Now, let's try out this new mode.

We're going with Goku (Super) this time.

After selecting a character, you choose the difficulty. The higher the difficulty, the more EXP you get while playing. Since this was our first time playing, we picked the normal difficulty.

It's quite likely that seasoned players of this mode are already familiar with DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO's controls. So, if you think you've got the skills for it, we recommend you try hard mode! The opponent's unprecedented strength is sure to be a nail-biting experience!

Next, we move to the Level Selection screen. Here you'll choose the range of the opponents' SP.

You can only select "Level 1", where SP ranges from 1 to 50 when you first start out, but clearing content will unlock higher levels!

We'd like to take a moment here to explain SP, a key element of character progression in this new mode. SP functions a bit like a character's level. Earn EXP to increase your SP and boost your character's parameters. The enemies you'll face also have SP values assigned to them, with stronger enemies having higher SP. While a number of elements go into training characters, the fundamental goal is to earn EXP and aim for a higher SP level.

You can choose effects that'll help make gameplay a little easier like increasing the EXP you earn or stamina recovery. Or you can choose some high-risk, high-reward options like increasing the strength of enemies to get more EXP.

With preparations complete, the Limit Breaker Journey finally begins!

Warriors, Unite on the Battlefield!

The opening scene features a short story unique to this mode. Here, the Zen-Ohs have an outrageous idea to gather warriors from different worlds and timelines and have them battle it out on Earth!

This means that anyone can be your opponent, no matter who you choose to play as!

Furthermore, progression is shared across all versions of the same character, meaning choosing to train Goku (Super) will also boost the parameters for Goku (Super) Super Saiyan! This ensures that no matter which version you start with, your efforts will never be in vain!

Just like in other modes, you can select which version you'll play as at the start of a battle.

Once the DLC begins, you'll immediately move to the world map menu. Selecting an icon on the map triggers a battle or an event, causing you to spend a turn. You clear this mode by defeating the final boss awaiting you on your 10th turn! However, if your HP runs out before then, it's game over!

This mode may not appear to be all that complicated so far, but the stamina mechanic really requires some strategic thinking!

The bar displayed under Goku is his stamina.

You consume stamina when moving across the world map, with the amount you consume determined by how far you travel. Most crucially, the game features a system where your HP in battle is directly influenced by your character's remaining stamina.

According to a producer, "if your stamina is low, you'll start the battle with less HP." In other words, you may find yourself in a tight spot if you enter a battle without any stamina! You could be knocked out by a single enemy combo, resulting in a game over!

You might be thinking that it would be simpler to conserve as much stamina as possible by only travelling short distances. But there's one more crucial aspect to the stamina system that you must contend with: the amount of EXP you earn at the end of battle is directly determined by your remaining stamina!

You receive a 1% EXP bonus for every stamina point consumed. For example, if your maximum stamina is 100, but your current stamina is 50 (meaning you've consumed 50 points of stamina), you will earn 50% more EXP!

What things looked like on the third turn. After moving, our stamina dropped to 48 (52 stamina points consumed).
So, our EXP rate is displayed as 152%, a boost of 52%.

We were genuinely impressed by how the spirit of Dragon Ball has been incorporated into this DLC's stamina system. Specifically, by how it embodies the Saiyan trait of growing in strength by overcoming life-or-death struggles!

Should you play it safe and move somewhere close this turn to prepare for an upcoming mini-boss? Or should you take the risk by burning through your stamina near its limit and challenging an even more formidable foe in a do-or-die clash to get tons of EXP? As you can see, assessing your own skills and the state of the world map while strategically managing your stamina are key to conquering this mode!

How our game looked on the sixth turn. Should we fight nearby enemies and conserve stamina,
or move to a location in hopes of triggering an event? Our judgement was really put to the test!

This explanation got a little long, but there's no doubt the thrill of stamina management is the true highlight of this new mode!

Strengthen Characters Through Events and Battles!

Getting back to our playtest, various icons appear on the map with each turn, which you select to progress.

There are three main types of map icons.
Event Icon: Trigger a dialogue event and obtain items such as Battle Arts which are used to strengthen your character.
Battle Icon: Fight enemies with strength levels based on your SP. This is the main way to acquire EXP.
Mystery Icon: Anything can happen, from battles to dialogues. This adds an element of chance for the opportunity to boost your characters!

Left: Event Icon / Center: Battle Icon / Right: Mystery Icon

Also, the type of icons and their locations on the map are updated with every turn, so players can enjoy a new route selection every time.

Selecting an Event Icon on the sixth turn triggered a dialogue event with Master Roshi, who gave us a Battle Art.

Battle Arts are this mode's version of Ability Items, which allow you to boost your character's abilities by equipping them.

While their Main Effects are fixed based on the character who teaches them, characters can store up to three Secondary Effects, each with completely random effects and levels. The thrill of obtaining a Battle Art that compliments your training approach and playstyle is an essential element in your journey to create the ultimate warrior.

Battle Arts slots expand each time your character's SP reaches a certain value. During our playtest, we unlocked a second slot after our SP reached 10. Keep leveling up to expand your range of power ups!

Battle Icons allow you to enjoy tense battles against strong enemies. Since the purpose of this mode is to power up your characters in single player, there aren't any significant differences in gameplay, aside from being unable to switch characters.

Become one with your character and fight with everything you have!

Your SP increases each time you defeat an enemy and earn a certain amount of EXP. As your SP rises, you'll earn points that can be allocated to your character's various parameters to power them up.

You can strengthen your character on the results screen after battle.

Points can be allocated across six different parameters.

