Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z asks players to forget everything they know about the series and start again with four fighters on a team. That is the whole idea behind Artdink’s 2014 fighting game, and it is also the biggest problem with it. The game wants to be a team shooter dressed up as a Dragon Ball fight, and the two ideas keep pulling in opposite directions.
Trailer, via IGDBcom.
Four Players on One Team
Battle of Z drops the usual one-on-one format of the series and puts four fighters on each side. That means players pick a team of four characters and send them into a battle against another team of four. The fights happen in a third-person view, which gives the game a chance to show off its new cell-shaded HD graphics while still holding onto the look of the anime.
The team system changes how fights play out. Instead of a single fighter taking on an opponent, the game asks players to work together. That means healing each other, sharing energy from a meter called the Genki Gauge, and combining attacks through moves like Synchro Rush and Meteor Chain. Those combinations are meant to reward working as a team rather than fighting alone.
The game’s key feature is team battle action of four versus four.
The Genki Gauge
The Genki Gauge sits at the center of the game’s design. It fills up when players attack enemies, and once it is full, any character on the team can spend it to call down an ultimate attack. That system pushes players to work together rather than fight alone, since spending the gauge costs nothing extra.
The gauge also ties into the game’s emphasis on teamwork. Players can give energy to teammates or take it back, which adds a layer of strategy beyond simply pressing buttons. Whether to save the gauge for a big attack or spend it to help a teammate survive a hard hit is a choice the game forces players to make constantly.
The Story Mode
The game draws its story from the major sagas of Dragon Ball Z, following Goku and his fellow Z Fighters as they defend Earth from an escalating series of threats. Along the way, players face off against the Saiyans, the tyrant Frieza, the bio-android Cell, and the monstrous Majin Buu. The game also pulls in elements from the 2013 film Battle of Gods, including the arrival of the god of destruction Beerus and the first appearance in a Dragon Ball video game of Goku’s Super Saiyan God form.
The story mode reframes these battles around team-based combat, letting familiar heroes and villains fight side by side. It is a strange choice, since the original stories were built around individual fighters facing off against powerful enemies. The game tries to fit those stories into a team format, and the result is often a mismatch between the source material and the game’s systems.
The Cast
Battle of Z features over 70 characters, which gives players plenty of options for building a team. The game separates transformations into separate characters rather than grouping them together, so players who want to field a team of transformed fighters need to build around that design choice.
The roster includes some unusual picks, including giant versions of familiar characters like Great Ape Vegeta, Great Ape Gohan, and Hirudegarn. These giant characters add a visual spectacle to the game, but they also change the pace of fights in ways that are not always easy to manage.
Online Play
Online multiplayer is a big part of Battle of Z, with up to four players able to join a team and up to eight players able to face off against each other. The game also supports PS Vita ad-hoc connection, though there is a catch: two players cannot play on the same console. The developers say this is because they want a player to have the best possible graphics in full screen.
That restriction is a practical one, but it also limits how players can share the game with friends who live in the same house. It is a small detail, but it shows how the game’s design decisions can affect how people actually play it.
Pre-Order Content
The pre-order offer came with two in-game DLC characters: Super Vegito and Super Saiyan Bardock. Both were available via pre-order across Europe, America, and Australasia. A Day 1 Edition included a bonus DLC code for Super Saiyan Goku in Naruto Sage Mode costume.
Those extra characters add variety to the roster, but they are not enough to make up for the game’s larger issues. The DLC content is a small addition to an already large cast, and it does not solve the underlying problems with the team-based combat.
The Verdict
Battle of Z is a game with a good idea that does not quite land. The team-based approach is a fresh twist on a genre that has grown stale, and the Genki Gauge adds a layer of teamwork that rewards coordination. But the game’s insistence on fitting the Dragon Ball Z story into a team format, combined with awkward controls and a confusing roster, holds it back.
The game’s strengths are real, but they are not enough to overcome its weaknesses. The team-based combat is the highlight, but the story mode and the roster feel like they were built around it rather than the other way around. Players who want a pure Dragon Ball Z experience might be disappointed, while players looking for a different kind of action game might find something to like.
A Look at the Game’s Key Features
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fighting / Action Role-Playing |
| Platforms | PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360 |
| Team Size | Up to four players per team |
| Player Count | Up to eight players online |
| Characters | Over 70 |
| Story Source | Major Dragon Ball Z sagas and Battle of Gods |
| Online Limit | Two players cannot play on the same console |
What Works
- The team-based combat offers a fresh take on the genre
- The Genki Gauge rewards teamwork and coordination
- The roster of over 70 characters gives players plenty of options
- Online multiplayer supports up to eight players
What Does Not Work
- The story mode forces team-based combat on individual sagas
- The roster’s separation of transformations can be confusing
- Controls feel awkward during fast fights
- The online restriction limits how players can share the game
The game is a mixed bag, and it is one that fans of Dragon Ball Z may want to approach with caution. It is a bold experiment that mostly works, but it falls short of what the series has offered in the past. For players willing to try something different, it has a lot to offer. For players who want a faithful Dragon Ball Z experience, it may not be the game to reach for.
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