Final month, Bandai Namco revealed Dragon Ball Daima’s greatest characters could be coming to Dragon Ball Sparking Zero as a part of the 2024 area fighter’s season cross. It was the ultimate piece of introduced extra content material for the sport, which revived the Budokai Tenkaichi collection (often called Sparking in Japan) after 17 years. Nonetheless, gamers are craving extra to do.
“IS THAT A NEW MAP?????” reads a prime remark, with almost 6,000 likes, on the Daima DLC’s YouTuber trailer.
The thrill over only one new map is emblematic of simply how hungry for brand new content material Sparking Zero gamers are one 12 months after launch. The extra characters are welcome — I’ve particularly loved my new foremost, Tremendous Saiyan 3 grownup Vegeta — however gamers are clamoring for maps, costumes, and sport modes. It’s a fervor that speaks to simply how a lot of a success the preventing sport nonetheless is, and to how gamers aren’t prepared to maneuver on from it.
One measly map would possibly look like a small factor to salivate over, however it’s an enormous deal for followers. Whereas the three DLC packs — one with characters from the 2022 movie Dragon Ball Tremendous: Tremendous Hero, two with Daima additions — introduced the full roster rely as much as 208 fighters, First Demon World was the primary and solely new stage added since launch. Loads of iconic locales from Dragon Ball (like Kami’s lookout, Kame Home, and Hell) are nowhere to be present in Sparking Zero.
As a substitute, modders have performed their half to inject selection into Sparking Zero’s map rotation. On one of many sport’s two subreddits, posts displaying off map mods have racked up 1000’s of upvotes. Costumes are additionally extremely requested. Although there are many matches in Sparking Zero, a few of the extra iconic and simply plain enjoyable costumes are lacking. Most significantly, Badman Vegeta is tragically absent.
Picture: Spike Chunsoft/Bandai Namco
Even with the criticism, Sparking Zero nonetheless has a devoted participant base that’s drumming up its personal causes to maintain taking part in. It didn’t take lengthy for Daima-inspired bouts to populate the sport’s Customized Battle mode, which permits for gamers to create their very own fights full with dialogue, character adjustments, and particular victory circumstances. For instance, one participant has crafted an alternate timeline collection, Invasion Saga, that’s spanned a dozen episodes and racked up tens of 1000’s of views on YouTube.
All in all, Sparking Zero probably isn’t fated to be deserted by its gamers or devs. Outdoors of 2015’s XenoVerse, current Dragon Ball video games have a monitor report of receiving assist for years. Kakarot continues to obtain DLC 5 years after launch, and one way or the other XenoVerse 2 continues to be chugging alongside almost a decade after it got here out. Even the asymmetrical multiplayer sport Dragon Ball: The Breakers continues to be getting assist — and even I forgot that sport existed.
Any worries that Sparking Zero wouldn’t obtain extra content material, now that its season cross is full, had been assuaged with October’s Over 200 Characters trailer. It’s primarily a recap of who’s on the roster — unsurprisingly, there are a lotta Goku choices — however the trailer alludes to extra characters on the way in which, teasing extra data to return in January 2026.
Picture: Spike Chunsoft/Bandai Namco
Extra characters are undoubtedly welcome. Dragon Ball GT may use extra illustration within the sport, like GT’s model of Vegeta and the Shadow Dragons. Authentic Dragon Ball characters from the primary 16 volumes of the manga aren’t represented right here in any respect, outdoors of Child Goku, and will simply make up a season cross of their very own.
However what the participant base is basically hungry for are extra sport modes. Characters, cosmetics, and maps are and could be good, however extra methods to play may really preserve this sport alive. Developer Spike Chunsoft has experimented with particular boss battles, like the present one in opposition to Frieza, however they don’t have legs as they’re limited-time modes. Bigger tournaments, an infinite/survival mode, a Mortal Kombat-like pillar mode — any technique to inject selection in offline and on-line gameplay would go a great distance with Sparking Zero’s participant base.
Regardless of participant complaints, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero reviewed nicely (it was my totally-not-biased-at-all favourite sport of 2024). It’s additionally performed nicely commercially, with over 5 million models offered. We all know the fast future for Dragon Ball Sparking Zero: its participant base is about to develop when it launches on Nintendo Change and Change 2 subsequent month. Past that, how a lot future assist Dragon Ball Sparking Zero receives stays to be seen. Based mostly on what we all know to date, extra characters are on the way in which. Outdoors of that? It’s anybody’s guess.
