Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot turns the saga’s long-running TV adventures into an action RPG, and for the most part it works. Players travel the planet, fight battles, and level up alongside Goku and friends, drawing on familiar scenes from the series rather than building entirely new ones from scratch.
Trailer, via PlayStation.
The Main Story
The core campaign follows the early years of Goku’s life, moving through his boyhood days and the events that shaped him into the hero fans know. The pacing is slow in stretches, and some side quests feel thin next to the main plot, but the storytelling leans on the show’s own history rather than inventing new arcs.
Battles against major villains land with real weight, even when the story around them grows quiet.
Combat and Level Design
Fights favor simple timing over deep systems. Players build energy for attacks and special moves, and the game rewards patience during boss fights more than quick reflexes. Some enemies hit harder than the player characters can reasonably answer, especially early on, though difficulty settings ease that problem later.
The open world itself is large enough to explore, with towns, mountains, and desert regions to cross. Side content fills out the map, giving players reasons to move beyond the main path, though not all of it holds the same weight as the central story.
Where It Falls Short
The game’s weakest moments come from filler content. Some side quests repeat similar tasks across several locations, and the game does not always make clear why players should return to earlier parts of the world. Progression systems can also feel less rewarding than the combat suggests, since character growth often depends on grinding rather than clever play.
Performance varies across platforms. Load times and frame drops are noticeable on some setups, which can break the flow of otherwise satisfying fights.
Performance Across Platforms
- Stadia: Streaming access to the game
- Series X|S: Full performance support
- PS4: Base version
- PC: Highest fidelity
What Works Well
The game’s strongest points are its presentation. Character models carry expressive animations, and the energy-based combat system gives fights a sense of scale that fits the show’s tone. Music pulls from the original soundtrack, and the game handles the series’ humor well, matching the light tone of its source material.
Boss fights against the series’ most famous villains stand out as highlights, delivering the kind of spectacle the game promises throughout.
A Worthwhile Addition
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot succeeds best when it stays close to the source material, letting the show’s own stories and battles carry the experience. Its open-world structure and combat systems are solid, even if they don’t reach the heights of the series’ most memorable moments.
Fans of the show who want to spend more time with their favorite characters will find plenty to enjoy here. Players looking for a deep role-playing experience may find the repetition and filler content wear thin over a full playthrough.
