Bandai Namco Entertainment and Spike Chunsoft look to have a hit on their hands with Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO as the game had an incredible early access launch with over 91,000 peak concurrent players.
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
According to SteamDB the game hit a peak concurrent player count of 91,005 in its first day of Early Access.
Not only did the game hit a peak concurrent of 91,005 it rocketed into the top 20 games in the past 24 hours surpassing Baldur’s Gate 3, Monster Hunter: World, Deadlock, and War Thunder to hit 16th on the charts.
SteamDB’s Most Played Games list sorted by the past 24 hours.
Not only is the game seeing a monster Early Access launch, but players are giving the game “very positive” reviews on Steam.
Demigra wrote, “Best Dragon ball game I’ve ever played, compared to xenoverse, breakers, fighterz and kakarot, I can say that this game is by far the most entertaining dragon ball game I’ve ever played. thank you bandai namco for making this masterpiece and I wish akira toriyama was here to see this masterpiece”
Demigra on Steam
“DRAGON BALL Budokai Tenkaichi 2 was one of the best games I played with my co-op teammate at the time, we were blown away,” wrote Bicmeister. “We easily got over 500 hours into it (we were 8 years old) and we loved the game. We searched for DBZ BD2 every damn day. We had always wished that a successor would come along at some point, and now after 16 years the time has finally come. Damn that feels good. I hope you all have fun with DBZ Sparking Zero. don’t lose your friendships. LET’S FETZ.”
Bicmeister on Steam
Faithful praised, “This game may have just came out but MY GOODNESS! The fan service is great and there are so many characters as expected from a budokai tenkaichi game. Only thing that I didn’t expect was waiting for the Super hero DLC and also we have to play the game to unlock the characters. The graphics are amazing and this is a 10/10.”
Faithful on Steam
The reviews are not surprising given the commitment to detail the developers indicated they took in pre-release interviews.
Producer Jun Furutani told Bandai Namco, “Every single character in the roster is unique. They all have big special moves, but also small movements like punches and kicks are customized so they feel unique.”
“We put a lot of effort into these small details, which is what makes this game so special to me. So of course, I would be happy if the players hopefully notice these details and enjoy this immersive experience of becoming a Dragon Ball character,” he said.
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
He also shared in another interview the philosophy behind the game and why they chose to revive Budokai Tenkaichi series after 17 years, “Seventeen years ago, we launched the third installment of Budokai Tenkaichi and concluded the series. Since then there have been several other Dragon Ball Games filling the time and the gap for Budokai Tenkaichi players.”
“But, given all the developments in the gaming technology there was the inspiration and incentive to create a more immersive and modern Dragon Ball experience and explore moments that were not in Budokai Tenkaichi 3,” he shared. “Therefore, we decided to create a sequel to Budokai Tenkaichi.”
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
He elaborated, “As a successor, it is important that players who played the previous games have an experience that is new but also fits seamlessly into their old memories.”
“When they play the new game, it should feel like ‘Oh yeah, this is familiar, like the previous games.’ We adapted the original battle system, but we also kinda evolved it and put in some new mechanics, trying to create a new, more immersive experience,” he explained.
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
As for what they improved to the series, he shared, “One of the main improvements is that you can experience the super powers of Goku and others in real time. One of our main goals is to let the players experience what it is like to be a character in the Dragon Ball world, and we are putting a lot of effort into this!”
He then explained how he and his team are doing this, “For example, when Goku starts charging his ‘Ki’ the weather and the background change or, you know, the environment changes. These kind of things are, of course, possible now in real time.”
“Like if you hit someone with a ‘Kamehameha,’ for example, and you blow them away, then when they hit a building, the building will crumble, or a mountain will be destroyed! So all this interaction with the environment in real time it makes the whole thing a much more immersive experience and makes the player feel like they’re really inhabiting the character,” he said.
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
He also shared that they introduced a new ability called a Revenge Counter that allows you to counter opponents when they attack you.
Jun explained, “For example, like in the Dragon Ball series, you can instantly move from one place to another, using a quasi-teleportation. And there are other things, like when you are attacked, you can counter the attack and fight back. This is called a ‘Revenge Counter’ in the new game. These are all things that the fans know from the Dragon Ball series which are now added to the fighting system so that you can have an even more ‘Dragon Ball’ experience!”
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
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One of the more interesting aspects of the game takes place in the game’s Episode Battle Mode and allows players to have a different story than the one that took place in the original manga or anime.
Jun shared, “So, as you could probably see in previously released videos, there is an option for players to make choices within the episode battle which will impact how the story will proceed. But at the same time, there are certain outcomes of battles that may also impact the outcome of the story.”
He explained, “For example, if, within an episode battle, you win against an opponent that in the anime you weren’t able to beat, this may impact upcoming battles and battle scenarios. Both the choices that the player makes and the outcomes of the battle may influence the chance that the player will experience new battle story paths.”
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
“Therefore, ideally, the player should try to become the character, think about how they would react in that situation and enjoy the different experiences that arise in the episode battle,” he said.
However, he did indicate that this is limited given it is based on the source material, “Of course, episode battle is based on the original scenarios, so naturally, these choices and these different outcomes are limited to certain battle stages and will not be available all the time.
A screenshot from Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (2024), Spike Chunsoft
What do you make of Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO’s successful early access launch?
