REVIEW: Dragon Ball FighterZ - Closed Beta
Age may get older, but popularity refuses to drown. Despite
the fact that now the story is officially resumed, its status as one of the
anime / manga series that accompany our childhood and teenage really makes the
Dragon Ball name always have a place in our respective hearts. More cool? This
popularity is spread all over the world, with children of various tribes,
religions, nationalities, to race even at least ever attempt to shout the word
"KAMEHAMEHA!" With all the air stored in their lungs. The epic
content of the bout with such a fantastic destructive effect is indeed a worthy
formula to adapt to the gaming industry. A real process, has been running for
decades.
As one of the most popular anime / manga series with age,
various adaptation processes for Dragon Ball have surfaced for several
generations of platforms. Not always a matter of fighting, not a bit of this
project ended up being a game with other unique genres, including RPG though.
Some present follow the existing story, while not a few are trying to be
creative by changing some important story elements to offer something new and
different. One thing is certain, most of the project seems to understand, that
its essence always lies in the fight that will be enough to make your
adrenaline pumped fast.
But there is one special thing that happened with Dragon
Ball as a franchise. Bandai Namco who was responsible for him eventually took
the developer of the best two-dimensional fighting game on the market - Arc
System Works to develop a new series called Dragon Ball FighterZ. Through a
series of video gameplay and screenshots, he looks so fantastic. Without the
need to grope without clarity, gamers who had signed up for the closed beta
process some time ago finally had the opportunity to taste it directly within a
limited timeframe. One of them, is us.
So, what we found in the closed beta Dragon Ball FighterZ
this? Why do we call it an awesome game? This is our impression for him.
Visual Anime Full
Details
One of the strengths of Dragon Ball FighterZ that is ready
to make the gamer's focus is the visual approach he offers. By making Unreal
Engine 4 the base, it seems clear that Arc System Works and Bandai Namco do
have one big mission for this new game - making it represent the visuals of the
anime / manga series we've known, as close as possible. The answer to this
challenge is to take what they did with the latest BlazBlue and Guilty Gear
series, a two-dimensional fighting game with character models and a
three-dimensional environment. With a cell-shading technique, seeing Dragon
Ball FighterZ is indeed enjoying the Dragon Ball anime series, but is now in a
more interactive format.
Details offered here, is not kidding. Okay, we understand
that Arc System Works is trying to bring authentic taste. The question now, how
deep is the authentic sensation? Almost all the elements offered will fulfill
what you dreamed of. Up to the limit, if you live in the Dragon Ball world and
find the seven existing dragon balls with Shen Long appearing in the sky, then
your request for a definitive Dragon Ball game will be answered with Dragon
Ball FighterZ. The little things offered further refine the outline of the
direction of the presentation you want to carry.
From small things like sound to color for example. The
iconic Ki-Blast sound of each character in the Dragon Ball series is maintained
in this fighting game series, until you will feel the same plunge in the room.
From the shouts of each character's moves, the style of speech, to just a quick
blow that floats in the sky. From the visual percentation side, you can find a
lot of implementations underpinning the simplicity that exists. Of the colors
that are appropriately applied in every character and attack, such as the
combination of blue and orange in the dominant kamehame or yellow in Vegeta's
Final Flash attack. Just a shadow technology implementation that also comes
perfect every time an attack with bright light appears, until the background
environment is destroyed if your character managed to hit the opponent's
Ki-Blast.
His ability to offer the right characterization is also one
of the strengths of Dragon Ball FighterZ, at least from what we jajal in this
Closed Beta period. That not only is defined by merging attacks alone, the
animated attack of each character will also represent what you know from the
comic series. Vegeta combination attacks for example, can be closed with a
throwing Ki-Blast repeatedly so that his trademark in anime / comic. While
other characters such as Android 16 have a slow motion, Frieza with a form of
attack that can minimize the hand moves, to Piccolo who also has a combination
of cover combination with grappling ability of his hand. All the characters you
know from the anime / manga version are very well presented here. You who love
the anime / manga series will not find anything incoherent here.
