Spike Chunsoft’s Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on October 11th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, but it’s already a major hit in advanced access. On Steam alone, there have been over 122,000 peak concurrent players at this time of writing, surpassing major fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.
It’s poised to perform even better with its global launch, but what distinguishes it from Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi 3? Is it just the same game with a few new bells and whistles? What are some of the most stand-out features and things that Sparking! ZERO does better? Join us as we dive into some of the biggest differences.
Faster Combat
The most obvious change from Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is how much faster Sparking! ZERO is in comparison (and the former felt pretty fluid already). It seems obvious, given how much more processing power the current generation of consoles and PCs have, not to mention how it fits several of the mechanics and quick decisions players must make. However, this is the most authentic representation of Dragon Ball combat yet, capturing the feel of controlling overwhelmingly powerful warriors, and trading punches that the naked eye can barely keep track of. And it’s awesome.
Presentation
Developed on Unreal Engine 5, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO also offers one of the most visually impressive games in the series to date. However, that goes beyond better-looking environments, high-fidelity models, or gorgeous renditions of planet-wiping beam attacks. It’s also down to the animation work and how closely it sticks to the anime, right down to special grabs when Vegeta takes on Goku Black or Toppo rag-dolls Frieza. Of course, that isn’t to discount the incredible music, whether it’s Dragon Ball Super’s second opening theme, Limit Break x Survivor, for the opening movie, or the track from entering Sparking! Mode for the first time.
Environmental Destruction
One of the most praised aspects of Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is the ability to destroy a stage throughout a fight. Any damage caused is permanent, which lends more to the high-stakes battles. Sparking! ZERO retains this but goes even further beyond. A building will suffer different kinds of damage depending on the attack, with Ki Blasts leaving sizable dents while beam attacks cause it to crumble. You can even scorch the ground with the latter. It’s super impressive, even if the gratuity of the destruction led to less stage choice in local split-screen.
Beam Clashes
You can’t have a Dragon Ball game without Beam Clashes – occurrences where two powerful beam attacks collide, one attempting to overpower the other. Budokai Tenkaichi 3’s take on this was pretty straightforward and a little bland, but that’s not the case in Sparking! ZERO. There’s the wind-up and zoom into each character’s facial expressions leading to the clash, while a mini-game triggers. Victory means a stronger attack with more hits and an even better presentation.
More Characters, Deeper Roster
When Tenkaichi 3 launched, it boasted the largest playable roster in Dragon Ball game history with 162 characters. It makes sense that Sparking! ZERO would up the ante, offering 182 characters at launch. Several additions from Dragon Ball Super, aside from new base forms and Transformations for Goku and Vegeta, made it in, like Jiren, Cabba, Dyspo, Beerus, Hit, Kale, Caulifla, Kakunsa, and Toppo. Even Broly from the Super film is here in all his angry glory. The result is more variety and way more choice when team-building.
Strategies
One-upping your opponent, especially given their destructive nature, can be challenging in either game. However, Sparking! ZERO adds a new layer of strategy with Skill Count. Regenerating over time, it effectively gate-keeps access to techniques like Sparking! Mode (though there are other requirements), Transformations, Fusions, and much more. It plays further into the Destruction Points balancing since you can opt for lower-cost characters and transform or fuse mid-battle, but only if you survive long enough to accumulate enough Skill Count. Choosing between transformations is another balancing act, but Skill Count also influences whether you utilize certain moves, such as…
Introducing Super Perception and Revenge Counter
Both are new to Sparking! ZERO, Super Perception allows for deflecting Beam Attacks away. It can provide a massive opening against a Ki-deprived opponent, even if it costs two Skill Count points and could affect your overall Transformation economy. Revenge Counter also consumes the Skill Count and while it’s easy for countering melee attacks, you might fall into a trap and abuse it on every occasion, thus hampering your Skill Count. This further adds to the strategy and makes matches that much more intense.
Increased Skill Ceiling With Super Counters
But that’s not all. Sparking! ZERO also increases the skill ceiling to cater to those seeking mastery via the Super Counter. Like the Revenge Counter, it allows for breaking out of melee attacks and mounting a comeback. The twist is that it doesn’t consume any Skill Count, so you can break it out whenever you want and save those points for Transformations, Super Perception, Sparking! Mode and whatnot. The downside is that it requires strict timing, so it can either be a risk vs. reward mechanic for those who haven’t fully mastered it, or a means to distinguish high-level players from the rest.
More In-Depth Tutorial and Training Options
Whether you’re playing Budokai Tenkaichi 3 or Sparking! ZERO, both games can be complex for newcomers to pick up and play. So it’s a good thing that the latter offers an in-depth Battle Training mode that details all the essentials while presenting challenges to test your skills. Straightforward training options are also available, allowing you to learn characters at your own pace and under various conditions.
What if Saga vs. Episode Battle Branching
Episode Battle is a new mode in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, running through most of the well-known battles for each of its characters. However, it also features branching storylines based on your decisions, which can result in classic timeworn scenarios playing out differently (like Goku surviving the battle against Raditz and training Gohan before Vegeta and Nappa arrive on Earth).
While some outcomes return to the original canon, it’s still exciting to explore new branches. By comparison, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 had the What-if Saga, which functioned as standalone stories deviating from the canon. These were also interesting in their own right, though more limited in scope and scale while not intersecting with the established canon in any way.
Standard and Classic Control Options
Sparking! ZERO sports two control schemes – the first, Standard, offers more contemporary ways to execute moves, from a dedicated Perception button and easy Revenge Counters (press the Right Stick on a controller) to the lack of stick spinning. However, dedicated fans shouldn’t worry since the second control scheme, Classic, retains everything about Budokai Tenkaichi 3 if you want that authentic feel.
Edit Mode
As good as Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is, it never offered a way to create custom battles with the level of Sparking! ZERO’s customization, whether it’s scripting, camera angles, different endings, special conditions, and so on. Furthermore, you can share those with other players and test out their creations, witnessing the fury of base Cabba destroying some of the strongest warriors first-hand. The only downside is limited slots for creation, which will hopefully be addressed soon.
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