Summary
TheDragon Ballseries began as a manga in 1984 followed quicker by an anime in 1986. Since then, the franchise has exploded across a wide variety of media from movies to video games. It’s one of the biggest imports from Japan that virtually most countries have seen.
Players have been getting into games since the NES. One of the biggest sensations during the PS2 era wasDragon Ball Z: Budokai. Other console games have blown up as well and quietly in the background there have been some portable hits. Most of them are a bit more obscure and hard to find now but there is one standout example thanks to the Switch. Let’s look at some fine hidden gems in honor ofAkira Toriyama’s grand work.
6Dragon Ball: Origins 2
Little Goku Gets His Just Deserts
Dragon Ball: Originsis a rare game that focuses on Goku as a child rather than an adult. It isan action RPGthat utilizes the touch screen for most actions although players can move with the D-Pad. It follows the main story through Emperor Pilaf’s shenanigans and ends on a good note.
Dragon Ball: Origins 2picks up where that game ended, going into the Red Ribbon Army saga as well as Goku’s tournament bouts. It fixed a big complaint too, offering players the ability to choose between touch or button controls. The use of buttons made it a better game on the handheld. To fully appreciate Goku’s story, both games are recommended. However, of the two,Dragon Ball: Origins 2is better from a gameplay perspective simply because of the button feature.
There have been quite a few RPGs based on this franchise. However, many of them, for whatever reason,have been card-based. There is a literal handful between the NES and SNES includingDragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiya-jin Zetsumetsu KeikakuandDragon Ball Z: Legend of the Saiyans. So, it is rare to get a more traditional turn-based one withDragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.
Players can form a party as they traverse through the Saiyan invasion arc from the series. Party members include everyone from Krillin and Tien. It introduces nothing wild to the turn-based genre but it is a solid effort from Monolith Soft. Yes, the very same Monolith Soft that makes theXenobladegames which is a fun fact.
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Gokuwas a huge game that began a series on the GBA. There were three games in total, all of which played similarly. They were like more action-basedZeldagames and ones with more RPG elements too. At the start of this initial entry,Goku is the starbut that changes with the sequels.
The other games includeDragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2andDragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury. Among them all,Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2was reviewed the best and it makes sense. It’s a great arc following Gohan’s mission to defeat Cell. Because of licensing deals, any of these GBA Dragon Ball games will probably never show up on digital stores like the Switch’s GBA library.
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventureis an exceptional adaptation of the originalDragon Ballarc which does not get as much love asDragon Ball Zdoes in the video game realm along with the two aformentionedDragon Ball: Originsgames. It loosely ties into events like withthe Red Ribbon Army, but it’s ultimately an action platformer and a brisk one at that. The short time span is concise though as the developers did not waste time with filler.
The platforming is solid as is the action with Goku’s trusty Power Pole. The best part about it is the sprites. It’s one of the best-looking GBA games decades later thanks to the art team at Dimps, the developer. They have made some great anime adaptations beyond this likeShonen Jump’s One Piece, also on the GBA.
2Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set
An RPG Saga From Saiyan To Buu
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Setis the Switch port of the console game that came out in 2020 with new content. It wasdeveloped by CyberConnect2who had proven they knew how to make good anime games via the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series.Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis not a fighting game though and is instead an open-world RPG.
Players will follow Goku starting from the Saiyan Saga and ending in the Buu Saga. There are extra stories too but those are the main sections hardcore will care about. Plus there are plenty of side quests too in this action RPG that does the series justice from start to finish, offering fans one place to experience how Goku became a legend.
Dragon Ball FighterZstarted as a console exclusive for platforms like the PS4. It looks best when emulated on a system like the PS5, but given that, it still looks and plays great on a Switch which it later got ported to. It’s the best fighting game this anime franchise has ever received. There were a lot of 2D fighting games before this and they all ranged from poor to mediocre likeDragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22.
Then the games went into the 3D realm like with theDragon Ball Z: Budokaiseries which were well received. However,Arc System Worksnails the franchise in 2D at long last. It’s full of Easter Eggs, great voice work from all regions, the models are on point as is the roster, and it’s an all-around fan letter toDragon Ball Z. It’s not just a good adaptation, but a stellar fighting game that stands among the greats likeStreet Fighter 2.
