Dragon Ball FighterZ Review: Esports Appeal and Gameplay Impressions

Like the Dragon Ball anime itself, Dragon Ball FighterZ from Arc System Works is relatable for all on the surface, yet deceptively deep for those paying attention.  

The source material for the new fighting game offers the basics, with relatable storylines alongside explosive personalities and action, yet beneath the surface is a mature set of questions and answers one might not guess at first glance. 

It's the same story for FighterZ, a game with simplistic controls the basic Street Fighter fan can master, but with a layer of depth sure to help the game reach top-tier levels of play and stay there for a long time. 

The results here should have been obvious given the pairing of the source material and a powerhouse like Arc System Works. Anyone who has played a fighting game over the years based on the Dragon Ball universe knew it would be best if it returned to the 2D realm along the lines of something like Marvel vs. Capcom 3. 

And no, it isn't a mistake to list Dragon Ball FighterZ alongside the likes of legendary fighters like that. 

Graphics and Gameplay  

Arc System Works is the studio behind timeless fighters like Guilty Gear and BlazBlue. What else needs to be said? 

FighterZ is pristine in that there aren't any massive combos to learn. Rarely will a player need to pause the game and look up a move, memorize it and go out and try it. The four face buttons on a controller offer different levels of attack, and a few shoulder buttons modify them. That's it. 

The action here is fast-paced and addictive. But a player never really feels helpless, with an intuitive meshing of basic attacks that can lead into an auto combo, projectiles, auto-locking range attacks or teleportation (instant transmission), all which keep things fresh. This can lead to spammy gameplay at times, but the higher a player climbs a skill ladder and faces strong opposition, the less likely it is to work. 

Notice this hasn't said much about the visuals—there isn't much to say (though you could say it's over 9000). For those who ran home and flicked on Akira Toriyama’s classic series after school or otherwise, FighterZ is a jaw-dropping affair. 

The visuals here capture the heart of the source material in the same way the recently released Cuphead captures its era. This is the cartoon carefully recreated, with vibrant colors dominating the action down to the spittle flying from someone like Nappa's mouth as he gets punched in the gut, the veins atop his bald head becoming more defined at the same time. 

This is a masterful performance from Arc System Works, as expected, with the visuals to match. 

Roster, Story Mode and Everything Else

The roster is a can't-miss affair. 

Not everything is here, but it feels like everything is, if that makes sense. Goku, Vegeta, Gotenks, Yamcha, Cell, different versions of Buu, right on up through Dragon Ball Super mainstays like Hit are all here. 

In total, we're looking at a 24-character roster with eight more characters on the way via a season pass, which rounds out a healthy ensemble given the game's format. 

Perhaps the best thing about the roster is how faithfully recreated each character's moveset is. Captain Ginyu, the look-between-his-legs-to-say-hello goofball, has an ability in the game where he summons a member of the Ginyu Force to fight for him. Good Buu shoots a laser from the top of his head, hilariously turning his opponent into a cookie, which he then eats. 

Within these strongly represented recreations is plenty of fan service. Certain three-man team constructions can create interesting cutscenes before and after fights. One memorable bit of fanservice has Gohan arguing with Gotenks about whether his Saiyaman costume looks cool. 

If FighterZ has a hiccup, it comes in the form of story mode. The tale told there is certainly goofy in the Dragon Ball sense, with players tasked with traveling around the world and saving friends who all fell unconscious at the same time while fighting clones of themselves and their friends.

It's the constant battles against these clones, though, that starts to feel repetitive and like padding, even if it is great to see custom show-worthy cutscenes and dialogue flesh out the story—as well as the introduction of a mysterious new character to the universe, Android 21. 

There's also an arcade mode, of course, which offers players three tiers of difficulty and is a great place to fine-tune those skills before hopping online. There, the action is intense as expected, with only spotty server issues present on Xbox One and a far cry from the issues of the beta.

The hub world when a player logs on to the game (think a social space like The Tower in Destiny) serves its purpose in a funny manner, with players communicating via emoticons and stickers.

Loot boxes—masked as capsules from Capsule Corporation—are actually quite generous—a breath of fresh air compared to what other games have offered as of late. The social constructs and reward system itself have the somewhat goofy, fitting feel of the anime, which puts a nice bow on the package. 

Esports Appeal

One only has to look at the extensive tournament and spectator modes in FighterZ to know Arc System Works had a competitive scene in its crosshairs while developing this one. 

The esports angle isn't hard to sell here. Even those unfamiliar with the Dragon Ball universe should find the action thrilling to watch, especially when the top players in the world start ripping off endless combos while juggling three different characters. 

It's the 3v3 format here that really pushes FighterZ into the pro conversation, as any of the top players will need to know the ins and outs of any three characters at a time, how they interact and work well together and also whether they counter what an opposing player trots out. 

At times, fans of fighting games like to scoff at the "easy to pick up, difficult to master" label. The why is a good question, but regardless, there's nothing wrong with the tag here.

Many of the comments about gameplay above apply here—the best players in the world are going to rip the controls away from things like auto combos and stay aerial, using vertical space and juggling all three players in epic fashion. It's a high-risk, high-reward style when proper skillful combos can do chunk damage in the range of half a character's health bar. 

Developers said the 2D format was partially chosen with the competitive angle in mind. It's fun and easy to digest and takes skill to execute.

The popularity of the Dragon Ball universe as a whole adds even more staying power to the equation, all but ensuring the game's community and competitive side sticks around for a long time—developers fine-tuning the game and adding balanced characters only reinforces this idea. 

Conclusion 

Games like this don't come around often. There's no hyperbole here when calling FighterZ the best 2D fighter on the market right now—perhaps the best offering of its kind since the impeccable Marvel vs. Capcom 2. 

FighterZ does everything well at once, expertly walking a critical tightrope—it lures hardcore fighting fans and esports potential into the fray while also running a gigantic, sweeping net over Dragon Ball fans to garner a gigantic audience. 

And it's well deserved. This is a game passionate fans of the source material will be unable to find fault with.

Players on the competitive scene right up to the pros, Dragon Ball fans themselves or otherwise, won't be able to poke many holes in the gameplay. And in the way Dragon Ball was the first anime for many, the gameplay is brilliantly basic and enjoyable enough to make this the first serious fighting game for many. 

Regardless of the player, FighterZ grabs attention and doesn't let go, so come for the visuals, stay for the gameplay and watch what is sure to be a strong community thrive around a monstrous release.