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The Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Review Scores are in, and fans want to know what critics think of the game. Sparking Zero brings back the classic Budokai Tenkaichi gameplay experience with new features, characters, and rich story mode. Fans can play as on of over 180 total characters from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and even Dragon Ball Daima. But in the end, how does it all feel? Let's check it out as we look at the Dragon Ball Sparking Review Scores.
Dragon Ball Sparking Review Scores – 83 on Metacritic
As of writing, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero has an average critic review score of 83 on Metacritic for PlayStation 5 and PC. The game has an average critic review score of 80 on Xbox Series X|S. Overall, the game received generally favorable reviews on all platforms.
Out of all 74 combined reviews on Metacritic, 63 were positive, 8 were mixed, and two currently remain unfinished. So far, Dragon Ball Sparking Zero has not received one negative review. The game officially launches this week for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
The Gamer gave a 9/10 review score for Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, calling it “one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time.”. The reviewer enjoyed the combat and fast-paced gameplay that felt true to the original games. They also enjoyed the “What-If” scenarios within the game's Episode Battles. However, they felt the camera could be “finicky” at some moments, while the Menus felt complicated to move around.
CGMagazine gave the game an 8.5/10, calling it a “near-perfect representation of the legendary Shounen series”. They also referred to it as the “premier Dragon Ball experience fans were waiting for. They enjoyed the big roster size, Episode Battle Mode, and rich content beyond the modes themselves. The reviewer noted issues with the camera, which sometimes “slowed things” down.
VG247 gave Sparking Zero four out of five stars. According to them, “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a festival in Goku's honor, and a must-buy for age-old lovers of Akira Toriyama's work.” While they felt that the game could've taught some of the basic mechanics better, they loved the Episode Battle Mode. They also felt the animations and attacks reflected the anime accurately.
PlayStation Universe gave the game an 8/10. According to their review, “Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO could be considered the best Dragon Ball game on the market with its earth shattering battles and vast roster of fighters”. They really liked the Custom Battle feature, where players could create their own battles. However, the “constant searching” for dialogue made due to a lack of filters made it time-consuming. Nevertheless, they loved the big roster and gameplay.
Pure Xbox gave Sparking Zero an 8/10 review score. They loved the visuals, saying that “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero looks absolutely stunning.” They also loved the huge amounts of fan service paired with exciting combat and huge roster. However, they noted the limited split-screen play as a con. Furthermore, they also noted that Episode Battle's cutscenes are told “mostly through images rather than proper cinematics”.
Push Square gave Sparking Zero an 8/10 review score, calling it “an impressively robust celebration of all things Dragon Ball”. They enjoyed the massive roster size, as well as the large amount of single-player content. However, they felt the story mode was underwhelming. Additionally, the limited local split-screen versus mode might deter some players. Nevertheless, they otherwise enjoyed the game.
Xbox Era gave Sparking Zero a 7.8/10, calling it a “a great 3D arena fighter.” However, the limited split screen and clunky UI did make some negative marks on the score. Nevertheless, they enjoyed the core gameplay experience, visuals, and massive roster size. Overall, they said it's “still a great game here for Dragon Ball fans and arena fighter enthusiasts”.
PC Gamer gave Sparking Zero an 8/10, calling it “the best Dragon Ball game we've had since the PS2” and a “love letter to [Akira] Toriyama's classic series.” Although they loved the side stories included in Episode Battle, they felt that the narrative was “too focused on Dragon Ball Z.” The reviewer would've liked to see more content from Dragon Ball, as well as Dragon Ball Super, the most recent series besides Daima.
Xbox Achievements gave the game a 7/10, calling it a “robust return for the dormant Budokai Tenkaichi series”. They liked the combat, though they noted that it will get boring over time. Overall, they gave their highest points to the audio and visuals of the game, noting how it reflects the series in terms of authenticity.
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Gamespot gave the game a 6/10 score, saying that Sparking Zero “does a serviceable job instant-transmissioning the Budokai Tenkaichi format into the modern age”. However, the shallow selection of modes, difficulty spikes in Episode Battle, and limited Custom Battle Mode negatively impacted their experience. That said, they did enjoy the core combat experience, visuals, and choices in Episode Battle.
GamesRadar+ gave Sparking Zero a 3/5 review score. In their review they wrote that it “provides the most complete series toybox yet”. However, the “repetitive fighting mechanics” and “simple AI” holds the game down. Despite the massive roster size, they mentioned that there was not much else to do unless you enjoy custom battle.
Review Score Roundup – Is Sparking Zero Worth Your Time & Money?
If you're a fan of both Dragon Ball Z and the Budokai Tenkaichi games, it seems you'll be right at home with Sparking Zero. With its massive roster size and addicting gameplay, it seems like you can pour hours into the game and still learn new things. Essentially, if you like Budokai Tenkaichi, you'll probably like Sparking Zero.
However, Sparking Zero does seem to have a few glaring issues. For one, the limited split-screen functionality and lack of modes might effect replay ability. If you invite a friend over, you can't really play Sparking Zero together unless you like fighting on Hyperbolic Time Chamber only.
But Sparking Zero's Story mode, specifically it's “What-If” scenarios, seem like a fun way to enjoy the story. And although Custom Battle isn't perfect, we like the idea of creating your own unique fights with all sorts of characters.
Overall, Sparking Zero is worth your money if you like Dragon Ball and Arena Style Fighting Games. It's also one of the only games where you can have wild matchups. Want to see Baby Vegeta vs. Vegeta from Super? Or what about making Goku fight all the different versions of himself to see the unique dialogue? Sparking Zero brings together the best of all of Dragon Ball's Worlds.
Now we just need Pilaf Machine in the roster or we riot.
In other news, feel free to check out some of our Sparking Zero guides. Need to collect all dragon balls or unlock all characters? We've got you covered.
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