Dragon Ball : Z Super Goku Battle

If you’re reading this then it’s more likely you’re acquainted with Dragon Ball Z and its legacy. But in case you don’t, then you should know that it’s an anime TV-series from the 90s about the central hero named Goku and his friends protecting the Earth from an eclectic variety of vicious villains.

The anime spawned a gargantuan franchise, including a card game that was phenomenally popular at that time.
20 years later the legend returns to milk to bring the sweet vibe of nostalgia to the now grown-up fan community.

Visuals

The looks of the game with such a big name are surprisingly humble and even cheap occasionally. Perhaps the creative team was on a tight budget and schedule, but sometimes you can clearly see how images of the characters in a board-game regime get blurry and muddy.

Things get better in the combat mode though – the levitating shining balls, floating characters, and fierce attack animations mightily capture the authentic and gladiatorial spirit of the cartoon. Actually, that’s the pivotal moment of the game when you feel like clenching your fist and whisper “yes-s-s” in a passionate/ecstatic manner.

Perhaps what’s really gonna get you all misty-eyed is the musical accompaniment of this little nostalgic journey. No, you don’t get to listen to the original intro song “Dragon! Dragon!” over and over but the background music recreates the hard-rock splendor of the Guns’n’Roses era when the cartoon hit the air for the first time. Prepare to get sentimental.

The core of the Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle

The gameplay is an odd, yet entertaining mixture of:

• A board game.
• A card game.
• A puzzle.
• Some strategy elements.
• Mini PvP-fights.

According to the plotline, some entity of a nebulous origin messed up the time and space badly, naturally utilizing Dragon Balls for that shameful purpose. 

As a result, you get a rare chance to assemble a hero team consisting both of Goku’s crew and blasted antiheroic scoundrels: Frieza, Toobi, Vegeta, and even Monster Carrot (!) It all sounds uncanonical and jaw-dropping, but hey, it’s fun so hold your moaning.

Your objectives include:

• Collecting cards, ranging from humble “Old Rare” to “Legendary Rare”.
• Recruiting heroes/villains – currently up to 1000 of them.
• Completing levels – just make sure to avoid treacherous traps and pick up useful goodies (artifacts etc.).
• Hitting the so-called red spots – that’s where you finally get into hardcore action!

In a skirmish you’re supposed to tap on the glowing Balls levitating in the air, separating you from your adversary. If you’re lucky enough to have a chain of same-colored spheres leading to your enemy, you’ll produce a deadly critical strike. And if their color is identical to that of your character – boom, there goes the dynamite.

Another thing I’d like to comment is that Dragon Ball Z – although infected with ads – doesn’t pressure you much about the in-game purchases. You can progress not spending a single penny. But if you’re an impatient collector, you can unlock new characters faster by simply giving them what they want (up to $33).

Controls

They are based on simple tapping/swiping and represent no difficulty since you’re not expected to do any real-time fast-paced manipulations.

The Sentence

If you’re not a die-hard fan of the series, you’ll hardly savor the spirit of the game. But if you grew up watching this anime and the rhythm of the Dragon Ball fights coincides with your heartbeat – just go for it!