JASON SAVIO

Get ready to power up with the 524th Dragon Ball game to hit shelves. Just kidding, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot isn’t the 524th game based on the popular anime, but it sure feels like it.

By now it’s nearly impossible to keep track of how many games have been made of Goku and his friends and how they all stack up against one another. Most have stayed with the spirit of the popular manga and anime show by sticking with a fighting-centric approach, while others have dabbled in RPG territory. Kakarot is a little of both, and it does a fine job balancing the two for the most part.

The Dragon Ball Z story is the backbone of Kakarot, with the game’s narrative copying the television show’s storyline almost beat for beat. You’ll start out playing as Goku in the Saiyan saga storyline before eventually branching off as other characters as the game progresses to the Frieza, Cell and Buu sagas (plus the smaller sagas). In between the major battles, you’re free to explore the open world of Dragon Ball Z, taking on side missions and other tasks. It is truly an RPG game in the same vein as Red Dead Redemption, for example.

Playing Kakarot is just like watching the Dragon Ball Z television show, except you’re in control. But like the TV show, there is also a lot of down time that drags on in between the exciting fights, which might test your patience. Some of the mundane tasks aren’t just relegated to the side mission, either. Have you ever wanted to go apple picking as Piccolo? Chances are you haven’t, but don’t worry because you’ll get the chance to here! That’s another joke, by the way. Speaking of jokes, there is some tongue-in-cheek humor during these scenarios, of course, but there are a lot of other way cooler things you could be doing in the DBZ world.

The apple picking is a clue to the great attention to detail that has gone into Kakarot. From the elaborate strategies used to help you build up characters’ strengths, to background information to help make newcomers hip to the story, there seems to be a great amount of care that went into making this game for fans to appreciate. The inclusion of the television series’ original Japanese theme song is the cherry on top.

The fighting is always the biggest thrill in DBZ, and the mechanics on Kakarot are pretty solid. The fighting style approach utilized here is similar to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, although the special super attacks—like a kamehameha–used in that game would pause the live battle for a quick recorded video-cut of the fighter’s delivery, whereas in Karakot the bout just keeps fluidly moving. This helps keep the pace up and gives the opponent a better chance to block the attack. Fans of DBZ who love the action-packed adrenaline rush that the show delivers will find some of that in Kakarot, although not nearly as great as in the recent Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Goku has always been the star of every Dragon Ball series, thus the aptly titled Kakarot– Goku’s Saiyan birth name–is used to distinguish this addition in the DBZ game library. Is it worthy of flashing the man’s name? Diehard DBZ fans will likely think so.

For more information visit: www.bandainamcoent.com/games/dragon-ball-z-kakarot