Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is my favourite Dragon Ball game of all time. As a lifelong fan of Budokai Tenkaichi who desperately wanted to see it return, Sparking Zero lived up to all my expectations and then some, delivering a stacked roster with tons of variety, evolved combat that perfectly distilled the feeling of the original trilogy, memorable what-if scenarios, gorgeous visuals, and oh so much more that puts it above Kakarot, Xenoverse, and even FighterZ.
For a time, it felt like the whole world agreed with me, as Sparking kicked off with record-breaking sales, glowing reviews, and a massive community that seemed to be as grateful for it as I was. But for whatever reason, that quickly changed, as fans were quick to scoff at the lack of constant updates and blow some of the more minor flaws, like a lack of customisation and stages, way out of proportion.
Within months, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero went from being the people’s champion to something that you couldn’t go anywhere without someone telling you it was overrated. The cries for Sparking Zero to be “fixed” have always exhausted me, but Spike Chunsoft clearly took them to heart, because its staggering Super Limit Breaking Neo DLC feels like an earnest attempt to win people back. I never needed to be, but I’m still glad it happened, since the best Dragon Ball game just got even better.
New Fighters Were Arguably Unnecessary, But It’s Great To See Them All
Considering Sparking Zero’s launch roster was already ridiculously big and then got even bigger with character packs, I didn’t expect or particularly feel the need for Super Limit Breaking Neo to focus too much on bringing new heroes and villains in. That definitely isn’t the case, though, as the DLC adds a whopping 33 new fighters (including transformations, as always) that span every single era of Dragon Ball.
Most notably, OG Dragon Ball finally gets the love it deserves, with everyone from Eighter and Nam to Ma Junior and World Tournament Goku being lovingly brought in. This was the one part of Sparking Zero’s roster I found lacking, so it’s great to see the series’ origins get some time in the spotlight. Super’s new additions like Jaco, Champa, and Cheelai are also appreciated, as are the GT picks like Vegeta, Trunks, and, the one everyone was complaining about, Super 17.
It’s great to see more of the lost Budokai Tenkaichi 3 characters like King Vegeta and Supreme Kai join the fight, as well as some rogue new picks like Mighty Mask and Chilled.
Even if I didn’t need most of the characters that have been added since my love of Gohan already had me well-fed, it’s still an undeniable win for so many fighters to have joined the mix, and to have had so much love poured into their dialogue, moves, and more. Budokai Tenkaichi made a name for itself with its roster, after all, and it’s now impossible to argue that Sparking Zero hasn’t taken it even further beyond.
Super Limit Breaking Neo's Maps And Customisation Are A Big Step In The Right Direction
Building on your strengths is always a good thing, but the most important thing that Sparking Zero needed to do with this DLC is address some of its shortcomings. The lack of customisation options (outside of Scouters and halos) for most characters was a notable complaint at launch that has finally changed with Super Limit Breaking Neo.
A ton of great and highly-requested outfits have been brought to Sparking Zero, from Goku’s Cell Saga jacket and Videl’s Great Saiyawoman costume to Teen Gohan’s Bojack gi and tank top Trunks. All of the new fits here are great and add some much-needed variety, with many of them even coming with deep-cut ultimate moves, like my beloved False Super Saiyan appearing in one of Goku’s alternate costumes.
Vegeta weirdly didn’t get much love, which is a shame since the Badman shirt was right there.
Super Limit Breaking Neo also makes good on the game’s slim map selection by adding four new stages to the mix. The lack of location variety was something that came to bug me in the years since Sparking Zero released, so long-awaited areas like Kame House, Kami’s Lookout, Bitter Tundra, and two space maps are a breath of fresh air that made more difference than I expected.
As great as everything that’s been added is, though, I do wish there was a little more, even if it meant fewer characters as a trade-off. Some fighters still don’t have many customisation options compared to Goku’s expansive wardrobe, while the maps that are here are mostly brought over instead of anything new. Still, it’s a big improvement, and one I hope is just the start.
Limit Breaker Journey Is Exactly What Sparking Zero Needs
The real star of the show in Super Limit Breaking Neo isn’t something that’s been built upon like stages, characters, and customisation - it’s something brand new. Limit Breaker Journey is a new single-player mode that lets you pick any character and train them up to ridiculous power levels by battling randomised opponents, talking to masters to get Battle Arts, and taking part in unique events on a world map.
Limit Breaker Journey doesn’t move too far from Sparking Zero’s core combat focus, but the almost roguelite setup, more tactical focus on balancing stamina, and the random nature of it all adds a lot of variety and gives the game more purpose outside of simple offline and online battles. Even after pouring 80 hours into Sparking Zero over the years, I’ve been spending a ton of time training up my fighters and generally having a blast with the mode, much more than I expected to when the DLC was announced.
I do wish you could actually fly around and explore the world map a la Budokai Tenkaichi 2, though.
The only downside is that both Limit Breaker Journey and Sparking Zero as a whole have suddenly become ridiculously difficult over the last few updates, which can really be felt in the new Episode Battles. The CPU was admittedly a bit too easy in the base game, but it’s gone a bit too far the other way and really needs to be toned down. Every fight shouldn’t be Great Ape Vegeta levels of suffering.
Outside of juicing up the challenge, Super Limit Breaking Neo doesn’t do too much to change Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, but, as I’ve always said, it never needed to. Instead, it builds upon what was already so great about the base game while simultaneously fleshing out the areas where it was slightly weaker. In short, Super Limit Breaking Neo makes Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero a much more complete experience that I hope will finally end the witch hunt.
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Fighting Action Systems 4.5/5 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 85% Released October 11, 2024 ESRB T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) Spike Chunsoft Publisher(s) Namco BandaiWHERE TO PLAY
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