Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will respect the canonical power of characters; here’s how the online mode will be balanced

Producer Jun Furutani revealed how they will ensure fair online battles

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will respect the canonical power of characters; here’s how the online mode will be balanced

Producer Jun Furutani revealed how they will ensure fair online battles

Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is one of the most beloved and played video games by the community. Is it due to its fair and balanced gameplay? Not at all, as some characters are clearly more powerful than others. The sequel will follow the same design philosophy, so the developers had to find a way to balance the online mode.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will feature an immense roster of 164 fighters, including transformations and alternate versions. Fans will be able to play as Goku, Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta, Jiren, Vegeta, Future Trunks, and other powerful characters, but they will also have the opportunity to step into the shoes of Krillin, Mr. Satan, Videl, and more fighters who are canonically not very strong.

Of course, this situation raises interesting questions about balance. Will the new installment of the franchise respect the characters' canonical power or adjust them to ensure the battles are as fair as possible?

Related video: The strangest characters that should be in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero!

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is not an esport and will have very powerful characters

One of the best games in the franchise in recent years is Dragon Ball FighterZ, which has a very solid professional scene. Here, all characters can win, even if they are canonically weaker than their rivals. That will not happen in the sequel to Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

In an interview with the portal GamesRadar+, producer Jun Furutani acknowledged that there are some questions about how they made the new installment’s fights feel fair, especially in ranked online battles. “It’s definitely not an esports game like FighterZ, but we still want to bring balance to the fights,” he commented.

Thus, the producer confirms that Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will have a point system. Essentially, each fighter will have a value assigned based on their canonical power; the very strong ones will cost more, while the weaker ones will be cheaper. Therefore, players will only be able to spend a certain number of points to create their team.

Players will have a set number of points to create their team in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO
Players will have a set number of points to create their team in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO

“As you know, this is a team vs. team game because you can choose up to 5 characters (...) Basically, you’ll have a set cost of, say, 30 points. Each character has their own cost. So you need to build a team that doesn’t exceed 30, otherwise, you just won’t be able to play,” emphasizes Jun Furutani.

This system prevents players from forming devastating teams with 5 extremely powerful members. It seems that the best strategy will be to find a balance between strong and weak fighters to increase the chances of winning. Remember that Budokai Tenkaichi had a similar mechanic, so fans will already be familiar with it.

But tell us, what do you think of this decision? Let us read your thoughts in the comments.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC starting October 11.

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