Dragon Ball FighterZ Reviews

Just like Rocksteady did for Batman, Arc System Works has carried Dragon Ball to the upper echelon, crafting a tag-fighting game that captures not only the series' distinctive style but its spirit. FighterZ stands alongside other versatile, yet accessible, games like Marvel vs. Capcom with ease in what is the best fighting game in recent memory. It's a shame the servers hamstring the experience so badly, rendering the game's online a bit of a mess.

Republished on Wednesday, 11th January, 2023: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of January 2023's PS Plus line up. The original text follows.

More online testing to be done, but so far Dragon Ball FighterZ is indeed pretty... super [pause for riotous applause and laughter]

Shout, shout, let it all out.

Dragon Ball games are for Dragon Ball fans. Fighting games are for fighting game fans. Dragon Ball FighterZ is both of those things, and it’s for everybody.

Get ready to rumble as fan favorite Dragon Ball makes an explosive return to fighting games. Whether as iconic characters or brand new ones you'll be destroying planets and blowing up your opponents in spectacular fashion. This game does the series justice in visuals, audio, and gameplay. Not only are you receiving a bang for your buck, but a true Dragon Ball experience.

Arc System Works rethinks the basics of fighting games.

Dragon Ball as a series has always forefronted epic battles. In each episode of the cartoon, godlike warriors transformed the landscape in fantastic one-on-one fights with ease. In FighterZ, anyone can feel like that in any fight. I’ve been waiting for a Dragon Ball game like this ever since I first saw the cartoon in grade school, and I’m so happy this day has come.

That burp you heard was Majin Buu after eating Marvel vs. Capcom's lunch.

Aside from having an incredibly solid fighting game structure at its core, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a title that Arc System Works clearly treated with respect and love for the franchise that it is inspired by, and it stands toe-to-toe with the iconic anime and manga because of it.

When it comes to fighting games, few franchises have strayed as far from the genre's 2D roots as Dragon Ball. Thankfully, Dragon Ball FighterZ is here to make the manga fighting series great again with spot-on 2D gameplay and plenty of eye candy.

Dragon Ball FighterZ looks pretty as hell, almost as good as the anime these days. However the game has a serious balancing issue, the company has a serious greed issue. Overall the more you play the game, the less you’re going to like it unless you enjoy grinding against people who will combo lock you into hell. Single player gets boring quickly, leaving a terrible online experience. Expect this game to disappear into the next dimension when the next flashy anime-style fighting game arrives.

If you're a fighting game fan, a fan of Dragon Ball or better yet both, this is a can't miss title. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a technical masterpiece and a raging blast to play.

2018 is off to a strong start with Dragon Ball FighterZ an early contender for this year’s best fighting game.  By shattering some boundaries, Dragon Ball FighterZ has combat that’s more than worth getting into, but also a diverse roster and some phenomenal presentation. The Story Mode could have been improved if it were more streamlined, but it’s a mere blemish on an otherwise spectacular game.

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The music and sound effects are as strong as the visuals, with many sounds being lifted straight from the show. Every beam blast and teleport sounds incredibly satisfying, while the energetic soundtrack, made up of everything from hard rock to jazz, feels perfectly in-line with the corny action that has made Dragon Ball so iconic. The voicework, both English and Japanese, is just as full of passion as the rest of the game. It takes genuine strength to scream as much as Dragon Ball voice actors have to, so I feel it’s necessary to give them some credit. Tragically, FighterZ was also the last project Hiromi Tsuru, the Japanese voice for Bulma, was able to lend her voice to before her sudden death. Bulma is quite involved in the story and has some great jokes here and there, so I feel FighterZ does right by the late Tsuru and her legacy as Bulma.

Defending the Earth from intergalactic space fighters, hunting down wish-granting dragons, and more spiky hair than a 90s boy band.

Dragon Ball FighterZ accomplishes a difficult task: Taking two insular genres (fighting games and licensed products) and broadening the appeal of both. With its gorgeous characters and explosive combat, it wonderfully captures what has made Dragon Ball such an enduring power fantasy. With a steady learning curve and simple-but-varied combat, it is immediately rewarding as a fighting game, but also has the potential to turn average players on to the fun of learning, adapting, and improving through competition.

Dragon Ball FighterZ’s rock-solid fighting engine is both accessible and deep at the same time. The paltry selection of modes and repetitive Story Mode somewhat take away from the game, but this is one fighter worthy of any Saiyan warrior.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is the culmination of a legendary franchise, packing fast-paced combat and graphics faithful to the source material. With a legacy that spans decades across all forms of media, Dragon Ball is one of the largest Japanese media franchises around. With fighting game titans Arc System Works at the helm, Dragon Ball FighterZ has all the requirements to be a hit on paper.

May it be the likes of Shadow of the Colossus or Metal Gear Solid, if it’s quite there but not enough to push the boundaries, it’s still an awesome game.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is both an incredible game to look at and to play. Arc System Works has done right by the Dragon Ball name giving fans of the source material plenty to be happy about.

A hugely enjoyable, exciting and eye-wateringly good-looking fighting game, Dragon Ball FighterZ is utterly essential for any and all self-respecting DBZ fans. And even if you're not, you'll still probably get a big old kick out Arc System Works' exuberant fighter.

Even though I’m not the greatest at fighting games (and usually even despise playing them), Dragon Ball FighterZ manages to make the game feel easy to get into, and quickly become rewarding by learning move sets and counter plays.  While the story mode allows a bit of the customization that was found in Xenoverse, FighterZ is much more focused on being a balanced fighting game rather than an RPG, and it’s all the better for it.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is not only true to its source material, but ranks among the best as a 2D fighting game. How long you stick with it might be entirely dependent on how much you love the series, though.

After the announcement of a Dragon Ball FighterZ and seeing its 2D stylised form of combat I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this latest iteration. Dragon Ball games have taken on many forms in years past, each series with its own unique spin on the popular anime’s style of battle.  FighterZ, for me, has to be by far one of my favourite renditions of the series’ gaming legacy since playing my first Dragon Ball Z Budokai on the PlayStation 2 many moons ago. It’s clear that developers...

Dragon Ball FighterZ is the game that fans of the series have been waiting for.

Slick combat, plenty of modes, and the best visual representation of the franchise in a video game yet make Dragon Ball FighterZ a game you definitely want to play!

Dragon Ball FighterZ is no mere licensed game or anime fighter. Sporting a fan-friendly story mode, a robust online experience and a host of other ways for you and your friends to trade ki blasts, it's clear that Arc have delivered a 2D fighter that's worthy of respect.

When I first read the words “Dragon Ball game developed by Arc System Works” I thought; “Ha, yeah, I’ve been wishing for that since I first saw Guilty Gear Xrd’s art style.” But as it turned out, this wasn’t a wishful tweet from a fighting game fan; this was basically an announcement. The trailer debuted at E3 and it was glorious. The anime art style was brought to life, ki blasts and attacks looked flashy and impressive, and more than anything, it looked like a “proper” 2D fighting game, made by one of the most experienced fighting game developers of all time.

Between the accessible auto combos, homing attacks, and simplified command inputs, Dragon Ball FighterZ is an inviting gateway into the world of fighting games for newcomers — whether you’re a Dragon Ball fan or not. Those easy controls can open the door to some spammy behavior, but just as often it’s satisfying in a way that does right by the Dragon Ball name. Dragon Ball FighterZ has enough depth and complexity to glow as brilliantly as a Super Saiyan.

A dream come true for Dragon Ball fans, but also a highly competent fighting game that is a front runner for the best fighter of the generation.