Summary
- Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero includes Easter Eggs like a reference to the forgotten classic character Launch.
- The game's menus feature fun interactions between characters like Goku, Krillin, and Android 18.
- Launch, a character with a split personality, is absent in Sparking Zero despite appearing in other recent Dragon Ball games.
Players can find an Easter Egg in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero that references the lovable Launch, a mostly forgotten but classic character from the original manga and anime series. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero finally launched earlier this October, after much anticipation and hype. Just like the original Budokai Tenkaichi games, many gamers are enjoying how it's a massive love letter to Dragon Ball's history.
Sparking Zero features a number of smaller Easter Eggs and references, as the developers included a number of small details for fans to discover. Fans have found several unique character interactions between certain fighters, attack grab animations, and even a reference to the critically reviled Dragon Ball Evolution. While the game's huge roster is a massive selling point for fans, there are also a few NPC characters like Chi-Chi and Bulma who can entertain gamers with their commentary in the encyclopedia. Even the menus of Sparking Zero can be fun to scroll through, as it features various characters interacting with each other.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Teases DLC 2
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero reveals two DLC new characters planned for release in 2025, along with Dragon Ball Daima content.
One of the menus is for the shop, which allows players to unlock characters in Sparking Zero's roster or equip them with various ability items. For flavor, this menu is presented as Goku visiting Krillin, Master Roshi, and Android 18, the three all living on the turtle hermit's island abode. If the player idles on the menu, Goku and Krillin will chime in with various quotes, such as Goku asking if Roshi is taking on any new Turtle School students, or how the house still looks the same as it always does. One of Krillin's idle lines has him ask if anyone has seen Launch recently, a character first introduced in the original Dragon Ball manga and anime.
Who is Dragon Ball's Launch?
Launch was first introduced in Chapter 26 of the original manga, or Episode 15 of the anime adaptation, and has a split personality that is triggered when she sneezes, switching between sweet or violent. Good Launch has blue hair, while Bad Launch has blonde hair. While Launch is a classic Dragon Ball character, she immediately falls out of focus from the series, where, after the original Dragon Ball, she only makes sporadic appearances in filler episodes of the DBZ anime and other media.
Launch's sporadic appearances continue to this day, as she doesn't appear to be in Sparking Zero, despite being featured in more recent Dragon Ball games like Dragon Ball: The Breakers and Dragon Ball Z Kakarot. In Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenakaichi 3, Launch was the Z-Item shop owner, switching between her good and bad sides at random. Since Android 18 and Bulma have essentially taken up shopkeeping duties in Sparking Zero, Krillin's question of where Launch has gone off to is appropriate. Some fans are hoping Launch will make it in as a potential Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero DLC fighter.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!
Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.
Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!
Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.
Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.
Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!
Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
- Engine
- proprietary engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Dragon Ball
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
- How Long To Beat
- 11 hours
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
- 80 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
