Over the weekend I had the opportunity to jump in the closed beta test for Dragon Ball FighterZ, getting some hands-on with the game for the second time. The first was a maybe twenty-minute session at E3, barely getting my feet wet. This time, I got to spend several hours with the game in the comfort of my own home, taking in all the visual splendor in addition to getting more of a feel for what the game is really like. It was a beta so it wasn’t the final game which typically means all online, no training and segmented sessions. So after extended, but still rough and unfocused, time with the game, so far my impression is Dragon Ball FighterZ is on the same high level as Persona 4 Arena, and while more casual players will struggle with its complexity, it will still easily coast on its masterful presentation and respect for the source material.

The coolest part of the open beta, honestly, was that I got a look at Dragon Ball FighterZ's actual online structure, rather than just a simple, functional menu to get into online matches. The setup is similar to Guilty Gear Xrd, in that you can pick a chibi-style avatar and actually move around the cartoony, little lobby and access the game’s features with some cutesy interactivity rather than cycling through menus. Most of the lobby was blocked off, of course, but I was able to browse through some pre-recorded matches in the replay mode if I wanted to take a break from playing myself.

Some other options were available as well, including the ability to post silly emotes of various Dragon Ball characters making goofy faces. I could also toy around with the options, which was where I could set my default team, look at the controls, so on and so forth. I also got to see the various connection options to expect, including setting connection quality limits, regional location and more. All good signs of a solid, malleable online experience.

For the open beta, every character announced leading up to that point was available. Unfortunately, Tien, Yamcha and Android 21 were announced in Japan during this test, so no time with them. Available were Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Frieza, Buu, Krillin, Android 18, Piccolo, Cell and Android 16. That’s enough variety to show off Dragon Ball FighterZ'sbreadth of strengths, weaknesses and penchant for style. There’s a lot of variety, from Goku’s more straightforward style to Buu’s bizarre physicality and Piccolo’s more technical approach. Unfortunately, it felt like the smaller characters really struggled, as confirming hits off much smaller arms and legs proved challenging compared to the lankier characters.

In terms of style, Dragon Ball FighterZ will undoubtedly go down as one of the most amazing visual experiences in video games this generation. The jump from Unreal 3 to Unreal 4 for ArcSys is palatable in how this game handles the same visual tricks used for Guilty Gear Xrd, but with more stability and complexity by far. It looks like the show and only seldom does the game ever remind you it’s using 3D models. Even when I struggled to follow everything happening on screen, every passing second was a treat to watch in action.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is clearly inspired by Marvel vs Capcom 2, from the three-on-three concept to the character-based assist moves and cancelable super moves. The outward mechanics felt nice and familiar as someone who has spent plenty of time in the lab with the Capcom Versus series. That said, the core controls are a different beast, and will take a while getting used to. The Dragon Ball-ness of the game really comes out when trying to move around the stage and get combos started, and without a command list or tutorial it was pretty tough getting past the point of, “Oh gosh what does this button do?” Many of the mechanics unique to Dragon Ball FighterZ are not intuitive to the point of being pick-up-and-play friendly, and even as a seasoned fighter, I struggled to grasp why the heavy attack button had the properties it did or why my meter kept vanishing during moments I wouldn’t expect to ever lose meter.

Even with the steeper-than-expected learning curve, I had a ton of fun with my Dragon Ball FighterZ time. I would have loved a more traditional demo, with a training or local versus mode, but a beta test makes the most sense at this point, fairly far away from release. For now, I look back fondly on my chance to revel in the sheer spectacle of it all, from the insane, cancel-heavy combo strings to the Destruction Finishes and unbelievable visuals. This is the first Dragon Ball game in years that really has a chance to penetrate the non-anime game audience and I sincerely believe it’s not only a chance but a good chance.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is scheduled to come out February 2018! 

by Lucas White