Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis a game many of us have been waiting for for years. It’s a title that zones in on any and all nostalgia for the franchise and magnifies it into something not only beautiful, but tangible. It’s a video game that manages to be a competent RPG while retelling what is arguably the greatest chapter in theDragon Ballsaga.
RELATED:10 Pokémon Who Look Powerful (But Are Surprisingly Weak)
At the same time,Kakarotis a sloppily made game with tons of bugs and a gameplay loop that, while fun, never really asks much of the player. Anyone looking to be challenged by their gaming look elsewhere. Those who just want to kick back and revel inDragon Ballshould make themselves at home.
10Loved: The Combat
Kakarot’s combat is kind of likeXenoverse’s, but not quite. The button mapping is different, but the general spirit behind combat is the same: chain combos and relish in the spectacle that isDragon Ball.Kakarotthrives most during its boss fights, where enemies only get more aggressive the closer they get to death.
Never has a battle system so well captured the intensity and chaos of action inDragon Ball Z. Vegeta raining down a storm of ki blasts from overhead onto Goku is a gameplay scenario that manages to instill drama into what would otherwise be a simple one on one fight. Combat doesn’t have too much depth, but it’s exciting and engaging. Which is all aDragon Ballgame needs.
9Didn’t: The Difficulty
Outside of a few key boss fights (and you’ll remember them,)Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis not a difficult game. In fact, it’s one of the easiestDragon Ballgames in recent memory. Just about anyone can get through the game comfortably with very little to no effort. Hell, grinding might just ruinKakarotoutright since nothing would be a challenge.
This is an RPG where just a few levels completely trivialize combat. Anyone looking for a challenge should honestly skip as much side content as possible and just stick to the story. It might not be the most engaging way to play, but it’ll undeniably ensure that the combat can shine.
8Loved: The Story
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotbites off more than it can chew adapting four fairly lengthy story arcs, but it does the best job of anyDragon Ballgame covering the whole Z-era.Attack of the Saiyansis still the best adaptation as far accurate stories go, butKakarothas the presentation to carry its story.
Not just that, it adapts more than any other game in the series, touching upon every single major beat. Some details are basically mentioned in passing, essentially meaningKakarotisn’t a replacement for either the manga or anime, but it’s an incredibly fresh way to experienceDragon Ball Z’s story in a way that feels both comprehensive and satisfying.
7Didn’t: Goku’s Character Development
AlthoughDragon Ball Z: Kakarotadapts the story incredibly well, it does drop the ball when it comes to the characterization. Goku in particular ends up hurt the most as he’s barely a presence during the first half of the game. Since most character beats are relegated to side content to keep the story moving at a flow– and Goku is often unplayable– it’s hard to get a read on his arc.
RELATED:10 Marvel Characters Who Need Their Own Video Game (Like Spider-Man Has)
His identity crisis with his Saiyan identity was subtle enough in the manga, but it’s non-existent in the game. Keep in mind, the title isKakarot, suggesting Goku’s arc would be at the forefront. You can still get a sense of Goku’s arc by lingering the overworld the few times he’s playable during the first two story arcs, but don’t expect the same development present in a typical RPG.
6Loved: The Music
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotwould already be home to a great score if it were only made up of tracks present in the anime, but the fact that the soundtrack is not only styled after Shunsuke Kikuchi’s score forDragon Ballelevates it to possibly the single greatestDragon Ballsoundtrack in history (second toSuper Butoden 2, of course.)
The battle themes in particular are probably the best the series has seen on the video game end. Theyactuallycapture the sound and tone of the anime. At the same time, there are plenty of modern sounding tracks like the boss theme against Raditz and the shockingly amazing theme that plays in the fight against Guldo.
5Didn’t: The Leveling System
The leveling system isn’t aggressively bad, but it’s the bare minimum in a franchise that’s had much better leveling systems. Worse yet,Kakarotis a game that borrows quite a lot fromXenoverse, but what it doesn’t borrow is arguably its best aspect: the progression system! Instead, leveling inKakarotis very impersonal.
There’s a skill tree that’s fun enough to unlock new notches for, but most everything important will be unlocked just by playing the story casually so there’s never a real itch to get stronger. Which is a shame considering that’s one of the main tenets that make upDragon Ball.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s cutscene direction is downright incredible, and it manages to brilliantly reinterpret several key scenes from the manga and anime in gorgeous fashion. The use of color and the framing make some ofDragon Ball Z’s most important fights come to life in ways that even the anime can’t compare with.
RELATED:10 Games That Will Help You Improve At Fighting Games
Piccolo’s death and Goku turning into a Super Saiyan for the first time stand out as two of the best cutscenes in the game, proof that the cutscene directors understand what was at the core of the characters. This is a game that accurately adapts Goku’s sorrow over killing Freeza on Namek. Not even the anime does that!
3Didn’t: The Sidequests
Most open-world games have terrible side quests and whileDragon Ball Z: Kakarotisn’t exactly open world, it still abides to the design philosophies of the open-world genre as far as side content goes. To be fair, there’s plenty to explore and uncover in the game so it’s not like all the side content is a wash, but the side quests are especially mediocre.
The best ones involve characters active in the main plot like the Earthlings during the Saiyan arc, but those aren’t nearly as prevalent as the handful of side quests randomly puked onto miscellaneous pre-Z era characters. At best, they’re battles. At worst, they’re mindless fetch quests.
2Loved: The Pacing
While sidequests are a pace breaker, they’re a pace breaker completely at the control of the player. Don’t want to do side quests? Don’t bother.Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis a game that lends itself to any play style. Its core story moves at such a brisk pace, the only way it could be better is if it were the manga.
Kakarotshatters the notion thatDragon Ball Zis slow and that characters spends hours charging up. Just playingKakarot, one would immediately understand thatDragon Ballis a fast, frantic series with action and drama that never lets up.
1Didn’t: The Title
ToKakarot’s credit, the game does go out of its way to make sure Goku is a constant presence. Even the Cell saga, a story arc where Goku is largely absent in, has its intro fleshed out so Goku is overall more active. At the same time,Kakarotcan only do so much to make Goku the focus in a part ofDragon Ballhistory where him rarely being the focus is part of that era’s identity.
To say nothing of the factKakarotis blatantly contextualized around Gohan. Most of Goku’s characterization ends up even further shoved into the background than usual, but Gohan still has a very active and present arc. He’s the character players control in Intermissions, he’s the character the majority of the story is framed through, and he’s the character players spend the most time controlling.
