The story of Son Goku is one that any anime fan knows, and probably, loves. There have been many games inspired by the legendary manga and anime Dragon Ball properties over the years, and many have tried to capture that feeling of watching Goku’s exploits for the first time. But I think that this newest game, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, is the closest we’ve come to actually doing that.
DBZ Kakarot will allow players to experience the entire Dragon Ball Z storyline. We’re talking all the way through the first Saiyan Saga and the introduction of Vegeta, all the way through the final moments of the legendary Buu Saga. And yes, the badass Vegeto and Majin Vegeta moments will be in the game. But along with fighting your way through all of the iconic battles from the anime, there’s a ton more RPG focus this time around. Gamers will have to fight their way through some pretty tough battles to unlock new tools in their arsenal, but the reward of defeating tough foes doesn’t quite end with shiny new threads. Unlocking that new gear uses an item called Soul Emblems, which are used in both the singleplayer and communal elements to customize your characters.
And in the newest trailer for the game, we get to see even more of that action. Check it out down below. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot releases on January 17th, 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One worldwide.
Other games like Dragon Ball Z Budokai dabbled with character customization as part of their offerings, but Dragon Ball Z Kakarot will jump into the fray of RPG-like mechanics headfirst. In addition to unlocking all of the powerful new gear and abilities through the story, players can backtrack in a pretty inventive way.
One of the things that RPG fans love to do is experiment with the story and dialogue, hunting for hidden Easter eggs, and Bandai Namco is letting players do just that using the Dragon Balls. These magical artifacts let you fulfill any wish in the source material, but in DBZ Kakarot you’re getting a bit of a do-over.
Here’s how Bandai Namco describes the Dragon Ball system, and what it unlocks once you gather all seven:
For example, if players revive Frieza once they have unlocked Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation (a transformation Frieza did not witness in the original anime), the two characters will share a short never-before-seen conversation. Upon defeating these enemies, players will gain XP and unlock their Soul Emblems to use in the Community Boards to unlock new skills and abilities.
