. It is a gigantic sandbox area that mostly serves to prolong the experience with hidden collectibles and materials to collect to upgrade characters and unlock new content. And yet it has a certain charm.
It is explored that it is a pleasure and fills the heart with nostalgia at the sight of panoramas that, together with the original soundtrack, remind us of the episodes seen on TV or the volumes browsed with greed when we did not yet know each one by heart—a single line in each saga. Wanting to make a comparison between third-person RPGs. The open world of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is, in short. Conceptually closer to that of they remind us of the episodes seen on TV or the volumes leafed through greedily when we still didn’t know every single line in each saga by heart.
So, wanting to make a comparison between third-person RPGs, the open world of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Review : Kakarot is, in short. Conceptually closer to that of they remind us of the episodes seen on TV or the volumes leafed through greedily. When we still didn’t know every single line in each saga by heart. Wanting to make a comparison between third-person RPGs. The open world of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is, in short. Conceptually closer to that of the assassin’s Creed Odyssey than that of The Witcher 3.
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Fighting like Kakarot
In light of what has been written so far, it should be clear that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is not a fighting game. It’s easy to mistake it for a revised and corrected version of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Review. When it really wants to be something more, especially as an RPG. Plus, an action game with RPG elements that, on the contrary. The CyberConnect2 title seeks and achieves a delicate balance between the two natures that make it incredibly accessible to the fan who, quite only, wants to relive the story of Dragon Ball Z in a video game.
It is in this perspective that it should be evaluated, and that is why the combat system has pleasantly surprised us. Of course, it is not particularly innovative. We have already played several Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Review in which we have direct control of the character in a three-dimensional space. But of all, Kakarot is the one that responds best to a control system intuitive that guarantees. The player everything he needs to replicate the spectacular dynamism of the battles seen in the anime. The base is, in fact, very simple: with a button. You attack in melee, with the one you shoot the bursts of energy, with another you dodge, and another allows you to parry.
Final judgment of Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Review
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is probably the ultimate experience for fans of the series. Everything that characterizes the Z Saga can be found, in one way or another. In the huge work of CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco, without the “contamination” of Dragon Ball Super seen in FighterZ. In some ways, we could also call it huge fanservice, but that’s the point. So is all that glitters gold? Yes and no. The role-playing component, however, marked, is not always as incisive as one might think. Perhaps you could have ventured a little more. But probably the developers have imposed certain limits precisely in order not to go too far off the rails, to stay as close as possible to the original series. Mechanics such as those of communities may seem, in the long run, mere fillers that perhaps were not needed.
The technical sector is not always 100%, even if overall. It manages to immerse us perfectly in the Dragon Ball universe. The fights themselves, which we’ve described as dynamic, pyrotechnic, and hugely fun, may disappoint those expecting a more fighting-game approach. They tend, over time, to evolve, thanks also to the new skills that we unlock along the way and to the transformations. But they are still based on the same dynamics made more or less difficult if necessary, depending on the clash. In the long run, therefore, they can be repetitive. The final judgment is, however, more than positive. Retracing the plot of the Z saga has never been so fun and, above all, engaging.
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