Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has somewhat outdone itself when it comes to creating an engaging story mode. Considering Dragon Ball is one of the most influential anime of all time, fans are likely to have already played through Goku's story in a different game. Thankfully, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero goes the extra mile with Episodes, and gives players much more to chew on than previous titles.
Fighting games are somewhat infamous for thin story mode content, so the depth of Sparking Zero's is a pleasant surprise. Still, these Episode Battles are not entirely without their faults. Most notably, Episode Battles are not a standard story mode, and lean heavily into being a simple series of battles. With that in mind, each Episode Battle can vary in a number of ways, and players should weigh their options if they want to dive into everything Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has to offer.
How to Unlock Every Sparking Episode in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO (What If Guide)
A spoiler free guide explaining how to unlock every Sparking Episode in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, including the ones for Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Story Mode Explained
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Has A Wide Variety of Episode Battles
Plain and simple, Episode Battles functionally serve as Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's main story mode. Custom Battles and Tournaments help to fill out single-player content, but Episode Battles will definitely be the main place a player is going to spend their time. After all, it follows suit with the rest of the game in terms of sheer size.
Fans of previous Dragon Ball games have certainly been given the expectation that any given story mode will simply be a recap of events of the anime. Of course, these are usually events they will have already watched, and potentially even played through before. Thankfully, Sparking Zero doesn't just offer one recap of the anime's story arcs, it features eight.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero features eight different episodes, each told from the perspective of a different character from the series. The length of each episode can vary wildly, depending on the character's prominence in the series at large. Likewise, the variety of protagonists doesn't disappoint whatsoever.
Finally, it's important to note the prominence of Sparking Episodes within this game mode. Budokai Tenkaichi's What Ifs are a staple of the series, and Sparking Zero finds its equivalent in Sparking Episodes. Each campaign of Episode Battles may have a different number of Sparking Episodes, with these interesting and unexpected scenarios being just as variable as any other part of the game.
Every Episode Battle Protagonist in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
As one might expect, Goku is still very much the star of the show. In fact, Goku is the only character that players can select from the jump. Goku's Episode Battles are similar to games like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, although the developers certainly didn't skip out on the presentation. Goku also takes the crown for Sparking Episodes, being tied with Future Trunks for having the most, with a total of three to unlock.
Simply by booting up with Goku, players quickly gain access to a host of other characters. Vegeta and Frieza are no doubt the next highlights following Goku, and it's not hard to see why. Vegeta's numerous battles in Dragon Ball Z make his saga significantly meaty, and Frieza's is just as fun to explore. Notably, both Vegeta and Frieza have two Sparking Episodes, with each of them perfectly displaying the pride that makes them such compelling characters.
Piccolo's Episode Battles are certainly compelling, but Gohan may have the game's best by far. Surprisingly, Gohan and Piccolo only receive one Sparking Episode each, with Gohan's practically putting players into a hypothetical scenario where he really did become the series' lead hero. Goku Black has a similar case, and his campaign avoids feeling too short despite his brief time in the series. Furthermore, Goku Black's sole Sparking Episode features some of the most difficult battles in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.
It takes slightly longer to unlock Future Trunks and Jiren compared to the other characters, although it still isn't much of a tricky task. The two of them are unlocked simply by completing Goku's saga, and this doesn't even include his Sparking Episodes. Future Trunks has a much more extensive campaign, although Jiren's still serves as a nice cherry on top of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero as a whole.
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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