During our playtest, we put all our points into Attack Boost, but you can customize your character to suit your playstyle, whether that means developing each parameter for a balanced build or focusing on maximizing their unique trait.

Aside from the EXP bonus from the stamina system we mentioned earlier, you can also earn a large EXP bonus by defeating enemies with a higher SP than your own. Facing enemies stronger than you is the quickest way to increase your SP. Managing your stamina while figuring out how to push beyond your limits is where your skill as a player will really shine.

Awaiting players on their fifth turn will be a mini-boss battle, while a final boss battle is on the 10th turn (appears on the map from the ninth turn).

Mini-boss battle. You won't know which enemy you'll be facing until the battle begins.

There are three mini-bosses to choose from based on their strength. Each boss's difficulty is indicated by the color of the question marks, with white being for bosses with a similar SP to your own, orange for those with a slightly higher SP, and red for those with significantly higher SP. This time around we selected the orange boss and battled Frost.

With our low stamina and reduced HP from the outset, the battle was a tense struggle that kept us on the edge of our seats.

The final boss generally differs depending on which character the player chooses. You'll have to pick up the game and see for yourself what kind of final bosses lie in wait.

Special Battles That Offer New Strategic Possibilities

We weren't done quite yet! During our playtest we were able to confirm two new special kinds of battles.

The first are Special Battles which trigger when you challenge an enemy with a yellow exclamation mark on their Battle Icon.

The exclamation mark to the right of Majin Vegeta indicates a Special Battle.

Special Battles feature various challenges that restrict player actions. The challenge for this battle involved watching out for an Ultimate Blast.

For this challenge, enemies will be able to use their Ultimate Blast (UB), which can normally only be activated in Sparking Mode, even while in their normal state provided certain conditions are met.

Majin Vegeta's UB, Final Explosion, blows himself up to deal massive damage to enemies within a set range, at the cost of inflicting massive damage onto himself.
You'll be caught in the blast if he suddenly activates it at close range, so you'll need to adopt different strategies than what you might be used to, like fighting at a safe distance from the opponent. While these Special Battles are more difficult, they offer a bonus to the EXP you earn from winning, so if you think you have what it takes, it's worth actively seeking them out.

There are other types of battles involving ambushes. We couldn't work out what triggers them during our playtest, but they occur suddenly in situations such as when moving towards an Event Icon.

We were given the option to either accept or flee.

These are bonus battles that offer a chance to earn EXP without using up your turn. However, since there is no way of knowing who your opponent or what their SP will be, you'll have to use your judgement to determine whether to risk it and go for the EXP or play it safe and avoid the battle.

A Secret Weapon for Recovering Your Stamina

Just as we were making steady progress, we ran into a major problem during the playtest.
How could we recover our stamina before entering a battle?

We hardly had any stamina left by the seventh turn...

We'd be starting a battle with next to no health if we were to go in like this, making a game over all but inevitable. That's where the Senzu Bean, an item exclusive to this mode, comes in clutch!

This familiar, almighty item is just as effective in this mode as it is in the series. It instantly heals serious injuries and keeps those who eat one full for 10 days. Not only will it completely restore any stamina you've used, for the rest of the turn that you eat one, your stamina will not be consumed while moving.
The producers also recommend using one just before a boss battle so you can enter the fight at full health and be fully prepared.

However, the number of times you can use a Senzu Bean depends on the difficulty. On top of that, there's a challenge in which clearing a stage without using any Senzu Beans will grant you a special EXP bonus. Deciding on when to use this item is bound to be a challenge throughout the game!

Besides Senzu Beans, you can also recover stamina by using items that increase your amount of recovery after battle. We recommend using these types of items if you have Zeni to spare.

Defeating the final boss and clearing the mode!
Even the victory pose looks perfect.

Claim Your Clear Rewards and Continue Your Path to Greater Strength

You'll receive plenty of rewards for clearing the game, including one that lets you reroll Secondary Effects for your Battle Arts!

Players are only able to reroll their Secondary Effects one time on normal difficulty.

When we tried rerolling, both our Secondary Effects and their skill levels were all completely changed. This type of system is similar to other games that allow players to farm for better gear. Being able to optimize your character to some extent during the game and even after clearing the mode makes it feel like a very balanced system. It feels neither lenient nor overly demanding.

The Main Effects are locked even when rerolling.

Additionally, each Secondary Effect's level ranges from one to seven, with the effect being more powerful the higher the level. All this info is explained in the tutorial during your first playthrough, so be sure to pay close attention.

In this playtest, we managed to reach 23 SP after a single clear. By using the same character to replay Limit Breaker Journey, you can continue to make them even stronger.

Press the plus button at the top of the screen to start training a new character.

Even while carefully following the tutorial, our first playthrough took about 25 minutes to clear. Once you're used to the game mechanics for this mode, it should take just under 20 minutes to complete a single playthrough.

Another incredible aspect worth mentioning is the careful attention to detail in the pacing and immersion. Load times and transition sequences during map selection and while moving are kept to a minimum, while subtle details, such as the changing map background based on the icon you're standing on add to the overall experience.

Fight Between Limit-Breaking Characters!

And the best part is, you can use the characters you've trained through the Limit Breaker Journey mode to fight in Player Matches and offline battles!
Control the ultimate character you've trained and enjoy thrilling battles against rivals and friends from around the world.

The Player Matches mode also has a "Battle with Limit Breaker Journey Characters" option that can be toggled on or off. Players who prefer to battle others using standard character stats and enjoy a pure skill matchup can do so without worry by turning this option off.

Room Settings screen

As your character grows stronger, the aura that appears when you charge your Ki will also grow. Though, if you prefer a size that you're more familiar with, you can switch it back in the options menu.