I’ve never watched Dragon Ball Z before and have no knowledge of the series or its mythos. So in all fairness, I can’t judge how good of an adaptation Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is to the original material. As a video game, however, I found it to be just alright. Engaging enough to keep me playing through its 30 hour runtime but overall rough around the edges.
As a newcomer to DBZ, I found the story to be the most engaging part of the game. Getting to meet these likable characters for the first time and watching them go through these adventures was a novel experience and the only thing that kept me playing. Especially when the story is being told through wonderfully animated cutscenes. The visual presentation as a whole is great, the art style is reminiscent of Toriyama’s distinct style while having a beautiful modern cel-shaded flair.
The gameplay switches between “open-world” segments where you’re free to explore, collect items, and engage in side content and combat segments where you engage in battles. There are bits of lackluster RPG elements sprinkled in there that I found to be overall barebones and unremarkable. Their inclusion was welcome as it provided a fleeting sense of progression but not essential to go through the game.
The combat overall is alright, enemy encounters are not thoughtless per se but they don’t require complex strategies either. Some of the boss encounters offered a nice change of pace but overall, the combat ends up feeling repetitive. Especially since the gameplay loop only cycles through exploration, cutscenes, and fights. I just found myself waiting for the game to throw something new at me by the 10th hour. I don’t know maybe some platforming, or puzzles or even minigames. The lack of variety just completely kills the game for me in terms of engagement.
I found myself thankful to have never experienced DBZ beforehand as most of my enjoyment of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot came from the allure of these storylines and characters that were brand-new to me. If I had already known where the story goes, I would’ve quit playing in the 5th hour as the game shows you all it’s got by that point. Overall though, I do think the game is a love letter to DBZ super fans. Especially with how it gives them a chance to explore iconic locations they grew up with in a beautifully realized way. I, however, don’t fall in that boat so I ended up having just an “okay” experience.
As a newcomer to DBZ, I found the story to be the most engaging part of the game. Getting to meet these likable characters for the first time and watching them go through these adventures was a novel experience and the only thing that kept me playing. Especially when the story is being told through wonderfully animated cutscenes. The visual presentation as a whole is great, the art style is reminiscent of Toriyama’s distinct style while having a beautiful modern cel-shaded flair.
The gameplay switches between “open-world” segments where you’re free to explore, collect items, and engage in side content and combat segments where you engage in battles. There are bits of lackluster RPG elements sprinkled in there that I found to be overall barebones and unremarkable. Their inclusion was welcome as it provided a fleeting sense of progression but not essential to go through the game.
The combat overall is alright, enemy encounters are not thoughtless per se but they don’t require complex strategies either. Some of the boss encounters offered a nice change of pace but overall, the combat ends up feeling repetitive. Especially since the gameplay loop only cycles through exploration, cutscenes, and fights. I just found myself waiting for the game to throw something new at me by the 10th hour. I don’t know maybe some platforming, or puzzles or even minigames. The lack of variety just completely kills the game for me in terms of engagement.
I found myself thankful to have never experienced DBZ beforehand as most of my enjoyment of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot came from the allure of these storylines and characters that were brand-new to me. If I had already known where the story goes, I would’ve quit playing in the 5th hour as the game shows you all it’s got by that point. Overall though, I do think the game is a love letter to DBZ super fans. Especially with how it gives them a chance to explore iconic locations they grew up with in a beautifully realized way. I, however, don’t fall in that boat so I ended up having just an “okay” experience.