Get ready to “Rock the Dragon”

This newest title from Arc System Works, Dragon BallfigherZ, blends the high energy fights from the Dragon Ball anime to the beautiful cel-shaded art style of Arc into a visually stunning game.

FighterZ’s control scheme is very easy to pick up and play. Instead of the quarter circle scheme like Street Fighter, it offers simple combos and combo chains that allow a newbie player to pick it up without having to spend hours trying to grapple with a difficult control scheme.

The cel-shaded art style that Arc is known for is at full display in this game with its animated intros, detailed backgrounds, destructive or dramatic finishes and animated moves.

The dramatic finishes are bit of fan service for any fan of DBZ. It allows you to recreate moments form the anime like Cell’s demise the hands of Gohan or the death of Yamcha. The little things will make any fan of Dragon Ball fall in love with this game.

Its selection of fighters includes fan favorites like Goku and Vegeta while offering many niche characters like Ginyu and Nappa.

The matches are 3v3 format that allows for multiple combination of characters and skills, and the game does well to balance every character with its move list and specials; all that is required is the skill to chain combos.

FighterZ single player is good overall.

Its most enjoyable parts are the random character interactions that play out like most fan fiction and what ifs.

Like what would Cell talk to Gohan about or what would Gotenks call Vegeta or Goku, since Gotenks is a fusion of both of their sons?  Questions like that made the story missions fun and exciting.

However, at its worst was the countless clone fodder I had to face to progress.

Most of the enemies did not offer a challenge to the game. The enemies were about three to five levels above but don’t fight as aggressively as one might like, so the mission became a very tedious process of trying to get past enemies to get to the boss to progress.

But it does offer fun challenges in its take on arcade mode with a multi-tier path that allows for multiple play-throughs and different challenges.

In addition, the multiplayer is great.

Players start in a lobby with other players running around using emote to communicate.

Most, if not all, of the accessories can be accessed through in-game cash received for story missions, multiplayer fights and the arcade mode, so there’s no fuss over lootboxes, although they are available for those that want it.

While the game comes with some of the usual problems of dropped matches or lagging, it is very stable and reliable most of the time.

One of the new things added is the ability to summon Shenron during a match by collecting the seven Dragon Balls. He grants a wish to bring back a defeated teammate, to give maximum Ki gauge, give back 50 percent health and auto regeneration of Ki bar or full health.

The game boasts strong game mechanics and visual design. It is a fun and easy-to-master game that is highly recommend for anyone into fighters or just starting.