Bandai Namco Entertainment has unveiled three new Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero game modes. These game modes include Episode Battles, Custom Battles, and local multiplayer. Discover more about the new game modes below.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Episode Battles
Episode Battles, a single-player game mode, offers a nostalgic journey through some of the most iconic battles from the beloved Dragon Ball anime series. You’ll get to relive these battles from the perspectives of eight different characters, including the legendary Goku and Vegeta. Each stage in this mode is introduced with a level that revisits the most memorable battles from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. The single-player mode’s story elements span from Dragon Ball Z’s first arc with Radditz to Dragon Ball Super’s last arc, The Tournament of Power.
The number of stages will differ for each character, and Goku has the most significant number of stages in the game. Additionally, the story segments will include new first-person cutscenes, providing players with a chance to step into the shoes of these characters.
Furthermore, there is a choice system for certain stages where the events will change according to your decisions. Some instances of this system were shown in the trailer. For example, we saw Krillin die at the hands of Ozaru Vegeta (Ape form), which led to Goku turning Super Saiyan earlier than expected. Another example was Future Trunks and Vegeta performing the renowned ‘Father-Son’ attack against Cell using a Final Flash instead of Kamehameha. I’m excited to see what other scenarios this choice system can lead to!
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Custom Battles
This game offers a Custom Battles mode where players can add different modifiers, win conditions, and custom cutscenes to make battles more immersive. Players can try Custom Battles solo or play online with another player. The game also includes a Bonus Battle mode in Custom Battles, with original battle situations and event cutscenes created by the developers, which trigger after meeting certain conditions.
Another interesting feature is the Edit mode in Custom Battles, allowing players to select characters to create custom pre-battle and post-battle cutscenes to make their fights more unique. Players can then submit these creations online for the community to view and play. The Edit mode also allows players to edit existing in-game content and use Bonus Battles as a foundation.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Local Multiplayer
Bandai Namco has confirmed that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will have local multiplayer. However, this feature has some limitations. The local multiplayer mode can only be accessed through the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and will be in split-screen format. Additionally, character selection is designed for single-player mode only, so the two players cannot select their characters simultaneously.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s producer, Jun Furutani, explained that they made the game with online and offline single-player mode in mind. Furutani expanded that they wanted to include features such as wind blasting and weather changing while charging Ki, include destructible environments to make battles more immersive and leverage the power of the current-gen consoles for this. However, they found it difficult to replicate the experience for local multiplayer, hence the conditions.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero releases on October 11, 2024. The game will be available via Steam for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Remember to check out the pre-order bonuses and game editions. We’re eager to hear your thoughts on Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s game modes, so share them in the comments.
What do you think of a late 2025 release date for Fable? For more Insider Gaming, check out what game was at the top of the PlayStation charts for May 2024, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive shows, news, interviews, reviews, and more.
