Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, latest in a long line of Dragon Ball video games, has received a warm welcome, selling over 1.5 million copies in its first week. Despite the series’ enduring popularity, this success was by no means guaranteed; in the months leading up to release, many fans were concerned that yet another retelling of the Dragon Ball Z story would result in fatigue rather than fun. Luckily, Bandai Namco has changed just enough of the formula to keep the game inviting for newcomers and fresh for series veterans.
The history of Dragon Ball video games dates back farther than Western fans might assume due to the timeline of the anime’s syndication in the U.S. The first series to air in the U.S., Dragon Ball Z, began in 1996 and did not receive widespread popularity until it moved to Cartoon Network in 1998. Following this appeal, the original Dragon Ball series began airing in 2001. By this time, however, Japanese audiences had already been enjoying the show for 15 years. In fact, by the time Dragon Ball Z’s final episode aired in English in 2003, there were already 25 games based on the series – and those are only the ones available on consoles.
According to VG247, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is performing quite well, especially for the 46th Dragon Ball game. Although the game has not dethroned Dragon Ball FighterZ, which sold 2 million copies in its first week in 2018, Bandai Namco still projects that Kakarot will reach the 2 million mark by the end of the year. This is not an unrealistic prediction as Kakarot has no shortage of content from which to pull DLC. The most obvious source would be the highly popular follow-up series, Dragon Ball Super, which is both fresh in the minds of fans and technically a canon entry in the franchise. Other potential DLC content includes plotlines from the Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball GT, and–albeit unlikely–the original Dragon Ball series itself.
However, outside of “What If?” scenarios, there is little that Kakarot can do narratively to surprise fans of the series at this point. This is what makes the gameplay such a crucial element for Dragon Ball titles to perfect. In this game, the story is presented as an open-world RPG, signifying a departure from the series’ usual formulas. Dragon Ball games have generally been tournament-style fighters or beat-em-ups, with the variety being found primarily in how the story unfolds between battles. By giving players agency over when to progress the story and the freedom to explore the game’s world, Bandai Namco has opened a new avenue for future Dragon Ball titles to explore. Judging by Kakarot’s success, this may well be a gameplay style that is expanded upon in the future.
Although FighterZ received higher acclaim than Kakarot, there is an important lesson to learn from these games’ receptions: despite the dozens of Dragon Ball video games that already exist, the series itself is still popular enough to drive sales if the overall product is good. FighterZ and Kakarot are two entirely different games in separate genres, with the only real commonality being the characters and story. With Kakarot, Bandai Namco has shown a willingness to experiment further with Dragon Ball’s presentation, which could be the key to breathing new life into games in the franchise.
Next: Dragon Ball FighterZ Review: Still The Best Dragon Ball Game Ever
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: VG247
