The release date has finally been announced for the latest entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series! DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO will hit fine retailers in Japan on October 10th, 2024!

Our Dragon Ball Official Site staff members got to demo two of the newly revealed game modes! Now we can tell you all about "Episode Battle", a mode where you can play through Dragon Ball's story from the POV of fan-favorite characters, and "Custom Battle", where players are able to create their own original story!

"Episode Battle" Mode: Pick a Fighter and Battle Through the Story!

In this single-player mode, you can play as one of eight characters, including Goku and Vegeta, and experience classic scenes from their perspective! Plus, on some stages, the story may unfold differently than the original depending on depending on how battles go and which choices the player selects, making this a mode that any Dragon Ball fan is sure to love!

Even while weakened, Raditz manages to dodge Krillin's new, work-in-progress "Kienzan" technique, but then Kamesennin manages to catch the alien invader in his Bankoku Bikkuri Sho (Lightning Flash Surprise)! With Raditz immobilized, Piccolo unleashes a Makankosappo: Special Beam Cannon that successfully defeats the mighty Saiyan! However, in this alternate version of events Goku doesn't die, so he doesn't end up training on the Planet of the Kaio! Does this mean he'll have to take on Vegeta and Nappa without all that additional training?!

These new plotlines are a whole new way to enjoy the classic Dragon Ball story, so fans will want to play them over and over again to see what happens!

"Episode Battle" Mini-Report

While playing through the "Goku" story, I felt that Raditz was super powerful for an enemy that appears so early on. You must defeat Raditz to get to the alternate storyline, but since his movements are so precise and he has so much health and attack power, it'll be hard to do on your first playthrough. In playing this demo as Goku, I couldn't help but sympathize with Goku and think to myself, "Geez, this fight against Raditz really was tough!"
When asked, the producer from Bandai Namco Entertainment explained, "If it were easy to take out enemies that are strong in the original story, it would take away from the role-playing experience. So, we made the battles with the tough enemies purposely difficult so they'd be more satisfying. This level of difficulty means that players will have to work hard to experience the alternative storylines." So, if you're able to take down powerful opponents that couldn't be defeated in the original story, then perhaps new developments await you! You'll just have to wait until release day to find out!

"Custom Battle" Mode: Tons of Scenarios & Battles with Special Rules

"Custom Battle" is a mode where you can have fun playing through special scenarios and create your own custom battles!
Within, you can find "Extra Battle" where you battle through new situations and even an "Edit Mode" where you can create your own battles!

"Extra Battle" is a mode where players can challenge battles featuring special victory conditions and time limits!
In the scene showcased in the photos above, Vegeta, who wants to surpass Goku, is being trained by Beerus. However, Beerus' line about the training being over once he gets bored is definitely concerning... What will happen to Vegeta if he fails to meet Beerus' expectations?!

In "Extra Battle" you can also change which characters appear and their lines! As you can see in the photos above, Vegeta was switched out for Mr. Satan, so he's now the one training under Beerus!

"Edit Mode" allows you to customize different battle settings to create your own original battle!
Here, we'll show you how we created a battle between Vegito and Gogeta (Super) at the Tenkaichi Budokai!

You can configure the characters, battle environment, and even the things that happen when certain conditions are met! As you can see in the photos below, when the allied team's remaining health falls below 30%, their Ki will reach 100%!

Here, you can configure the camerawork, poses, and expressions used when characters enter the arena. In the scene shown here, Vegito has done a backflip to get some distance and is now at the ready, while Gogeta is gathering Ki to provoke him!

You can even pick the title card that appears when the battle starts, including the background image, text, and music!
This mode will allow players to truly create the battles of their dreams!

"Extra Battle" Mini-Report

The "Extra Battle" that I played was one where I played as Vegeta and had to fight to keep Beerus from getting bored! In this battle, if you don't deal 20% damage to Beerus every 30 seconds, the feline God of Destruction will warn you that he's getting bored. Then, if you don't inflict damage for another 10 seconds, Beerus will declare that he is too bored to continue the battle and cause the battle to end with one ultra powerful move! This battle was super difficult!
When I was playing, it was really hard to actually deal damage to Beerus, and that combined with the time limit ended up making it too difficult for me to win! You'd really have to try over and over and memorize Beerus' attack patterns to win. I'm really looking forward to seeing what other battles will be coming in this mode!

"Edit Mode" Mini-Report

I was amazed at the sheer number of options offered in "Edit Mode". From characters and stages to pre-battle dialogue and battle effects, you can change almost anything you can think of! In addition, since you can even adjust slow motion effect frames and camera settings, you can really create your own original battle just as though you were editing a video! You can even copy the settings from "Extra Battle" and only change the parts you want, making it easy for anyone to create their own battles!

That concludes our early look at two new modes debuting in DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO! New announcements on new playable characters and tons more awesome stuff are coming every month, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled!