Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Our Impressions of the Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero was the object of desire for every self-respecting fan, the video game heir that brought back the wonderful afternoons spent with Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. And the goal, despite some minor "controversies" that arose in these almost two years regarding some choices concerning the single-player modes, we can say has been achieved (we at Gamesurf also called it a grand return).

And whatever one says, Sparking! Zero features a really impressive roster of characters (over 180 at launch) which will increase significantly if you decide to purchase the Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC, which offers notable content that we will analyze in this special. To be completely honest, defining this package as a simple DLC seems a bit unfair: it would be better to present it as the biggest expansion Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has received since its debut.

We are talking about 33 new fighters (including some transformations), a new single-player mode called "Limit-Breaking Journey Mode", four new Battle Episodes (the story with the various What Ifs, remember?), thirteen Bonus Battles, and 12 arenas (including twilight and night versions).

In short, a lot of content that makes the overall experience even richer. We believe that, right now, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero can entertain in the right way, excite, and bring you back with greater emphasis to the carefree moments of the PS2 era, only with smoother and decidedly more cinematic gameplay. And furthermore, precisely for this expansion, Bandai Namco decided to once again involve Hironobu Kageyama, the historic performer of cornerstones like Cha-La Head-Cha-La (first opening of DBZ) and the entire Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi series. 

The Combat System Adds Two New Features

Sparking! Zero's combat system, especially when compared to the past, is fast, reactive, and extremely satisfying. And despite the targeted refinements in offense and defense phases, the developers (also listening to community feedback) have implemented two new abilities to the already satisfying moveset at our disposal. The first is called Boost, an alternative power-up to Sparking mode that allows us to gain a significant increase in our attacks within a limited time frame. All very nice, too bad that when we run out of combat fury, our character will find themselves with debuffs that could knock them out in a flash.

In this case, activating Boost Sparking should only be used in the most extreme cases, perhaps to turn a situation to our advantage. Then again, no one forbids us from inflicting even more damage on an opponent when they already have little energy left. In short, the choice is yours, the fact remains that this aspect makes everything even more strategic and interesting.

Another addition is the "Chain Attack": after repelling the opponent with an evanescent assault (a classic sweep), we can call a partner and have them perform an aura attack, which is a powerful energy blow to gain an advantage. This also demonstrates the desire to make Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero a fighting game with a more incisive Tag Team component, even if you might forget about it in the heat of battle.

33 New Characters Are Not Few At All!

The Super Limit-Breaking NEO expansion took into account Budokai Tenkaichi 3's greatest strength, namely its character roster, thus significantly increasing the choice possibilities. And among these are old presences, including Android 8, General Blue, Mercenary Tao, and that scoundrel Devil directly from Baba's palace (old Sibyl). In short, apart from a few omissions (did someone say Arale, Pilaf, or Tambourine?), one certainly cannot complain about the characters, who are well integrated, even if we noticed some imbalances (but this is also known in the base game, especially when there are so many protagonists).

Four New Character Sagas

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero didn't satisfy everyone regarding the story mode, despite a different narrative formula, with the addition of first-person cutscenes that generated several (and interesting) What Ifs. Beyond those who wanted a more traditional story, the Battle Episodes proved to be an interesting gameplay gimmick, which with this DLC gains 4 more paths.

In fact, with the Super Limit-Breaking NEO update, we can enjoy the personalized stories of Yamcha, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Cell. And let's face it, it's a nice addition: the problem is that there's nothing truly innovative, and it reuses some sequences that we've inevitably already experienced with other characters, especially from Cell's perspective, which seems overly redundant. The parallel stories are interesting, and we have nothing to say about that, but sometimes the conditions for obtaining them are too punitive (and the unclear unlock instructions don't help either).

The Limit-Breaking Journey Mode

And here's the good part, an unprecedented single-player mode that will allow us to play as much as possible and drastically increase the longevity of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. How does it work? After choosing a warrior, we will find ourselves on the Dragon Ball world map and can select the destination to reach in each round. Each square we reach could present an opponent to defeat, complete with a power level: it's thus obvious that we'll have to stay away from particularly high-level ones.

Each journey will consume a certain amount of vigor based on the distance, which will weaken our character but earn us much more experience. Furthermore, depending on the chosen difficulty level, we can eat a good Senzu Bean and recover all lost energy, which is essential before facing a boss. In addition to fighting, during the Limit-Breaking Journey, we encounter certain events that will unlock martial arts, which are masters who will provide various types of advantages.

In short, this mode offers an RPG-style progression, proposing various power-ups suited to our playstyle in order to create a unique and original fighter to use in different modes of Dragon Ball! Sparking Zero. However, while this mode is nice and satisfying – especially for getting familiar with a certain character – at some point you might feel a certain repetitiveness, especially with a story lacking bite that will repeat every time you finish the entire journey.

In any case, the Limit-Breaking Journey represents a good addition that we see as a kind of dynamic training, a substantial "arcade" that will allow us to find the right characters for our style. So, in this respect, we'd say it's approved.

So, Is the Package Worth It?

After spending several hours, completing all the new character stories and the Limit-Breaking Journey mode multiple times, we can say without hesitation that the Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC is a good addition to the already rich package of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. Of course, the proposed price isn't the most appealing, but consider the amount of content you'll find and with which you'll spend an inordinate number of hours, especially if you're still playing and were waiting for a substantial new single-player mode.

Moreover, the complete package (game + various DLCs) can be even more interesting for those who haven't yet had the chance to play this return of a video game series that is a piece of history. Super Limit-Breaking NEO is a very rich expansion that is worth trying, whether today or tomorrow. 

Now the game truly has a powerful aura!