Dragon Ball Fighterz
Stunning animation, addictively hectic gameplay and a neat multiplayer matchmaking system… could this be the ultimate modern fighting game?
Defending the Earth from intergalactic fighters, hunting down wishgranting dragons, and more spiky hair than a ’90s boy band. It could only be Dragon Ball.
The absurdly popular anime series seems like the perfect choice for a button-bashing fight game – after all, the cast spend half their time chucking planet-destroying energy beams at each other.
Still, with a 3v3 team mechanic that borrows heavily from the Marvel vs Capcom series, Fighterz could easily have been an obtuse, rock-hard brawler for diehards only. But the end result couldn’t be further from that.
First up, developer Arc System Works has absolutely nailed the look of the anime, with character models and animations matching up perfectly – and in the case of some super moves, frame for frame with the TV show.
And the fight mechanics? There are plenty to learn. Things start off simple, with light, medium and heavy attacks plus a one-button ranged attack and a Super Dash that closes the distance between two fighters almost instantly. Dig deeper than the one-button auto combos, though, and you’ll find a nuanced game with a whole host of different moves and styles. It’s a frantic and seriously aggressive game, but it’s also fantastically enjoyable to play.
To start with there’s a deep story mode to get stuck into, spreading enemies across a map and letting you pick who to take on next. You could easily chip away at this without ever going online… but every fight is slowly preparing you for real-world opposition.
In multiplayer mode you can challenge people directly in the central arena, and send quick messages to other players. We found the online netcode to be responsive and – crucially – free from lag.
Even if you get battered at first, it’s not so difficult that newbies will be put off. Most importantly, this is some of the slickest online fighting this side of Street Fighter. Tom Morgan