- Hello! I'm Hell and this is my review aboutDragon Ball Z : Kakarot, the legend of Goku
Relive the legendary story of Dragon Ball like never before with a hilarious adventure that immerses us fully in its universe and that boasts a unique and very special charm.
I make this post for my boyfriend, he is a super fan just like me of Dragon Ball and all its games and history, we faithfully follow the manga and anime, well without further ado let's start!
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a very special game.
To date, we have been able to enjoy dozens of titles based on the legendary work of Akira Toriyama, but the vast majority of them have focused on his spectacular confrontations and those who have dared with other genres have not always managed to transfer what we watched in the anime and we read in the manga the way we expected. Yes, many of them gave off quality and fun on all four sides, but whether it was because of their approach, structure or systems, there was always something that took us out of the experience and reminded us that we were facing a video game and not the series.
The CyberConnect2 project is not perfect either, but it has achieved what many have tried without success: to get excited and immerse ourselves in the Dragon World like never before, reliving those sensations we had when more than two decades ago we discovered Dragon Ball for the first time. In fact, the impression that it has left us is that the studio has not sought to recreate the series, but to become it in order to offer us its vision of it and adapt it to the language of the video game, expanding it and making us part of its unforgettable story in a way that Until now we had only dreamed.
The legendary story of the saiyan Kakarot
Thus, we find a new ARPG that retells the story of the manga starting from the arrival of Raditz on Earth to reach the end of the Monster Bu saga. Of course, everything that happens here is already well known to all, but we have to applaud the narrative that it has, since unlike what has been usual in this type of adaptations, it takes things with a certain calm to explain everything well and in great detail, recreating with the most important moments and absorbing us as if we were really starring in an anime chapter.
In fact, one of the things that we liked the most is that, being a large-scale role-playing adventure, its writers have been able to give a much more personal and intimate approach to certain situations to show us a side of the series that is practically unexplored . The very beginning is a clear declaration of intent, allowing us to live an ordinary day in the lives of Goku and Gohan with very everyday and endearing situations that will make us quickly reconnect with them, which reinforces the narrative in the face of everything to come. a posteriori. Of course, this does not mean that the most mythical combats are also recreated in great detail, with a staging and videos that will leave us speechless before the brutal spectacle they offer, exceeding not infrequently what was seen in the own series to make our hair stand on end.
Of course, we warn you that although it is a game that pays a lot of attention to small details, some things are left in the pipeline, such as the final of the children's tournament between Goten and Trunks or the failed mergers of Gotenks, among many others. In addition, certain "trifles" are also omitted, such as Goku taking off the weights to fight Raditz or the problems our hero had to adapt to the gravity of Kaio-sama's planet, but they are understandable sacrifices that do not end up tarnishing the experience if we take into account the scale of the adventure and all that it encompasses.
- Flying through the Dragon World.
Of course, you can look for the Dragon Balls to make wishes to Shenron. Their location is marked on the map, so you will have no problem finding them.
Focusing on what the game itself is, we find a real-time action role-playing title in which we can freely explore many of the most famous locations in the series while flying at full speed. Of course, we can participate in various activities, such as hunting animals and dinosaurs, finding collectibles, collecting materials and ingredients, cooking tasty food dishes to strengthen ourselves, doing training to acquire new techniques and become stronger, looking for the Dragon Balls to make wishes to Shenron, fight against the enemies that populate the scenarios, have fun in nice minigames or help the inhabitants of Dragon World with their problems in entertaining secondary missions.
Of course, here the most important thing is history, so this will always be the one that sets the pace and determines everything we can do or not. That is, depending on the plot point in which we find ourselves we will have access to some characters or others and the missions and activities that will appear will depend on it completely, thus avoiding that during the plot we can deviate or mislead too much so that the narrative never loses force.
In fact, thanks to this we have managed to create a coherent world that is evolving with us, so we will always see the consequences of what happens in the main plot represented. Do you remember when Bu annihilates humanity? Well, if you go for a walk and explore the world at that moment you will not find anyone and you will see everything empty. These types of details are very much appreciated and help us to really feel part of the story, so we can put few hits here.
Regarding the activities in which we can participate, it should be noted that all of them are characterized by having very simple and basic mechanics that are far from offering a challenge, but they are never boring and they manage to entertain with great ease, proposing some very simple but mini-games unexpectedly entertaining. We especially liked the ones that involve driving vehicles, as they introduce very platform and arcade speed tests with which we have had a great time.
- We can relive one of the most famous filler chapters of anime and get our driving license.
Obviously, the highlight of this type of task is in its secondary missions, which expand the history and universe of the series to show us many things that will make us smile as fans. As we say, these are always related to what is happening during the central plot, so the vast majority of them have a deadline to be completed. Have you ever wondered why Gohan and Vegeta didn't have their tails regenerated? Or how did A18 and Krillin start dating? How did Dende the Chamber of Time improve? These are some of the things that you can discover here. In addition, as they almost always involve the characters we all know, they allow us to see some very nice interactions between them that go directly to the fan. In fact, there are some surprises that have managed to excite us and that we did not expect at all.
