During my preview of Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jun Furutani, the producer of this highly anticipated anime fighting game. After many hours exploring the character roster and various game modes, one key aspect piqued my interest: character balance. In Dragon Ball FighterZ, there is an inherent need to maintain some semblance of balance among characters; without it, the gameplay could falter. Here, Sparking Zero aims to stand out.
In our discussion, Jun Furutani emphasized that while the strongest characters in the franchise possess immense power, they will definitely reflect their canonical strength in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. They may not be able to easily defeat weaker characters like Mr. Satan or Frieza Soldiers, but players will certainly notice a marked difference in abilities.
Producer Jun Furutani Confirms Imbalance in Character Strengths in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
During my conversation with Jun Furutani about Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, we touched upon an aspect many fans ponder: power levels. As the series evolves, certain characters become significantly more powerful, leaving others behind—think Yamcha—or failing to reach Super Saiyan levels of strength.
Players will also have the option to select earlier iterations of their favorite characters, such as Dragon Ball Kid Goku or the initial form of Frieza, rather than their fully evolved forms. As Jun elaborated, there is a distinct difference between various forms of characters in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero:
“So, I don’t know if you had a chance to play all the different versions of Goku, but if you were to compare early Dragon Ball Z Goku to Dragon Ball Super Goku, the power balance, there is definitely a difference in his power level.”
One potential frustration for players may be that certain beloved characters will fall on the weaker end of the spectrum. For example, Mr. Satan—despite being a universe savior—cannot challenge someone like Whis. As Furutani-san highlights:
“Yeah, we’re talking about Goku right now, but there’re characters like Beerus and Whis that come out in Super, and those characters are as strong as they should be, canonically speaking, but if you were to play Mr. Satan, or his daughter, Videl, who had a hard time in the original work, you would also have a hard time trying to work with them in this game.”
For players who choose Krillin, Mr. Satan, Videl, or other less formidable characters, there’s still hope! Winning is possible, but it might require more skill and strategy.
Additionally, tournament organizers and online matches can implement restrictions to prevent players from overwhelmingly selecting Ultra Instinct -Sign- Goku in competitive modes like the World Tournament. This ensures all players have a shot at victory.
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is set to launch on October 11, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows platforms.
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