Summary

• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
  lets players enter the world of
  Dragon Ball
  offers a rich narrative and an authentic manga experience.
• The game rewards engagement with the lore through the D-medal system and encourages players to explore and interact with the world.
• While previous
  Dragon Ball
  Games with a focus on action,
  Kakarot
  stands out for prioritizing storytelling and character development.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is the world’s biggest and best anime series of all time. The adventures of Goku, an alien who fell to Earth, have thrilled and excited fans for decades. Since its launch in 1984, the Dragon Ball The series has never stopped growing and expanding, spanning manga, anime, video games, and more. Such an incredible martial arts epic would only be a fantastic choice to be translated into the medium of video games, and Dragon Ball certainly has its fair share of video game adaptations.

Dragon BallThe most obvious choice in the world of video games is the fighting game genre. Dragon Ball Z II: Gekishin Freeza1993s Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōdenand 2002 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai all have done their best to bring the fast-paced action of the series into the hands of players. Other series like the 2002 Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku and its sequels brought a different approach to creating a Dragon Ball video game, but an isometric action RPG. While all of these games are fantastic in their own way, many of them focus more on the thrill of the action than on recreating the narrative from the manga. Fortunately for fans, there is a recent Dragon Ball The game has fixed this problem with excellent results.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot offers an immersive journey through the world of Dragon Ball

This RPG rewards players for engaging with the lore

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a 3D action-adventure game that combines real-time combat, RPG mechanics, and open-world exploration into a single package. Fans familiar with the PS2 era Budokai Games will feel at home with Kakarotas there are many similarities between the two. Outside of combat, players can fly around freely and explore the world of Dragon Ball as they see it. Granted, each chapter is relegated to its own zone, but the areas are large and packed with so much content that you can find hours of activities. If gaining experience isn’t your day’s agenda, you can also complete side quests for NPCs, collect various upgrade orbs, and take part in mini-games.

What else does Kakarot such a fun game is the D-medal system. As players meet new characters and run into old friends, or by finding special memorials on the map, they can earn medals. These medals can be placed into a large table, which in turn helps improve various aspects of the player’s skills.

This is a great way to motivate players to engage with the world as much as possible – even opening the Z Encyclopedia awards D medals. The sheer amount of loving fan service that goes into Kakarot is one of the reasons why it is one of the most manga-accurate Dragon Ball Games. More than just fighting and throwing Ki Blasts, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot takes the time to provide the most authentic manga and anime experience possible.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a living, breathing homage to the entire series

A touching father-son scene comes directly from the original material

Kakarot’s opening sequence is a prime example of why it stands out from many others. Dragon Ball Games. On a warm and peaceful afternoon, Goku and his son Gohan are out collecting food for dinner. Gohan, who is very young and shy, doesn’t like being away from his father and constantly needs love and support from him. As Goku, players collect apples and fish while walking with Gohan. After their tasks are completed (when Goku mentions that Chi-Chi will be mad at them if they bring the food home late), Goku calls the Flying Nimbus to pick them up.

While riding with his father, Gohan listens to Goku tell him all about how only those with pure hearts can ride it. Later, after giving Chi-Chi the food, Goku takes Gohan to meet Master Roshi. Every beat of this opening is a love letter to the original anime. Players who take the time to explore Goku’s house as well as Master Roshi’s island can find stills from the original Dragon Ball Anime that references previous events.

Goku explains who the characters are, their shared past, and his thoughts on his past adventures. Kakarot is a tribute to the earliest days of Dragon Ball while providing an accurate experience of Dragon Ball Zits direct continuation. Other Dragon Ball The games contain tons of characters and encyclopedias explaining who they are, but don’t make players feel like they’re playing the original series to the same extent.

Previous Dragon Ball games did their best to recreate the excitement of the manga series

Sometimes a good narrative should take precedence over unique gameplay

1991s Dragon Ball Z II: Gekigami Freeza!! for the Famicom is a perfect example of how previous Dragon Ball Games tried to tell the stories from the Dragon Ball Manga and anime. Following the events of the Freeza Saga, players can control Gohan, Krillin, and other heroes as they battle Freeza on Planet Namek. Although these events occurred in the manga, Yamcha and Tien were not present with Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, and Bulma when they were on Namek.

This may seem a little petty considering that players needed a larger group of characters to participate in the game, but objectively speaking, those characters were not present during the game’s events. As great as the game may be, it is not 100% true to the manga (Although one amazing foreshadowing was Goku becoming a Super Saiyan after the credits, an event that hadn’t happened yet in the manga.)

Of course, one could also argue that Kakarot is also not 100% accurate to the manga, as it is full of random fights that were not present in the original Saiyan saga. In order to play an action RPG video game, these fights have to be present, but it’s not like players are suddenly controlling Broly during these early events.

Due to the hardware limitations of the Famicom, games like Dragon Ball Z II: Gekigami Freeza!! has done a great job and the world of Dragon Ball to life. But Kakarot simply succeeds in a way that is not typical for an earlier game like Dragon Ball Z II: Gekigami Freeza!!The Legacy of Goku Games and even 2018 Dragon Ball FighterZ do their best to preserve the vitality of the Dragon Ball world, but focus too much on delivering their own unique gaming experiences rather than a manga-accurate narrative.

Almost every Dragon Ball game is worth playing, but Kakarot is in a class of its own

Fans of the series should try this game

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the ultimate Dragon Ball game for fans who want to relive the early days of the series. Not only does it offer pulse-pounding action, but it also allows players to experience the series’ most famous events in a brand new way. Goku’s battle with Raditz, the arrival of Nappa and Vegeta, and the journey to Namek are all depicted in loving detail. Kakarot opens up the manga and anime to make players feel like they are embodying the story by focusing on the narrative rather than brawling. Only the DS titles, Dragon Ball Origins And Dragon Ball Z: Origins 2 come as close to an authentic manga experience as Kakarot.

The wonderful thing about Dragon Ball is the heart that beats within. Yes, the action is great and the characters are larger than life, but behind all the excitement lies the story of a man who only wants to do what is best for his friends and family. Goku loves his family and even sacrifices his own life to protect them. Time and time again Dragon Ball reminds fans that love, unity and friendship are the most important things a person can fight for. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot began with this message, which set the tone for the rest of the game. The manga may be action-packed, but its themes are what drive it forward. Kakarot understands this fact, and that makes it one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time.