There is something special and different if you succeed in
doing something special here. As an example? If you use the character of the
couple (which, although of the lore and his fighting suit, should be married
here) - Krillin and Android 18, then you will find a different wrapper attack
when executed. If without Krillin, Android 18 will do it with Android 17, but
if you bring Krillin into the same team, then both will take a similar attack
animation. Although the destructive effect is not actively happening in an
environment where you are fighting actively, but if you successfully execute a
powerful kick or end wrecker attack, then you will be able to see the
destructive effects of the Dragon Ball anime / manga that we are familiar with.
Rays that fly out of the earth, hills and mountains are pierced body and
destroyed, until the city is like being swallowed by a nuclear bomb.
From the presentation problem, Dragon Ball FighterZ will
make you fall in love instantly, especially if you are a big fan of this one
franchise. A sweet execution to exceed the expectations of most of us. Not just
a matter of visual, but also animation, sound, until the battle system itself.
So, what kind of gameplay concepts that he stretcher? Dragon
Ball FighterZ itself, at least in this closed beta period, is a team-based
fighting game ala King of Fighters. So instead of fighting 1 vs 1, you will
fight in 3 vs. 3 format where you have to beat the three members of the
opposing team to achieve victory. Using the L3 or R3 button on hold, you can
switch team members any time you want. Moreover, with HP's bar system that
allows the regeneration process behind the scenes, character shifts will be
essential for your winning strategy. Take it easy, there is a Power-Up system
that will be a disposable buff with extra damage and qualified regen ability
for you to use when pressed, of course focused to turn things around if
possible.
So, what about the battle system itself? Simple to enjoy,
but complex to master seems to be a decent sentence to explain what you will
get. Unlike Street Fighter or King of Fighters that require you to keep
pressing the directional keys to perform certain combinations, Dragon Ball
FighterZ splits each button into a special combination attack. Pressing it repeatedly
will cause a combination attack, with the opportunity to combine it with other
buttons for damage and different attack effects. Of course, you can always
deflect it if you are able to predict where the attack is coming from.
Although it makes it feel intense, but Dragon Ball FighterZ
in Closed beta this time also keep some shortcomings that deserve to be
rethought by Arc System Works related balancing. There are a lot of wrecking
attacks from our gameplay sessions, it feels unbalanced. Goku's pruning attacks
that will always hit you from behind, for example, will not be deflected,
regardless of which direction you try to survive. Make this one attack, always
go in, either when we use it or good when we fight the enemies who use it.
While on the other hand, there is a Trunks packing attack that turns out to be
a Grapple attack. But unlike most fighting games that usually give the frame
invincibility a few strokes to make it balanced, this Trunks wrapper attack can
easily be thwarted with a normal punch only. Not only that, the distance itself
is super super super short. Executing it is one of the hardest things in our
Closed Beta, and it often ends up being an unworthy sacrifice to pursue.
But given the time of the distant release, Bandai Namco
still has plenty of time to perfect everything, including the flaws we talked
about before. One thing they need to keep in mind, of course, is to prepare a
complete and congenial tutorial mode to make sure it can be mastered in no
time. The absence of tutorials in this closed beta period could make us a
month-month in the early hours of the game. Imagine also how surprised we found
out there was a player who could have used 2 successive wrapping attacks by
switching characters, whose techniques we still have not found when this
impression was written.
If you look at our experience in Closed Beta yesterday, then
with no hesitation, we will mention that this one fighting game is worthy to
anticipate in the future. There are many things that are well executed by Arc System
Works and Bandai Namco, either as a fighting game or as a new product of the
Dragon Ball franchise that has existed for a long time.
As a fighting game, it comes with a mechanic that will
ensure intense bouts of bluff and also amazing combinations. There is a level
of strategy to outwit the opponent there, thanks to the absence of the need to
remember and press the combination of complicated buttons. As for a Dragon Ball
game, there is nothing more you can ask of him. Visual, sound, animation, character,
to the variety of details offered in it really make it look fantastic.