Review: Dragon Ball FighterZ

There’s never been a game that accurately and effectively recreates the high speed action and intensity of the battles found in Akira Toriyama’s world-famous series, “Dragon Ball.” 

Growing up, I used to run home everyday in order to catch it on Toonami in time, watching as Goku and his friends tackled battle after battle to protect the world. 

And up until middle school, I used to buy all of the games because I couldn’t get enough of the series. Eventually, I grew out of it. 

Or so I thought. 

I’ve been playing “Dragon Ball FighterZ” pretty much non-stop since it came out in the states. I’m as back in as one can be. 

Blending the flashy animation from the original series with the incredible artistic talents at Arc System Works — of “Guilty Gear” and “Persona 4 Arena” fame — “FighterZ” stands out as an accessible and easy-to-learn fighting game that can bring people together: both new fans here for the gameplay, and old fans of the seminal anime. 

Featuring a 24-character roster of those from across the series’ expansive timeline, “FighterZ” has something for everyone, from grappler characters like Android 16, to flashy rush-down types like Yamcha. Being only a four-button fighter and having easy-to-do combos, this game has a very low skill floor, but an exceedingly high skill ceiling, meaning it’s really easy to get into, but leaves enough complexities and options to make it worth mastering. The controls are smooth and responsive, and the game operates at an amazingly clear 1080p/60 FPS that is impressive to behold. 

“Dragon Ball FighterZ” oozes style and a flashiness that only Arc System Works can harness. Stages burst with color and life. Every frame is lovingly hand animated to make the game feel (and look) like you’re just playing an episode of the series. 

The story is original to this game and each character in the roster gets lengthy cut-scenes and branching paths. That core mode isn’t too long, but it’s well-made and a good way to master each of the characters before taking them online. 

Fighting games are on a notable return to the public eye and that only has helped the quality and quantity of them in the past few years. With this in mind, “Dragon Ball FighterZ” stands heads above some of the competition, making a very clear and powerful case for the idea that fighting games can be both easy to learn and fun to master. 

Britton Rozzelle can be reached at edinboro.spectator@gmail.com.

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