Sparking! ZERO New Trailer and Countdown

Kamehame-ha, warriors! If you, like me, grew up mashing the buttons on your controller until exhaustion to cast that Final Flash in your friends, so hold your Scouter because Bandai Namco is bringing back the franchise that made every fan of Dragon Ball Z lose track of time: DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO. And, my friends, the hype is as real as Goku's ability to always find a new level of power when everyone else thinks he's reached his limit.

Gamescom 2024 gave us a taste of this new chapter with a trailer that had the universe exploding with excitement. Not only because we'll finally see the glorious return of Ultimate Gohan and Super Buubut also because Spike Chunsoft is taking the game to another level, leveraging the power of Unreal® Engine 5 to deliver a visual experience that makes Budokai Tenkaichi look like an anime from the 80s.

Nostalgia Strikes with the Force of a Big Bang Attack

Let's be honest, the franchise Budokai Tenkaichi defined an era. Who doesn't remember screaming along with the screen while trying to recreate Vegeta or Goku's iconic moves? But after a hiatus of more than 15 years (yes, you're getting older), many of us had already accepted that most of Dragon Ball What we would have would be those mobile games with obscene microtransactions. But then Bandai Namco says: “Not so fast, Earthling!”

And that's why DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is about to arrive with a roster of 163 fighters – more than enough to ensure that even the Mr. Satan have their moment of glory (or, more realistically, to be slaughtered by any villain). Not to mention the destructible environments which, let's be honest, are as important as the fighters themselves. If you can't blow up a mountain with a Kamehamehayou are really playing Dragon Ball?

Ultimate Gohan and Super Buu: The Nightmares Are Back

The trailer released on Gamescom gave us a clear view of how these characters will shine in Sparking! ZERO. Spike Chunsoft has clearly gone to great lengths to ensure that every blow, every explosion, and every transformation is faithful to what we saw in the anime. We're talking particle effects that would make even Frieza reconsider his choice of combat, and animations so detailed that you'll feel like you're in an episode – without having to wait a whole week for the next one.

A Look Worthy of the Gods of Universe 7

Ah, Unreal® Engine 5. The graphics engine that is transforming the way we see games – and no, that’s not an exaggeration. If you thought the visuals of Budokai Tenkaichi 3 were impressive for the time (and they were!), Sparking! ZERO is here to show you what it really means to fight in high definition.

Not only are the arenas bigger, they’re also completely destructible, meaning your epic battles will leave their scars on the stage, just as they should. No more pillow-smashing punches; we’re talking craters being opened with every punch and mountains turning to dust after a single blow. Final Flash. It's the experience Dragon Ball that we've all always wanted – a fight so intense and visually stunning that even Bills would be happy to watch.

163 Fighters: Choose Your Warrior (or Villain)

With a cast of 163 characters, Spike Chunsoft clearly wants to make sure no one is left out of this cosmic party. Goku the Zarbonof Vegeta the Cellthey're all here – including a few surprises that will probably make the most hardcore fans lose their minds (don't worry, we'll avoid spoilers for now).

Each character comes with their own unique abilities, transformations, and of course, game-changing special moves. And the best part? Each of them has been recreated with such care and attention to detail that you’ll forget you’re playing the game and not watching the anime. With Unreal® Engine 5 working its magic, movements are fluid, Ki powers explode on screen, and even Super Saiyan hair looks more real than ever (yes, hair physics are important, folks).

A Brief Journey Through Time: The History of the Budokai Tenkaichi Franchise

Now, let's take a little walk down memory lane. The franchise Budokai Tenkaichi began in 2005, and quickly became the gold standard for anime-based fighting games. With its three-dimensional arenas, intense combat, and growing roster of characters, the series captured the essence of Dragon Ball Z like no other game had done before. Each release brought improvements, more characters and, of course, the chance to recreate those epic battles that we all knew by heart.

So when the series went on hiatus, many of us felt a void that no other game could fill. Sure, we had some great games in the series. Dragon Ball since then, but nothing that really captured the essence of Budokai Tenkaichi. And that's exactly why Sparking! ZERO is highly anticipated – because it promises to bring back all that intensity and fun, but with a new layer of polish and modernity that only Unreal® Engine 5 could offer.

Prepare for Battle!

Set to launch on October 11, 2024, exclusively for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is ready to explode onto our screens as a real Spirit Bomb. So while you eagerly await your chance to crush your friends (or be crushed by them), how about taking another look at that trailer? And remember, warriors: the hype is real, and ki is about to reach levels never seen before.