Of course, at the design level they are nothing to write home about and are limited to proposing very basic and unoriginal objectives, generally limiting ourselves to going to a certain place to talk to a character, play a minigame, face a series of enemies, or collecting materials, although somehow they manage to always be very entertaining, since they are arguably well managed and justified so that we do not feel them as a waste of time. What's more, they usually give very good rewards, so it is worth stopping to do them as they appear.
- The spectacle of Dragon Ball battles.
How could it be otherwise, one of the great pillars of the game is in its battles. The first thing to make clear is that here we are facing an ARPG and not a fighting game such as Budokai Tenkaichi 3, so do not expect anything minimally similar or with the same level of depth, since it neither seeks nor intends it . Here the objective has been to make very agile, spectacular and fun battles that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their skill level, so avoid complex button combinations so that we can focus on avoiding and blocking the attacks of the enemies while we look for a hole to counterattack and go on the offensive.
- The fighting is pure spectacle.
Although visually they may remind us of Xenoverse, the truth is that at the level of controls and mechanics they have many similarities with the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm, also from CyberConnect2, although it is even more basic. With a button we perform melee combos, with another we launch Ki, we also have a third to recharge energy and a fourth to perform dodges, which can be "perfect" if we do them just at the moment in which we are going to receive a blow . To this we have to add the defense button and some palettes that we can configure with four special attacks, the support techniques of our companions controlled by the AI and four objects to use during the confrontations.
Nor can we forget the possibility of transforming ourselves (in the event that the character we carry can and has this ability equipped), of empowering ourselves by filling in a special meter or of performing a devastating joint combo between all the characters in our group.
We would be lying if we told you that we did not miss a bit more depth, even if it was only to have a greater variety of combos at a visual level, but we would not honor the truth if we told you that we have been bored fighting. In fact, if there is something we should applaud, it is that fighting is always a hilarious and enormously entertaining experience, with clashes that happen at breakneck speeds and that perfectly capture the entire show of the series, with blows that make our enemies come out shot through and destroying several mountains along the way, fights that start in the sky and end underwater, and so on. The fights are as frantic as expected of them and the bosses are an exercise in good work, since they will overwhelm us with techniques that occupy the entire screen and that use very different patterns that we will have to memorize and learn.
It is not a particularly complicated adventure and if you are well equipped with healing objects for emergencies even less.
Our biggest complaints in this regard are two: the null variety of normal enemies that will come our way and the difficulty. We understand that making a Dragon Ball RPG isn't easy as there aren't too many opponents you can put up to challenge the Z Warriors, but we think they could have gone a little harder to offer a greater diversity of opponents. especially when most of the ones they use are robots. Akira Toriyama has a gigantic number of character designs of this type that could have been used, but here they have been limited to abusing only two of them, and those of the second type do not appear until the Bu saga. Obviously, the soldiers of the army of Freeza and Babidi are not lacking, but little else.
Regarding the difficulty, we have already said that it is an adventure designed so that everyone can enjoy it, although a dot of additional challenge would not have hurt, since some of the most important fights lose a certain intensity before the ease that we have to liquidate our adversaries. In our case, we have not seen the Game Over screen in the entire game and we have not even come close to dying during the main story, so if you are looking for a good challenge it will be best to look elsewhere, since not here you will find it.
- "My power level is ...".
On the other hand, as a good role-playing game that it is, there are various progression and customization systems for our heroes. In general, the most basic way to strengthen ourselves is to get experience points to level up, which in turn will also allow us to access new techniques and improvements in our skill tree, as well as unlocking more holes to equip ourselves with a greater number of passives. Of course, to get the techniques and their empowered versions it will not be enough to raise levels, since we will also have to invest a series of orbs that we can collect around the world, performing secondary missions, fighting or requesting them as I wish from Shenron. In addition, there are certain movements that we can only learn if we perform special training, so everything is very measured so that we can improve our warriors little by little and never feel that they stagnate.
- Figures and power levels.
A small detail that we have loved because of how faithful it is to manga and anime is the way in which the game manages the figures and the escalation of them. As in the series, we will start with very modest statistics and power levels of just two figures to end the game with millions of life points (literally) and doing exorbitant amounts of damage. In fact, the progression of this climb is always in step with the original material, finding the first great jump in the Namek saga.
In addition to all this, we will also have a series of boards on which we can place the emblems of different Dragon Ball characters. Each board or community is destined to give us a series of improvements or others and our goal is to score many points between all the emblems that we place on them so that they level up and give us better power-ups. To make things more interesting, each emblem gives some points or others according to the category of the community, and if we place two or more characters that have some kind of affinity with each other in adjacent squares (for example, Gohan and Piccolo for being a teacher and disciple) its effects will be even greater. Additionally, these medals can be upgraded through gifts to give them more base points.
These emblems are obtained mainly through missions, both main and secondary, and it is a system that we liked a lot in its approach, since it has a very interesting puzzle component that will lead us to break our heads looking for the more efficient way to place our emblems. The problem? That its effects are hardly noticeable when playing and the game is so easy that there are really no great incentives to invest time in optimizing our boards.
