Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

WCCFtechFrancesco De Meo

9/10

2024 will go down in history as the saddest year for every Dragon Ball fan, as it was the year the series' legendary creator Akira Toriyama passed away. Without this tragic event, however, the year would have been remembered as a great one for the franchise as a whole, not only thanks to the release of the Dragon Ball Daima series but also to the return of the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi franchise. Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is one of the best games based on the works of Toriyama-sensei ever made. Right from the start, it is clear how Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is a labor of love. From its pre...

MP1STDean James

9/10

Like past entries in the series, it may take a little while for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero to really click with you due to the perceived difficulty at the start. Once it does click though, you are in for a real treat with easily one of the best Dragon Ball games to date. With a massive character roster and high flying combat that perfectly emulates the series, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero delivers a Kamehameha of gratification for fans of the series and is something that would have made series creator Akira Toriyama very proud.

Press StartMatthew Zimmari

8.5/10

Picking right up where it left off with Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a return to form and a celebration of everything Dragon Ball. Reinvigorated with characters and transformations from Dragon Ball Super as well as your favourites from Dragon Ball Z, the game feels both brand new and classic as it brings fast-paced action and eye-popping graphics into the new generation. While some players may be frustrated or overwhelmed with the learning curve of the controls, the rewards lie in mastering your favourite characters, and crafting an experience that blends your imaginatio...

GameGrinMartin Heath

8.5/10

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO feels like a faithful continuation of the series. Beautiful visuals and epic combat make for a great combination and the creative What If scenarios were a treat to explore. A definite recommendation for fans. The AI cheats, though.

WayTooManyGamesLeo Faria

8.5/10

Y’know, I’m often amazed at how Bandai Namco always manages to get me hyped for a new Dragon Ball game when, in essence, they’ve done everything the franchise can offer over and over again. We are back at yet another game featuring a ton of overdramatic battles, the same damn sagas, Yamcha’s dying pose, a ton of beams and screams… and I had a great time with it, once again. Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero is an odd game because it doesn’t do anything new at all with franchise. In fact,...

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

8.5/10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an absolute blast that captures the over-the-top nature of the franchise’s fights perfectly while also offering a massive, albeit unbalanced, roster.

Twisted VoxelSalal Awan

8/10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO on Switch 2 is a visual knockout that mirrors its PS5 sibling, prioritizing high-fidelity spectacle over a 60 FPS target.

Final WeaponAndrew Brown

Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO delivers a massive 182-character roster than spans all eras of Dragon Ball, but lacks representation from the original Dragon Ball series and certain fan-favorite characters. While the What-If story paths add intrigue, the overall story mode feels lackluster, skipping content from Dragon Ball GT and the movies, However, the game shines with its custom battles, in-depth combat system, and returning fan-favorite features like Chi-Chi's encyclopedia. This game, as a wh...

DexertoEleni Thomas

There’s no denying that developer Spike Chunsoft was under pressure to deliver with Sparking Zero, but instead of backing down from the challenge, they rose to the occasion to create the best Dragon Ball game in years.

GamingBoltRavi Sinha

8/10

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO isn't perfect, with Episode Battle falling somewhat short in its ambitions, but it's an excellent recreation of the series' power fantasy.

GamerBravesRalph

7.5/10

When DRAGON BALL: Sparking! Zero made its way to Nintendo Switch 2 fans were eager to see how the spectacle-driven fighter would handle the transition. We’ll take a close look at how the Switch 2 version performs across different play modes, what visual and technical compromises were made, and whether the port delivers the full Dragon Ball experience on Nintendo’s new hardware.

GinxTVAlexandra Hobbs

7/10

A vibrant, flashy and overdue return to one of Dragon Ball’s best game series. But it’s not quite fresh enough to keep me coming back for more.