On some maps, enemies will appear with a sinister aura around them. These are much stronger than normal and if you defeat them all you will unlock special combats that hide a great surprise.
Regarding the duration, it has lasted 35 hours for us doing all the subplots that appear during the main story, although after the credit titles we will unlock countless new missions, activities, challenges and bosses that will guarantee us many more hours of fun. In addition, this is the point at which they really let go of our hands and allow us to play at our own pace and with total freedom, being able to configure our group of characters to our liking to play and train our favorite heroes, something that is very appreciated. after three dozen hours in which we have barely left room for maneuver to explore and experiment with its different playable possibilities. And be careful, since there are a good number of surprises that we do not want to ruin you, but that will lead you to shed the odd tear of nostalgia.
- Pure interactive anime.
In its graphic section we find a title with chiaroscuro. On the one hand, we liked the cel shading that has been used a lot, the modeling is more than correct and the animations and effects during the fights are fantastic, not to mention the video sequences for the most important moments that are authentic past and the best we've ever seen. If there is something that this game knows how to put on screen, it is spectacle, perfectly capturing what we would expect to see in a product based on this series.
The recreation that has been made of the most important moments of the series is incredible and will make your hair stand on end.
However, there are many sequences in which the level drops considerably in every way, including modeling and animations, the loading screens are too numerous and certain effects are, to say the least, disappointing, such as everything that involves destroying the scenarios . Have you opened the earth with a devastating Kame Hame Ha at ground level? Nothing happens, before the animation ends you will see how the damage magically regenerates.
Obviously, do not expect any clothes tears or damage in real time, much less blood, since you will not see a single drop spilled, thus following the trend we saw in Dragon Ball Super to minimize the violence of the series. .Regarding this censorship, we have been struck by the strange scale that the developers have had to decide what to show and what not, since they do not admit blood, but then it seems that there is no problem in teaching Freeza split in half (although with the camera strategically placed so it doesn't show too much) or to Goku with an open hole in his chest. Depending on the scene there are cuts or not, something that reaches the absurdity with a Gohan that after having transformed into Ozaru and returning to normal, keeps his pants intact, not to mention the change that has been made in a key scene so that true puppy don't get shot and the only victim is Mr. Satan.
Finally, it should be said that the soundtrack includes a dozen themes taken directly from the anime to which some tweaks have been made, which helps to maintain the authenticity of the experience. The rest of the compositions are completely new, although they closely follow the musical style of the series and adapt very well to what happens on screen. The effects are quality and completely recognizable, and the Japanese dubbing is flawless and features all the usual actors for the characters.
Of course, the texts are translated into Spanish, although the translation that has been carried out leaves a lot to be desired and does not follow clear lines. As soon as we find a name in Japanese that we come across another one translated literally from English, and there are also those that are taken from the original Spanish dubbing, which causes an alarming lack of internal coherence. Kaio-sama here is Kaito, but he teaches Goku the Kaioken, and Vegeta doesn't do the Final Flash, he does the Final Flash, not to mention Ten Shin Han and his Tri-ray. Not even the name of the mountain where Goku lives has been respected.
If you manage to stun your opponent, your techniques, punches and combos will show very cinematic shots until they recover.
And be careful, it is no longer a complaint referring only to proper names and techniques (which causes that many times we learn one and not even know what it is because of how they have been translated), but we also extend it in the expressions and in the way the characters speak, with pearls like Goku constantly repeating things like "I made it up", something that doesn't correspond to their way of speaking. And yes, every time someone names Goku, Gohan or Goten they always put the Son in front of them, regardless of whether in the manga and in the anime they have never referred to them by the surname because of the confidence they have (and if you lend something by ear you will see that in the dubbing of the game either).
It is a shame the lack of unity that exists between the translations of the different Dragon Ball products in Spain, but without a doubt, video games have been doing the worst for years and this is another clear example of the lack of respect and pampering which is put at the location of Toriyama's work.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is one of the games in this legendary manga that we have enjoyed the most. Not only does it perfectly capture its story and make us live it like never before, but it also has a very unique charm that makes it a very special experience and totally recommended for any fan looking for a new approach to this type of adaptation. It is far from perfect and it has certain little problems that prevent it from achieving greatness, but that does not prevent it from being a spectacular adventure, which is always fun and is played with a smile from ear to ear on the face.
Yes, like us, you were one of those who looked forward to the next episode of the anime every afternoon, those who discussed each chapter with their friends and colleagues, what they tried to become Super Saiyan, those who practiced the posture of the Kame Hame Ha and the dance of fusion, and of those who raised their hands to give Goku his energy when he asked for help to carry the Genki Dama, here you have a new appointment with our favorite hero that you cannot miss.
- I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I enjoy doing it, I have played it, I have not finished playing it yet, however I can guarantee you that there will be too many hours of fun and pleasure! If you liked it, don't forget to upvote and comment! Do you want to continue seeing more video game post follow me, I'm always up to date with what's new and some retro! stay tunned!
